Documentary on recent hurricanes, 'HUNKS vs. Hurricanes' debuting at Tampa Theatre

TAMPA - People around Tampa Bay have different stories about how Hurricanes Helene and Milton impacted lives.

One company produced a documentary to showcase some of these stories and give people a look into the aftermath of these storms.

The documentary, "HUNKS vs. Hurricanes", debuts for a private screening on Monday night at the Tampa Theatre.

What they're saying:

"I did not think it was going to be like this at all," Mario Martinez, with College Hunks Hauling Junk moving company, said.

Helene and Milton hit less than two weeks apart, causing destruction that many communities around Tampa Bay are still recovering from.

"We've always prepared for storms, and we've always been ready, but we've been in the position of sending our resources to other areas that got hit," Mayor Jane Castor said.

The backstory:

The documentary tells stories of people like Martinez, who lost everything during the storm, but also stepped up to help others.

Martinez says he was living near USF in the North Tampa area when Milton hit. It pummeled that area with historic levels of rain.

"The rain just flooded my place from the ceiling, so everything was drenched, everything was moldy, yeah, everything, nothing was able to be saved," Martinez said.

Despite his own loss, Martinez jumped into action, helping haul debris from the front yards of homes that flooded.

He says it was even more meaningful helping others who were facing a similar experience.

"We don't often get that opportunity to actually be there for someone else in this world," Martinez said. "We all live very self-focused lives, you know, and to be there and actually make a real difference and a change for somebody who's really going through something felt great."

READ: St. Pete officials reveal $160M disaster recovery plan to help victims of the 2024 hurricanes

Nick Friedman, the co-founder of College Hunks and executive producer of the documentary, says he had the idea for the documentary after they were called by the city of Tampa to help with a massive debris removal operation.

"You never know what people are going through," he said.

He says some of his own staff members, like Martinez, lost everything during the storms, but they continued to step up and help others.

Mayor Jane Castor, who was also featured in the documentary, says the storms displayed the way the community came together in a time of need.

"It was the private businesses," Castor said. "It was the residents. It was everybody doing what they could do."

Friedman says the documentary aims to show the realities of what was happening on the ground after the storms and the resilience of the city.

"A feelings of preparedness for the next hurricane season, recognizing that maybe we won't catch us as off guard as it did this time around, heeding the warnings from our authorities," Friedman said.

Martinez says, despite the loss that he and the rest of the community faced, it was rewarding to be a part of one of the many recovery efforts throughout Tampa Bay.

"I think it's important for people to see what's going on," Martinez said. "I think it's important for people know you're never not in a situation where you can help somebody."

Click here to watch the documentary.

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