Florida teacher killed by Hurricane Helene – chilling last moments

Donna Fagersten was safely sheltered on the top floor of her friends’ home as Hurricane Helene battered northern Florida, claiming more than 100 victims along its catastrophic path through the Southeastern U.S.

“When [the storm] started to calm down,” the 66-year-old teacher, only days from retiring, made the fatal decision to head home and rescue her cat.

When Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida around 11 p.m. on September 26, 2024, the Category 4 storm caused major flash flooding, leaving many residents scrambling for their lives.

One of the worst hit areas was Pinellas County, in the Tampa Bay area, where so far at least 11 people are confirmed dead.

One of those victims is 66-year-old Donna Fagersten, a second-grade teacher at Ponce De Leon Elementary school in Pinellas County.

According to her best friend Heather Anne Boles, Fagersten, who lived in Indian Rocks Beach, was retiring the week of September 30 after 35 years of teaching.

Storm surge
As Helene hit on Thursday night, Fagerston rode out the storm with Boles and her partner Mike Moran.

“The water came up so fast,” Moran told Fox News. “It maybe had 10 minutes, if that.”

“We all went to my mom’s house and got on the third floor when the storm surge rushed in,” Boles said of seeking refuge with her mother, who lives across the street from the beach where Fagerston lived.

She adds that “when it started to calm down,” she begged her best friend to stay in their shelter but “Donna wanted to go over and check on her cat.”