Access to Clearwater Beach was closed following Hurricane Helene

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Clearwater Beach will be inaccessible “until further notice” after Hurricane Helene hit the area with storm surge, city officials said.

Several feet of water flooded the streets, businesses and homes of the barrier island on Clearwater Beach. Although water levels are expected to recede, officials say there will still be a lot of debris on the roads, making travel in and around the area unsafe.

The debris must be completely removed before Clearwater Beach can safely reopen, the city said. The bridges to the barrier islands remain closed and no one is allowed on the beach until they reopen.

RELATED: Coast Guard rescues man and dog in Gulf of Mexico amid Hurricane Helene impacts

City leaders say first responders conducted several high-water rescues of people from homes on the beach and on the mainland late Thursday and early Friday.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida late Thursday as a strong Category 4 storm. It became a tropical storm Friday morning. Although Helene was more than 100 miles from land as it passed through the Tampa Bay area, the powerful hurricane still brought several feet of storm surge, strong winds and heavy rain.

RELATED: STORM STORM: Hurricane Helene breaks multiple storm surge records in Tampa Bay

When Helene hit the area, several storm surge records were broken.