A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. On Sunday, September 25th, residents were becoming painfully aware that a powerful hurricane had its sights set on Hillsborough County. While a southern shift in its forecast track meant that the city was spared from the worst of the storm’s winds and rain, the memory of the event will leave an indelible impression on the minds of those who weathered the storm for years to come and has proven the city’s emergency management planning is effective.
HURRICANE PREPARATION
As Hurricane Ian approached, and its forecast track depicted a Tampa area landfall, government officials sprang into action. Hillsborough County Public Schools superintendent Addison Davis announced schools would be closed for the week. Six schools in Plant City were converted to emergency shelters.
Sandbag distribution locations opened to help residents prepare their homes for water intrusion. While county operations were self-service facilities that required residents to shovel their own sand into bags, Plant City officials provided 5,000 pre-filled bags to city residents thanks to a sandbagging machine purchased after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
“Not only were they prefilled but we also loaded them into our residents’ vehicles which helped speed up the process,” said City Manager Bill McDaniel.
As the city was executing its own already-prepared plan to assist residents during the storm, officials encouraged citizens to finalize their own plans.
“I believe in preparing for the worst but hoping for the best,” said McDaniel.
Plant City resident and homeowner Dan Segale, who lived in Miami during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, prepared by freezing as much food as he could, purchasing non-perishable food items, water bottles, batteries and matches. He filled his tubs with water and designated an interior closet as a safe room for him and his family in case they really had to hunker down. He made space in his garage for a vehicle and placed sandbags around his back door in the event of water intrusion.
“We made plans as if we were going to get a direct hit but were relieved when we learned the storm was moving further south,” he said.
DURING THE STORM
After the storm made landfall near Fort Myers on Wednesday, Plant City residents braced for the effects to be felt closer to home. Stronger winds arrived later that evening, which left residents waiting until morning to survey the damage.
McDaniel, who with other city officials, including Mayor Nate Kilton, was stationed at the Emergency Operations Center, kept residents informed via social media live feeds, another takeaway from Hurricane Irma.
“We learned we needed better communication with residents before, during and after the storm,” he said. He later received positive feedback from residents who appreciated the updates.
Public safety officers were also on-hand to assist as needed throughout the storm. When a tree fell across a major roadway, a work crew was dispatched to quickly remove the debris and make the road passable.
Segale said during the storm, his daughter heard a loud crash in their back yard as a tree from a neighboring yard uprooted and damaged his fence. There wasn’t anything he could do about it at the time so he and his family, after measuring wind speeds of 50-70 mph, decided they didn’t need to sleep in the safe room and got a good night’s sleep in their own beds.
CLEANUP EFFORTS
Residents woke up last Thursday morning to survey the damage left by the storm’s rain and winds. Thankfully, they were spared from the strongest winds and devastating storm surge that ravaged southwest Florida.
Florida Strawberry Festival president Kyle Robinson said he was happy to accommodate the electrical crews, even though they lost power during the storm. It wasn’t restored for several days.
“We are fortunate to have enough property and facilities to house the crews, so they quickly respond after the storm and restored power to our community,” he said.
Segale, whose power went out at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night, was grateful that it was restored by Thursday at 5 p.m. Other than the fence damage and a few shingles that flew off his roof, his home survived unscathed.
Within hours after the storm passed, residents were already clearing debris from their yards.
Residential yard debris can be taken to drop-off sites that will be open Monday – Sunday, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. These locations include: 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa, 13000 U.S. 41 in Gibsonton, 6209 County Road 579 in Seffner and 350 Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa. Residents must show a valid Florida ID to receive free yard waste disposal. Bagged waste must be emptied by the resident for disposal because plastic bags can damage mulch-processing equipment.
Regular curbside yard waste collection resumes Monday, October 3rd but only bagged or packaged yard waste will be collected curbside by your regular waste hauler. Piles of leaves and small twigs must be bagged or placed in containers to be collected curbside.
Hillsborough County-contracted disaster debris haulers will begin collecting large yard waste storm debris on Thursday, October 6th. Residents must have debris placed at the curb by Monday, October 10th. Patience will be required; it may take several weeks to collect all debris.
Minor damage to city property occurred, including window damage to the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center and roof damage on a few other city-owned buildings. Several wastewater lift stations, necessary for moving wastewater, transitioned to generator power because of downed trees and storm debris.
Disasters can bring out the best and worst in humanity. McDaniels said he saw many instances of Plant City residents banding together as neighbors to help each other.
Thursday night the folks at Outback Steakhouse provided 1,400 meals for the linemen at the fairgrounds. The owners of Fred’s Southern Kitchen fed the crews breakfast the next morning, provided a sack lunch they could take with them while working and then provided supper when they returned that evening. A local food bank needed a generator and a local businessman purchased one for them. A Girl Scout troop made signs to thank essential workers. The government, in cooperation with several community business partners, provided free hot meals at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center.
A community came together.
“We have residents in this community that step up and do what needs to be done,” said McDaniel.
Goodwill was not the only byproduct of the storm. Criminals took advantage of the situation to loot one local business, Yerb Labs Kava Lounge & Smoke Shop, located at 107 S. Evers Street. The incident occurred Wednesday night after the power went out, rendering their alarm system worthless. Thieves busted through the front glass door, tipping over display cabinets and destroying property. Merchandise stolen included vapes, edibles and vaporizers worth approximately two thousand dollars.
Co-owner Shay McCulley, who was with her partner in Denver at a trade show, rushed home the following morning. With Tampa International Airport still closed, the pair flew to Pensacola and rented a car to drive the remaining distance home.
“They took a lot of random merchandise and caused unnecessary damage,” said McCulley.
They were in the process of binding their insurance before the storm, so the damage won’t be covered by the policy. It cost $800 to replace their front door.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help them offset their loss. Donations can be made at https://gofund.me/6c773797.
AVAILABLE DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESOURCES
Hillsborough County residents impacted by Hurricane Ian are eligible for individual disaster assistance through FEMA. Residents can access federal disaster assistance through the FEMA mobile app, available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. The app allows residents to upload and share photos of damage, access local resources and toggle between English and Spanish.
Assistance can also be requested by filling out an online questionnaire and aid application at DistasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7585). If you have access to the Internet, you are encouraged to apply online.
THE TAKEAWAY
Preparation is an important part of any emergency plan. As city officials analyze their response to Hurricane Ian, they will look for ways to improve it.
Kilton wants to publicly acknowledge the sacrifice of city employees, including the leadership team of Bill McDaniel, assistant managers Jack Holland and Mercedes Perez, Chief of Police James Bradford, Fire Chief David Burnett, the entire team and crew that was on the EOC, the Solid Waste Department folks who are getting things cleaned up and all the other departments that pitched in with hurricane preparations and relief efforts. He also would like to recognize the community network of non-profits and churches who have offered assistance.
“We are a community of 40,000 residents in Plant City proper and 80,000 residents in Eastern Hillsborough County but it doesn’t feel that way,” said Kilton. “It feels like we’re a small town because every time something happens residents come together to support one another.”
Plant City residents have proven their resiliency. “I think that everyone has done a phenomenal job,” said McDaniel.