Chief John Barkley of the Treasure Island Police Department in Florida joins with AccuWeather to give an update on the recovery of homes and businesses in the area one year after Hurricane Helene.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island, Florida, was significantly affected by Hurricane Helene, with the primary damage caused by an intense storm surge rather than rain or wind. One year after the event, the community remains in recovery, with many homes and businesses still rebuilding or awaiting insurance settlements. The landscape has changed as some residents are required to elevate or rebuild their homes, resulting in numerous empty lots and ongoing construction.

Local police and fire departments continue to operate from temporary facilities due to damage sustained during the storm. Despite these challenges, the business community has shown resilience, with many businesses reopening and rebuilding with greater storm resistance in mind. Tourism has begun to recover, although some businesses remain closed. Authorities remain vigilant and prepared for future weather events as recovery efforts continue.

Florida's Treasure Island recovering one year after Hurricane Helene

Treasure Island, Florida, was one of the communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Here with an update one year later is Treasure Island Police Chief John Barkley. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. You know, and Helene was a difficult storm in that, Chief. The storm was well offshore. There virtually wasn't a lot of rain with this, but it was that storm surge, that relentless storm surge that really did the damage. Yeah, that was something very unique for us. Like, as you said, it wasn't a rain event. It wasn't a wind event at all, but the storm surge, it was the absolute worst case scenario for the Tampa Bay area, and, you know, we knew we were in trouble that morning. We had the two tides that day. The first tide was a lot higher than expected, and we knew we were in trouble by the afternoon. All right, Chief Barkley, let's first talk about the right now, because there's a possibility of some weather impacts from the current storms in the Atlantic. How are you guys looking at this and preparing in Treasure Island? We have been in hurricane mode since the storm. It's been over a year now. You know, we're in recovery mode now, but you always keep an eye, you know, one eye out in the tropics and one eye on the ball here as far as recovery goes. So, you know, whatever happens, we're prepared. I'm not going to lie. We absolutely wish that we get through this season without another hit. That would be great for us. Let everybody take a deep breath. You know, today is the anniversary and everybody is thinking about it for sure. How would you describe Treasure Island's recovery one year after Hurricane Helene? And what challenges are residents still facing? Well, it's our landscape has changed a lot. There was a lot of structures that were damaged, a lot of single family homes that were damaged. Some people are over that 50 percent rule for FEMA, where you have to either elevate your home or knock it down and build an elevated home. So that has really changed our landscape. We have a lot of empty lots right now where people are going to be rebuilding taller homes. We have a lot of people that are elevating their current homes. It's pretty interesting to see that. And that's that's kind of what we're going through now. A lot of the challenges are there's a lot of people that still aren't in their homes yet. Some people who had some money to get started with rebuilding. There's other people that had to wait for insurance money. And that does not happen overnight, as some people think it does. So there's a lot of people still I mean, we're if we're mid recovery at best. Fire police and fire departments were impacted during the storm and your teams are still in temporary facilities. What has that meant for your operations over the past year? You know, I've told everybody that'll listen. I couldn't be more proud of my staff for being as resilient as they are. All the whatever challenges were thrown at them, the police and the fire, it's they've been absolutely amazing. They have they've worked in trailers that were meant to be very, very temporary for almost a year. We finally moved into new temporary facilities, which are much better. But still, we're we're working out of trailers and we'll be that way until you know, we put a shovel in the ground and build a new public safety facility. How has tourism and the local business community been impacted and how is recovery progress going one year later? Yeah, it's it's a lot better than you'd expected. There was still a there was a lot of businesses that were able to open for our spring break, which is a really busy season. We had a decent summer season. There's absolutely some businesses that aren't aren't open right now. So that does affect some things. Some of the raised hotels, the ones that are built higher, they were OK. They had some damage on their first floors, but there's a lot of them open. And the most important thing is the businesses are rebuilding. They're building very, very resiliency. They're building with, you know, having these types of storms in mind now. So they're going to be a lot stronger than they were before. Cheshire Island Police Chief John Barkley, thank you so much again for joining us on AccuWeather Early and updating us on the progress. Thanks for having me.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wore a QR code at the U.N. General Assembly linking to images of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack as Western nations move to recognize Palestine. Dozens of delegates walked out in protest.

New York

Middle East Conflict

Dozens of delegates walk out as Netanyahu speaks at U.N.

A court on Thursday (September 25) sentenced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison over a scheme for late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to fund his 2007 presidential run.

Paris

Former French president Sarkozy sentenced to five years in prison

The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday (September 25), in a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump's retribution campaign against his political enemies.

Washington

Former FBI chief James Comey charged

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday new tariffs set to take effect next Wednesday, including a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical drugs. There will also be tariffs on a broad range of imported goods, such as kitchen cabinets, some furniture and trucks.

Global Tariffs

U.S. to impose new tariffs on pharmaceuticals, some furniture, trucks

US President Donald Trump has hosted his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House. The two leaders discussed Türkiye's long-disputed F-35 fighter jets, trade and energy ties as well as regional matters.

