Video shows Coast Guard rescue boater and dog during Hurricane Helene

Video captured a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station crew rescue a man and his dog during Hurricane Helene after his sailboat became disabled and started taking on water off the Florida coast.

Helene slammed into Florida's coast late Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane near Perry, Florida, dumping heavy rain into the region, downing trees and powerlines and leaving millions without power. The hurricane made landfall with 140 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Early Friday the record breaking storm was racing north over Macon, Georgia, into southeast Atlanta at about 30 mph. Video taken hours earlier shows the boater and a dog wearing life vests floating in seawater near Sanibel Island just east of Fort Myers Beach.

Watch footage from the rescue:

Photo shows boater and dog rescued 25 miles off Sanibel Island

Crews found the disabled boat 25 miles off the island's coast, The News-Press, part of the USA TODAY Network reported, after a mayday call came in late Thursday morning.

A photo posted on X shows the Coast Guard rescuing the pair near a disabled vessel as high waters swirl around them.

Officials said the boater and the dog were airlifted to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers.

The storm came the closest to the barrier island around 3 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service reported.

Early Friday morning the News-Press reported the Sanibel causeway was closed, due to "significant flooding" on the island.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coast Guard rescues boater, dog during Hurricane Helene: See video