ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Heather Anne Boles and Donna Fagersten were best friends and lived near each other on Indian Rocks Beach for years.

Boles says she's lived on the Pinellas Beaches for more than 20 years and has been through a number of hurricanes.

"Irma, we lost two trees, and Irma was supposed to be the big one," said Boles. "So, when Hurricane Helene came up, they decided they would not leave."

"We did not evacuate, obviously, for Helene because we figured it would be an Irma, it would pull the Intracoastal out, and we'd be fine," said Boles.

They stayed in their homes, until a friend came over and told them it was time to leave.

"He said, the sea wall breached. The sea wall and the dunes, it's breached, we gotta go," said Boles.

They went to Heather Anne's mother's co

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