Published Sept. 27|Updated Sept. 27MADEIRA BEACH — A raging river of Gulf of Mexico water ripped through the heart of Madeira Beach just minutes after deputies blocked access to Pinellas County’s barrier islands at 6 p.m. Thursday.It would be dusk by the time these densely populated islands would start facing the peak of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge, forecasters had warned, and here it came.Water churned and splashed as it overtopped boardwalks and sand dunes and funneled onto this beachside city’s main artery, Gulf Boulevard, named after the waterbody now invading it.There were no cars on the road except for lifted trucks and Jeeps with thick, oversized tires. Even they braked to a halt when they arrived at the river of debris-littered storm water, their drivers contemplating whether to drive through. Most didn’t.Thousands of residents along the Tampa Bay area’s beachside communities were told to leave Wednesday morning as Hurricane Helene threatened potentially record-breaking surg...
