Pinellas teacher dies in dangerous storm surge caused by Hurricane Helene

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Florida – Hurricane Helene is gone, but it left a mark on the Tampa Bay area that won’t be forgotten. The barrier islands of Pinellas County were hardest hit, killing nine people.

One of those victims is Donna Fagersten, 66, a second-grade teacher who lived in Indian Rocks Beach. Her close friends, Heather Anne Boles and Mike Moran, said she worked at Ponce De Leon Elementary School in Pinellas County.

“She was a teacher and was supposed to retire next week,” Boles said. “After 35 years as a teacher, she wanted to retire.”

RELATED: 9 found dead in Pinellas County after Hurricane Helene: PCSO

Boles, one of her best friends, said Fagersten loved teaching children, her two sons and her cat. She weathered the storm with Fagersten and tried to save her life when the storm surge caused dangerous flooding Thursday evening.

“This is obviously the worst thing we’ve ever seen,” said Boles, who was Fagersten’s best friend.

Boles has lived in Indian Rocks Beach for 25 years and called Hurricane Helene one of the century.

READ: Homeowners affected by Hurricane Helene are advised to file insurance claims as soon as possible

“We lost three trees with Irma, but we still had our house, we still had all our belongings and we still had Donna,” Boles said.

Boles and her family lost everything in the flood – from furniture to clothing to sentimental possessions, but most importantly, their best friend. Fagersten lived on the waterfront in Indian Rocks Beach, across the street from Boles’ mother.

As Helene sped past the barrier islands in Pinellas County on Thursday evening, Boles and Moran made the quick decision to evacuate their home.

MORE: How you can help the communities devastated by Hurricane Helene

“The water was rising so fast,” Moran said. “It took maybe 10 minutes, if that.”

The couple left their home as the water quickly reached the headlights of their Jeep.

“We all went to my mom’s house and went up to the third floor when the storm surge came in, and when it started to calm down, Donna wanted to go over and check on her cat,” Boles said.

READ: Tampa’s South West Shore neighborhood experiences record storm surge from Helene

As dangerous storm surges hit the coast, Moran said a neighbor ran upstairs.

“And he said he saw someone floating in the parking garage, so they pulled her up to the stairs and Heather and Wayne started CPR,” Moran said.

They tried to perform CPR for almost an hour and the floodwaters were so high at that point that firefighters had to come by boat.

MORE: ‘I’m completely overwhelmed:’ Manatee, Sarasota counties try to move forward after Hurricane Helene

“But there was nothing we could do,” Moran said. “Losing one of your best friends is just devastating.”

The couple is now trying to understand so many different levels of loss. Boles said Fagersten was an integral part of her close-knit community.

“She was definitely always laughing and joking. She was a regular at Crabby Bill’s and JD’s,” she said. “Everyone down there knew her and loved her. When she walked into JD’s her drink was ready and everyone knew her. It was like cheers, ‘Hello Donna’.”

READ: Governor DeSantis launches “Operation Blue Ridge” to help rescue Floridians trapped in North Carolina

With Boles and Moran forced to throw almost everything they own on the side of the road, they said Fagersten was immediately there to help them.

“And I know there are others out here who have lost their lives,” Boles said. “Just pray for everyone now.”

Boles said Fagersten’s cat survived and her friends were working to find him a safe home.

Of the nine people who died in Pinellas County during Hurricane Helene, three lived in Indian Rocks Beach. Most of the other victims lived on other barrier islands.

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