Hurricane Helene: Former Ottawa resident describes when the storm hit [Video]

When Hurricane Helene roared ashore in Florida as a Category 4 storm on Thursday, former Ottawa resident Judy Brown felt its wrath.

“About 11 o’clock, the winds started picking up and it sounded like a tornado for about two or three hours outside,” she said.

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Brown now lives in Tallahassee and has been without power since 9 p.m. Thursday. It’s unknown when it will be restored.

The now-downgraded storm caused widespread destruction, flooding and power outages and death.

“It was concerning this morning not being able to contact anyone because we didn’t have Wi-Fi. We couldn’t make phone calls. We only got a few text messages through, and I wanted my family and friends in Canada to know that I was safe,” Brown said.

Her internet provider set up hotspots so people could communicate, but …