Madison Gaines, the daughter of three-time Olympic gold medalist and the voice of swimming in the United States Rowdy Gaines, has shared an update on her parents after Hurricane Helene left them marooned in their home in Port Charlotte on Thursday.
“From Rowdy and Judy: We are safe and have gone to a friends [sic] house in Port Charlotte. We are still without power and our cars were flooded but we got a rental car and were able to drive out this afternoon. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Our prayers are for the people in the direct path of this mammoth storm.”
Port Charlotte is located about midway between Fort Myers and Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
While the coastal town did not take a direct hit from the storm, it was inundated with the historic storm surge that has put most of the town underwater.
Officials in Charlotte County put out evacuation orders for barrier islands, low-lying areas, manufactured homes, and any homes not built to withstand high winds, but the Gaineses were not able to evacuate in time from their home in the woods.
Rowdy and his wife are attempting to conserve battery on their phones as they have been without power for over a day, but Madison is posting updates for them on Rowdy’s Instagram account. On Friday, she posted a video of the flooding saying that her parents’ house was on 3 foot stilts, but that flooding was keeping them from their cars even after the storm had passed.
The storm, currently making its way through the Midwest, has caused at least 52 deaths, billions of dollars of damage, and has left millions without power. Several college meets were cancelled over the weekend before and after the storm.
Good to hear! The west coast of Florida has really had a rough couple of years 😞
I have a hard time understanding why he had a difficult time evacuating. An approximate landfall was predicted 72+hrs in advance. People tend to forget…if you don’t evacuate, whether it’s mandatory or not, you place first responders in harms way too
Rowdy’s reaction time was a little slow
That is a good news !
Happy they’re safe. Rowdy was breathing to his left when the water rose to his neck. He couldn’t lose from that point on.
I imagined the water rising around them and Rowdy breathing to both sides so he could see any dangerous debris in the water.
My heart was racing thinking about Rowdy Gaines and family in danger.
I am now relieved.
Good news!