As the waters rose to unexpected heights during Hurricane Helene, Pinellas County Florida watched in shock.
100 miles to our west, a massive storm was making its way north and sparing us a direct hit, but the storm surge resulting was unprecedented. Never in 100 years had our community experienced anything like this.
Our beautiful tranquil beaches, resorts, restaurants and the businesses that support our primary economy, tourism, took a brutal beating. Worst of all, our residents and neighbors, the people we love, lost everything.
But before we could begin to assess or comprehend the damages, rescues for life and safety were urgent.
People made their way to second stories, floated on inflatable mattresses and used their paddle-boards to ride out the storm. Now, they needed to be rescued from the barrier islands that were closed to vehicles while the sun rose and 95 degree temperatures set in against the stale, humid, post hurricane air.
People had died. And people were dying.
Rescue Pinellas, a Facebook Group, formed in a matter of hours sharing offers of help and the requests of those trapped in their homes and neighborhoods, flooded with water and ravaged with debris.
Over the next several days, rescue operations were underway by land and boat, emergency relief stations were activated for supplies and medical triage and street teams took to the low lying areas and over 40 of our mobile home communities to ensure residents were safe. We brought in portable sinks, toilets, food, and search and rescue teams to find loved ones who had gone silent. Our group rose to nearly 3,000 followers and hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly to assist their neighbors.
For 10 days our community came together in a way we could have never imagined. Our homes were damages and our nerves were shook but our hearts were full with love and pride for the outpouring of community support.
Then, Mother Nature threw us a curveball and sent us Hurricane Milton. For decades, Pinellas County has dodged a direct hit from a major hurricane. And this time, at the worst possible time, a storm that oscillated from a Cat 3 to a Cat 5 was heading our way.
With debris piles standing 10 feet tall (a now common site in our residential neighborhoods) and many people still without power or internet, Milton was coming. Many who wanted to evacuate could not due to lack of resources including no transportation due to the vehicle flood damage of Helene. Shelters opened, Uber offered free rides and again, a community came together to support one another to prepare for what threatened to be the worst storm in over 100 years to hit our coast.
The morning after, most are without power. Tree's are down in every neighborhood, some blocking roads and too many crushing roofs. Neighborhoods that have never seen flooding have homes with water due to the extreme rains that came with Milton, delivering over 12 inches an hour in some areas. While the 100 MPH winds blew off roofs, debris flew through the air shattering windows and destroying structures.
We are #Pinellas Strong, but we are human and we need help. Our road to recovery is multi-faceted, expensive, and complex. But with your financial help, we can continue to help one another.
