Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, his wife Emily and their daughter were successfully evacuated as Hurricane Helene thrashed Florida’s gulf coast.
‘I do not have words to accurately describe my heartbreak for everyone affected by Hurricane Helene,’ Emily wrote on social media. ‘You see this stuff on TV- but until you live through it, you can’t fully grasp the terror associated with the unknowns.
‘Baker, Koko, Fergus, and I evacuated yesterday and are safe,’ Emily continued, mentioning her husband, infant daughter, and dog, respectively. ‘Our sweet, sweet community got pummeled, but even that doesn’t compare to the people up North who took this storm head on. It’s unfathomable.
‘I’m so thankful to God for protecting us – and our home- and I’m praying nonstop for everyone dealing with the aftermath of the storm, the surge, the damage, the loss. Time to come together and help each other out. I have faith in this community.’
Emily ended her message by seeking ways she can help Tampa and the surrounding communities.
Emily Wilkinson (L) and Baker Mayfield attend the 13th annual NFL Honors
Baker Mayfield’s wife Emily is looking for ways to help the Tampa Bay area after HeleneÂ
Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters with his two daughters, Nylah and Aria, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday
‘I am looking for ways to get out and tangibly help,’ she wrote. ‘Please send me anything you find – and I will share the good ones.’
Mayfield and the 2-1 Bucs host the 2-1 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The game is expected to be played as scheduled.
Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 44 people, snapping towering oaks like twigs and tearing apart homes as rescue crews launched desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.
In Tampa, some areas could be reached only by boat.
Officials urged people who were trapped to call for rescuers and not tread floodwaters, warning they can be dangerous due to live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.
More than 3 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as of late Friday, according to poweroutage.us. The site also showed outages as far north as Ohio and Indiana due to Helene’s rapid northward movement throughout the day.
