As Tony Powell, 61, got ready to survey his neighborhood in Crystal River, Fla., about 80 miles north of Tampa, on Thursday morning, he opted to make his rounds on two wheels.

His bicycle was the best way to go, he said, because every other mode of transportation had been tied down or parked away in anticipation of Hurricane Helene. “That’s all you can do — get things out of harm’s way,” he said.

He was one of several residents along Florida’s Gulf Coast who have relied on pedal power to get around before Hurricane Helene makes landfall on Thursday night.

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• Landfall
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