HORSESHOE BEACH — A caravan of vehicles reached Horseshoe Beach’s town limits just before noon Wednesday. The first arrivals back.
From the road, the destruction was immediately apparent: Homes were flooded. Fridges and couches had been swept more than a mile from the town’s center. Front steps from a nearby house sat in middle of Main Street.
From the air, the destruction was worse: Parts of the town were indistinguishable from the small slice of Gulf of Mexico it borders. The first documented drone’s-eye view of Horseshoe Beach showed the wrath of Hurricane Idalia.
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/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/TONK2LXMP5GQ3E3MI43N6CCZMY.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area show it has been inundated with water.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/KJI5B2TBFBEM7EKD47XPTP5VEA.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area show it has been inundated with water.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JF4LGRNMEFE7XGGMRWLP6BJXEI.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/HK6UY3UA2JDJPKXKWTKRN3UZI4.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/EG4XRHNBNJF2LBW6NCVOZRJSAY.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/YI5UQBAJDRF4ZONTHVJULWRNIQ.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/H33FNBJ3N5FYHFATM2YEHMWFYM.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/GOE2J5QBC5EKHB67LVRNBN5UTY.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/N6PAHVFQRJF6LO425CG3SVTGII.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/VF7AFX7YABGMNEFYLHK5G6BZ6Q.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/7HVUYTXUOZHIVDOQWYCFOFPR2I.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/SOM2ORXARJCIVGDI6G4AMV6CZI.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/M37FSFKZ5ZFXHPHQF4IYKMKDUM.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/3DV7HLWPINF6BIC7BZWALIR6TY.JPG "The first drone photos of Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia.")
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