TYLER, Texas — The scene inside the Hancock vacation home after Hurricane Helene battered its way through Florida was a flooded couch and downstairs area.
"We’re looking outside, and we have a bay in our backyard and just seeing the water rise and eventually in got in the house," Sarah Hancock said.
Their vacation quickly turned into a nightmare. As the water quickly surged, the family of 10 raced to higher ground.
"It came on really fast, the flooding came out of nowhere and the flooding lasted 12 hours," Hancock said.
Video taken by Sarah Hancock showed the impact of the winds -- bending palm trees -- and down-pours from the strength of Hurricane Helene. She says it got ugly quick.
Hancock and her family have been visiting Florida for 15 years and owned a home there for five of them. She says a hurricane like this is something they’ve never experienced.
"Chaotic, it was just really chaotic, it felt like the conditions were changing every second," said Hancock.
By the time Hancock tried to book a flight to return to Texas for safety, the airport closed forcing the family to stay until the hurricane passed.
"I literally posted on my Snapchat, I’m never going back to Florida, I don’t feel that way, but I was so happy whenever i was on that airplane on the way back, it felt like we escaped a natural disaster," Hancock said.
Family and loved ones are irreplaceable, and despite the damage the hurricane caused, Hancock is grateful her family wasn’t injured, and this situation brought them closer than ever.
"God was watching over us for sure," Hancock said.
CBS19 is available live and on-demand on your favorite TV streaming device, anytime from anywhere in the U.S.
The free CBS19+ app for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and smart TV devices features a 24/7 stream with the latest from CBS19.
In addition to the live stream, watch the latest from CBS19 on-demand, along with additional programming from our partners at TEGNA (like Verify, "Murder at My Door" and "In the News") and Locked On Sports, plus special collections from CBS19 like Under the Lights, Hooked on East Texas and CBS19 Originals.
DOWNLOAD ON ROKU
Add the free CBS19 channel by searching for CBS19 East Texas News in the Roku Channel Store on your device, or add the CBS19+ Roku channel using this link.
DOWNLOAD ON FIRE TV
Search for the free CBS19+ app in the Amazon App Store directly on your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, or add the CBS19+ Fire TV app using this link.
DOWNLOAD ON APPLE TV
Learn more about the free CBS19+ app in the Apple TV App Store and download directly from your Apple TV device.
DOWNLOAD ON YOUR SMART TV
The CBS19+ app is also now available directly on "smart" or "connected" televisions made by Samsung, LG and Philips, as well as televisions with Android TV. Search for CBS19 East Texas News in your television's app store to add CBS19+.
OTHER FREE WAYS TO WATCH
The CBS19+ 24/7 stream can be viewed on any desktop or mobile web browser anytime on the Watch page here on cbs19.tv.
You can also watch CBS19 News streaming live on the free CBS19 mobile app for your smartphone: