With yet another potentially Category 5 hurricane, Milton, barreling toward Florida, it is important not to forget that many American towns are still recovering from the destruction caused by Helene. If one has never had the misfortune of experiencing an extreme weather event such as a powerful hurricane, it might be difficult to imagine just how destructive and devastating they can be.

The following footage is some of the most terrifying and instructive that we’ve seen in this regard. There is nothing particularly graphic, and the clips of the flooding, while dramatic, are far less arresting than many other clips out there. What makes this video so terrifying is the first-hand, hour-by-hour, day-by-day account of how an ordinary, vigilant couple could, despite all of their best efforts, become trapped in the hurricane death zone. There was no warning, no expectation of the level of flooding that occurred; just a nightmare that crept up on them, and once they realized what was happening, it was too late. The tense scenes of the aftermath, the water and food shortages, and the endless 4:00 a.m. lines of cars outside of the one operating gas station are harrowing. There are scenes of incredible generosity and camaraderie, but toward the end, the film captures the simmering tremors of primal desperation as the population runs out of basic necessities with no help on the way.

The footage suggests that if the couple hadn’t been lucky enough to have a half-tank of gas for a last-minute escape, their fate would have ended very differently.

A highly recommended watch: