According to Holmes Beach Police, no one will be allowed on the island until the first in teams can clear the roads and determine that it is safe.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he will hold a press conference on Anna Maria Island Saturday afternoon, two days after Hurricane Helene battered Manatee County. Local officials say the barrier island along the Gulf of Mexico suffered extensive damage.

Anna Maria Island took the brunt of the damage in Manatee County, and WFLA News Channel 8 got a look at the damage on Holmes Beach with a ride along with the chief of police.

Anna Maria Island sustained major damage during Hurricane Helene, and much of the island remains covered in sand.

Shear is one of many Manatee County business owners and residents cleaning up the ruins of their livelihoods and homes in Cortez Village in the wake of Hurricane Helene. He estimates that five feet of water inundated his decades-old business and nearby home.