- December 17, 2024
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As a clean up begins across Tampa Bay on Thursday morning, city, county and state officials are telling residents to stay off the roads as they assess damage.
Early word from throughout the region, though, is that there is a lot of debris and downed trees, but anecdotal reports and photos from individuals in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties show at least parts of the area dodged the worst.
That narrative could rapidly change, however, as more thorough assessments are done and people begin to come out of their homes.
Along Kennedy Boulevard, one of Tampa’s major commercial thoroughfares, things were eerily quiet Thursday with just a handful of cars where there usually is an unending stream of traffic.
The Tampa International Airport remained closed as of Thursday morning at 9:40 a.m. Airport officials, in a statement, say they "plan to announce a reopening plan later on Thursday, after a thorough inspection of the 3,300-acre campus and its buildings has been completed."
AdventHealth reports that multiple hospitals in its west Florida division, including AdventHealth Carrollwood Hospital and AdventHealth Tampa, had minor water intrusion that affected some areas of the facilities. Nobody was injured and patient care was not impacted, officials say.
“We are grateful to everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of our patients and maintain hospital operations,” AdventHealth West Florida Division President and CEO David Ottati says in a statement.
All AdventHealth hospitals and freestanding emergency departments in the Tampa Bay area are open and accepting patients, with the exception of AdventHealth North Pinellas, which evacuated patients Oct. 7 ahead of Hurricane Milton due to concerns over storm surge.
On Davis Island in downtown Tampa, the Aqua Fence that was set up in preparation for Hurricane Helene remained in place for Hurricane Milton and stood strong in the face of the second storm.
According to a statement released by the hospital, TGH did not experience major power outages. However, the hospital proactively activated its on-site power plant to ensure there were no interruptions to operations. The central energy plant is 16,000 square feet, located 33 feet above sea level and runs on natural gas or diesel.
The emergency room remained open through the storm and is currently accepting patients. Normal operations will resume tomorrow, Friday October 11.
Additional TGH facilities that have open emergency rooms include TGH Brooksville, TGH Spring Hill and TGH Crystal River.
The TGH Brandon Emergency Center and TGH Kennedy Emergency Center will reopen at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 10.
In Pinellas County, wind gusts topped 101 mph according to measurements taken at Albert Whitted Airport.
A crane from the construction site of the Residences at 400 Central came loose in the storm and a large piece landed on the roof of 490 1st Ave. S, the building which houses the Tampa Bay Times. No one was in the building at the time of the incident. The Times sent communication to its employees saying the office will remain closed until further notice.
Prior to the storm, the City of St.Petersburg issued an advisory to businesses and residents around some of the larger construction sites in the city. A released statement noted, "Due to the specialized nature of crane operations, lowering or securing a tower crane is scheduled weeks in advance and is not a feasible option within the timeframe of an approaching storm due to the rapid intensification and forecasted path."
“We are grateful that no one was injured in the area, and that the only damage was to bricks and not to people,” says John Catsimatidis Sr., founder of Red Apple Real Estate and principal of the company that is sponsoring the development, in a released statement.
Officials with the development team and the City of St. Petersburg are inspecting the area to determine next steps with the debris on the ground. “The 400 Central building is in good condition, but we are conducting further inspections,” Catsimatidis says. “We expect work on the building to recommence as soon as possible.”
Just down the road from that incident, the roof of the Tropicana Field stadium became shredded and ripped open, which was housing emergency workers overnight. In a statement released by the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, it was noted that no one was hurt by the damage to the ballpark and that the facility was being secured by law enforcement.
