The centers of Helene, Idalia and Debby crossed the coast within about 23 miles, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Residents returned to this coastal town Friday morning to find their beloved businesses flattened, homes swept away and roads flooded, a little more than a year after another hurricane devastated the village.

With 140 mph winds and stronger gusts, the landfall of Hurricane Helene this week marked the most powerful hurricane to hit the region among storms tracked since the 1850s.