The death toll from Hurricane Helene in Pinellas County rises to 11

Eleven people in Pinellas County have died as a result of Hurricane Helene, officials said Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths in Tampa Bay to at least 13.

When Helene passed about 100 miles from Tampa on Thursday evening as a massive Category 4 storm, it was the region's worst storm in a century, with storm surge reaching up to 7 feet above the ground in some places.

On Saturday, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported nine deaths from the hurricane – most of them from drowning. In an update Tuesday evening, the agency said two additional deaths had been reported and also identified a man who drowned at his home on Indian Rocks Beach as Dominic Dewitt, 60.

Joseph Galinski, 67, was found dead on the floor of his St. Pete Beach home after apparently drowning. “The entire contents of the home were soaked and scattered, and water was still visible on the floor,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release.

Steven Boelsche, 95, was found face down in a pool in the backyard of his Pinellas Park home. Authorities believe he drowned and may have been electrocuted, the release said.

Other deaths previously reported in Pinellas included Patricia Mikos, 80, who died when she was returning to her apartment in Dunedin's Honeymoon Park to get her keys and the building collapsed and caught fire. Because of the rising water, first responders were unable to reach them.

Seven others drowned as a result of the storm. They are Jerome Waite, 89; Donna Fagersten, 66; Aiden Bowles, 71; Rachel Burch, 37; Marjorie Havard, 79; Francis Wright, 71; and James Thompson, 55.

Tampa officials have reported two deaths related to the storm so far. A 23-year-old Gibsonton man was killed on Interstate 4 Thursday when the storm was still a Category 1 storm. The man was driving a minivan when the 21st Avenue exit sign fell on the vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

On Friday, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said a neighbor found a woman in her 70s dead in her home. Police were still investigating the circumstances, but knew that water had entered their home and suspected there may also have been an electrical problem.

As of Saturday, there were no reported deaths in Pasco County.

According to the Associated Press, the death toll across southeast Helene stood at 159 people as of Tuesday as crews continued to search for survivors.

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