TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In 2005, Hurricane Dennis landed near the Alabama-Florida state line as a Category 3 hurricane. Far to the east, Florida's Big Bend — where Hurricane Helene is expected to come ashore — never even felt tropical storm strength winds, but it was still hit with a mass of water that devasted coastal communities.

That's storm surge. It's more deadly and destructive than wind and can make a significant impact far from the center of a storm.

The most common way to measure a hurricane's strength is the Saffir-Simpson Scale that assigns a category from 1 to 5 based on a storm's sustained wind speed at its center, with 5 being the strongest. But that only tells part of the story.

While wind can tear off roofs, knock down trees and snap power lines, storm surge can push buil

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