Irish man who died in Hurricane Helene pictured as son pays tribute to 'my superman'

The heartbroken son of an Irish pensioner killed in Hurricane Helene said “I didn’t just lose my dad I lost my superman”.

Aidan Bowles, 71, was found dead inside his one-storey cottage in Indian Rocks Beach in Pinellas County. The Irish man remained put despite the area being subjected to a mandatory evacuation order urging residents to flee. The directive is issued by local authorities when a hurricane is expected to cause significant damage and pose a serious threat to safety.

Aidan’s son Sam paid an emotional tribute to his dad on social media. In a post, he wrote: “I don’t even know what to say, today I not only lost my dad, I lost my superman. This guy was the strongest and smartest person I’ve ever met in my life, he truly made an impact in his life on not just me but everyone he came into contact with.”

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Sam went on to say: “I’m truly lost without him, we were not only father and son but best friends, business partners, and my hero.“Unfortunately, my father didn’t make it through Hurricane Helene last night and passed away in his home early this morning.”

The former lawyer and owner of the Salt Public House - who lived his early years in Ireland - was found by his neighbour John Comer on Saturday morning. Mr Comer revealed he went to check on Mr Bowles but found his lifeless body trapped under a dresser and covered in mud.

Investigators believe Mr Bowles, who worked as a lawyer in New York, died from drowning. Speaking about the tragic discovery, Mr Comer told The New York Times: “It’s not something you can get out of your mind easily.” His neighbour said Mr Bowles had holidayed in Indian Rocks Beach since the 1980s but decided to relocate to the area permanently from Kentucky around 15 years ago.

Mr Cormer said: “He absolutely loved Indian Rocks Beach.” He also said Mr Bowles, whose wife Sabrina died in December 2022, will be remembered for his kindness to customers who came to his restaurant. He said: “One of the amazing traits about him was he would always sit down with people and talk to them when they came into his restaurant to eat.”

The death toll for the Category 4 hurricane stands at nearly 100 people but this is expected to rise significantly over the coming days.The Irish Mirror contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for comment. Meanwhile, hundreds more have been reported missing.The storm’s destruction stretches more than 800 kilometres across the US and officials revealed.

The US government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency is spearheading the rescue and clean up attempt as more than 3,200 personnel are trying to find any survivors or those injured. They are also desperately trying to get water and other supplies to isolated, flood-stricken areas across the south east of the US in the Hurricane Helene.

Mobile phone towers are also down across the region, as hundreds of people have yet to make contact with loved ones while a further 2.7 million Americans were without power last night. Some reckon the damage caused by the storm stands at $100bn.President Joe Biden pledged to visit impacted communities Mr Biden described the storm's impact as "stunning" and said in a post on X he would make a trip to the area this week, as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work.

Biden told reporters: “It's tragic,” before adding “You saw the photographs. The White House also said Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the storm-ravaged areas “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.”

Vice President Harris spoke about the impact of Helene, saying, “I know everyone here sends their thoughts and prayer for the folks who have been so devastated by that hurricane.” She went on to say: “We will stand with these communities for as long as it takes and make sure they are able to rebuild.” Deaths were also recorded in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

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