Istanbul

Trump hosts Erdogan as U.S. considers lifting ban on F-35 sales

Danish officials say a series of drone incursions they’re calling hybrid attacks at airports were carried out by ‘professional actors,’ and some analysts are pointing to Russia as a culprit. Russia has denied involvement.

Copenhagen

Russia denies involvement in drone flyovers at Danish airports

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has summoned hundreds of senior military officials to Virginia for an urgent gathering. The pentagon has provided very little details about the purpose of this meeting.

Quantico

Hegseth calls rare meeting of hundreds of senior military officers

Spain and Italy have sent naval vessels into the eastern Mediterranean to escort a flotilla of activists trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. It’s a move that could set up tensions at sea and comes after the convoy says it was attacked by drones.

Madrid

Spain, Italy send navies to escort Gaza aid flotilla

Federal agents in Washington state have seized more than 50,000 counterfeit pills laced with carfentanil, a drug said to be 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Centralia

Feds seize 50,000 pills laced with drug 100 times stronger than fentanyl

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations General Assembly virtually after the U.S. revoked visas for him and members of his delegation. CBS News' Olivia Gazis reports.

Mahmoud Abbas promises no Hamas in post-war Gaza government

The widow of one of the 60 passengers aboard the American Airlines regional jet involved in the deadly midair collision near D.C. in January has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against American Airlines, the FAA and the U.S. Army.

D.C. midair collision victim's family sues airline, FAA and Army

China led several countries in announcing new climate plans on Wednesday and offered a veiled rebuke of the U.S. president's anti-climate rhetoric a day earlier at the U.N. General Assembly.

Beijing

China sets new emissions goals after Trump rejects climate change

World leaders have launched an initiative, “Democracy Now,” on the sidelines of the UNGA to counter far-right extremism and defend multilateralism. As the UN faces skepticism, a new initiative by Brazil, Spain, Chile, Uruguay, and Colombia is gaining support among member states.

Leaders at the U.N. push reforms to counter authoritarian rise

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The meeting came a day after President Trump appeared to soften his language on the Ukraine war, raising questions about U.S. policy direction.

Manhattan

Ukraine Invasion

Rubio meets Russia's Lavrov after Trump shifts tone on Ukraine war

The family of one of the 67 people killed earlier this year when an American Airlines plane and a  U.S. Army helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the government and the airline.

Widow of D.C. plane crash victim sues American Airlines, federal gov.

The new Paramount+ documentary "Bodyguard of Lies" highlights the efforts across four presidential administrations to conceal the challenges the U.S. faced during the Afghanistan

New documentary uncovers gov. deception during Afghanistan War

In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia wants to expand the war beyond Ukraine.

Putin wants to expand war beyond Ukraine, Zelenskyy warns U.N.

The Trump administration is rehiring hundreds of federal employees who were laid off during cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi has more details.

Trump administration rehires hundreds laid off during DOGE cuts

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces up to 10 years in prison if a Paris court convicts him of secretly using funds from the Libyan government of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi to finance his presidential campaign in 2007.

Ex-French President Sarkozy awaits verdict in trial

An international aid flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said on Wednesday (September 24) it was attacked overnight by drones in international waters off Greece, prompting Italy to send a navy ship to come to its assistance.

Italy sends navy ship to help Gaza aid flotilla after drone attack

At least three people were shot at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Wednesday morning, officials said. One victim was killed, while two others are injured. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Dallas

Three people shot at ICE facility in Dallas, officials say

The U.S. has long argued China should give up the developing-country status because it is the world’s second-largest economy.

China gives up WTO developing-country status as tariff tensions linger

U.S. President Donald Trump reversed his stance on the Ukraine war after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN General Assembly, now expressing confidence that Ukraine can reclaim all its territory.

Trump reverses stance on Ukraine after meeting with Zelenskyy

After a six-day suspension, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel broke down in tears during his return to TV with a monologue focused on the importance of the maintaining the right to free speech while still poking fun at the Trump administration.

Los Angeles

Jimmy Kimmel makes emotional return with monologue about free speech

Typhoon Ragasa, the world's most powerful tropical cyclone this year, struck the southern Chinese city of Yangjiang on Wednesday after lashing Taiwan and Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains.

Yangjiang

Typhoon Ragasa lashes Hong Kong, Taiwan, southern China

Mainland China is bracing for Super Typhoon Ragasa, after the powerful storm caused widespread destruction across the region. In Taiwan, at least 14 people have died in flooding triggered by the cyclone.

Kowloon

Typhoon Ragasa sweeping towards China, 14 killed in Taiwan

A jury has convicted Ryan Routh of attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump on his Florida golf course last year. He was found guilty of all five charges, which included attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer.

West Palm Beach

Ryan Routh found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (September 23) spoke with reporters while meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

Trump takes questions during meeting with Zelenskyy

Chipmaker Nvidia said it would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, as part of a strategic partnership. CBS MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady has more details.

Santa Clara

Rise of AI

Nvidia to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI

For the first time in more than half a century, astronauts will soon be heading back to the moon. CBC's Nicole Mortillaro breaks down the preparations for the mission, Artemis II, which will send astronauts on a historic loop around the moon.

Breakdown