Tampa Bay local governments prepare for ‘active' hurricane season
Last year's back-to-back hurricanes showed Tampa Bay governments have room to improve their response to natural disasters, but these projects cost millions of dollars and take time to complete.
Here are some lessons Tampa Bay's elected officials learned last year and the steps they're taking to improve the region's hurricane resiliency.
Last year, areas of Hillsborough County that are not in flood zones, such as the Forest Hills neighborhood that drapes northwest Tampa and the unincorporated county line, were saturated with high water during Milton when backup generators failed to turn on stormwater pumps.
In November, Hillsborough commissioners voted to hire an independent engineering firm, Black & Veatch, for $500,000 to investigate the county's stormwater infrastructure, identify deficiencies, explore policy changes and make recommendations.
The first phase of the study was slated to end by the start of the hurricane season, and during the next phase, the firm will recommend projects to minimize flooding.
As a part of the study, the county held community meetings and conducted an online survey this spring to hear feedback from residents about what went wrong last year.
In the meantime, the public works department is trimming trees, clearing pipes and ditches and completing hundreds of drainage inspections across the sprawling county.
It may be time to consider adding flood insurance to your home, regardless of where you live, said Timothy Dudley Jr., director of the Emergency Management Department.
'Water always finds a way,' he said.
The city of Tampa is a part of Hillsborough County's stormwater study, and failed backup generators for stormwater pumps have been a particular point of contention for residents living outside of flood zones.
Pump stations that move wastewater to the city's sewer system failed last year, which city officials said contributed to flooding in neighborhoods that didn't expect any. Some of the city's pumps haven't haven't been properly maintained, according to an audit from this year.
And residents have recently complained the city isn't cleaning drainage ditches.
Mayor Jane Castor announced in April that the city was spending $94 million toward pump upgrades at 28 stations and raising their electrical connections.
The city is also installing more backup generators to pump stations — totaling 74 in Tampa.
But there are more than 200 pumping stations in the city, and the city's wastewater department is continuing to evaluate whether generators can be added at additional sites.
Another problem: gas shortages. Companies assisting with the response couldn't find enough gas, despite the majority of Central Florida's fuel coming through the Port of Tampa.
Castor said that this year, every city employee has an assignment for emergency situations, and she cautioned residents they, too, have personal responsibility to stay safe.
Local officials can plan for a lot of scenarios, Castor said, but as last year showed, until they experience storm situations first hand, they won't know all of the answers.
Helene stayed 100 miles offshore but pushed almost 7 feet of storm surge ashore, causing unprecedented flooding in Pinellas. Many residents ignored evacuation orders.
Only 1,700 residents went to shelters, said Adam Pedzich, Pinellas' response and recovery manager. Many who stayed behind had to be rescued by first responders.
The county is targeting messages about that risk to those who live in condos, boats and mobile homes and focusing outreach on senior living centers.
When Milton quickly followed Helene, 13,000 residents filled up shelters.
In a shelter, residents can expect a small personal space and three basic meals a day. Operators aim to serve hot food but a meal could be a sandwich and a bottle of water.
Pedzich recommends bringing any preferred drinks or snacks. Bedding won't be provided, so residents are encouraged to bring a cot or air mattress and, in case their home is destroyed, important documents. For those evacuating with pets, residents should bring a kennel, pet food and shot records, though the county will work with folks who don't have those items.
'We shouldn't be waiting until you're in the cone of the storm,' Pedzich said. 'Think about it now.'
St. Petersburg had to shut down sewage plants last year — a first for the city — to protect expensive equipment from long-term damage and safely evacuate employees. But that precaution left thousands of residents unable to flush toilets or shower.
Mayor Ken Welch said the city is accelerating $545 million of investments over the next five years in its sewage plants.
And at the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility, the city raised a platform that will house generators for when the power goes out. It's now at 11 feet, two feet above federal standards, but it will soon have a 15-foot wall around it.
The generators could be there by the height of hurricane season, but since much of the equipment is manufactured overseas, the city is at the mercy of the supply chain.
The city hasn't raised the facility where plant employees work, though that's also in the plans. Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley said the city is working this year on a way to shut the sewage plant down remotely.
'We're doing everything, I think, humanly possible, everything fiscally possible, to give us a higher level of capacity and resilience,' Welch said. 'But at some point, if a storm crosses that threshold, folks need to understand they need to evacuate.'
The city of Clearwater is pursuing grants to elevate Bayshore Boulevard and engineering a design to raise a low-lying sewer pump station to avoid flood risk. The city has also increased creek and ditch clearing and is adding temporary pumps in low-lying areas on North Beach while permanent pumps are designed and installed.
Mayor Bruce Rector said the city's tourism industry was able to bounce back quicker than other areas on the coast because of the rebuilding it had already done.
Also helpful, he said, was moving quickly on storm debris pickup and creating pop-up permitting sites to expedite repairs for those whose homes were damaged. Rector said when city staff went door-to-door to help residents, some just wanted to grieve and talk.
'They served a role in engaging our community, going out there where the people are at,' Rector said, 'and hopefully build a relationship that will continue on for years to come, where [residents] now not only trust our local government and our staff, but they feel more engaged in our community.'
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