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Progress being made one year after Hurricane Helene
FOX 13's Kailey Tracy takes a look at the progress being made since Hurricane Helene hit our area one year ago today.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s been one year since Hurricane Helene hit the Bay Area and while many strides have been made, recovery efforts continue in St. Petersburg.
During a press conference on Friday morning at Tropicana Field, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch acknowledged that it will take years to recover from the back-to-back hurricanes of 2024.
What they're saying:
"Long-term recovery is a massive and complex undertaking that will take some time. In the immediate aftermath of the storms, our focus was on immediate, short-term recovery," Welch stated. "This work included things like finding short-term housing for residents, removing debris throughout the city and facilitating recovery funding throughout the community. We took extraordinary effort in our initial response, including establishing the We Are St. Pete fund and established the Hometown Recovery Haulers program."
RELATED: St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch reflects on Hurricane Helene one year later
Welch said he was proud of those efforts and the work the city team did in the initial aftermath of the storms.
Over the last year, Welch said that the city made great strides in its long-term recovery efforts.
"Long-term recovery will require perseverance," Welch remarked. "Our city team has made this their priority in the last year.
St. Pete hurricane recovery efforts
Dig deeper:
Welch said to date, the city has secured about $40M in reimbursement from FEMA for projects including debris removal, emergency protective services and other actions.
It also received about $13.9M in insurance payments to date to help the city recover.
READ: Casey Key business reflects one year after Hurricanes Helene, Milton: ‘We are back’
The city is still working with the Division of Emergency Management and FEMA to secure more funds for remaining projects.
Welch said the city also launched the Sunrise St. Pete program with $159.8M in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program will support housing, infrastructure and community recovery.
Over the last year, he said the city has also been working on infrastructure to protect it from future natural disasters, including installing an AquaFence at Lift Station 85, flood panels at the northeast water treatment facility, water pumps and trailers at multiple lift stations throughout the city, and elevating critical equipment at water facilities.
Recognizing those who served their community
St. Pete leaders also recognized residents Friday who served their community during and after the storms who they called community innovators.
"In that immense uncertainty, I saw something truly remarkable: neighbors helping neighbors clean up their yards strangers checking in on one another," Gerdes said. "In a moment that could have felt dark and overwhelming, the best of humanity shine through in the city of St. Petersburg."
Local perspective:
The community innovators include ICare St. Pete, that provides free medical, dental and mental health services, as well as hurricane relief food, supplies and essentials to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or hardship. After Hurricane Helene, ICare St. Pete expanded their mental health program and continue providing free medical care and medication to support recovery and rebuilding efforts.
The Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association was also honored on Friday. During the back-to-back storms, the Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association mobilized teams of volunteers to be deployed to the hardest hit areas of St. Pete. They organized a toy drive and delivered supplies door-to-door.
Radio St. Pete, St. Petersburg's Community Radio Station 96.7 FM is a volunteer and non-profit organization that provides local live event coverage and community conversations daily. Radio St. Pete trying to make sure there’s continued FM operation during major storms and other emergencies when power and Internet may be inoperable. The station is connected to an emergency power generator and it purchased new Internet service that will switch to any available cell-based service when regular Internet service is lost, allowing the FM station to stay on the air.
The Relief Market & Grille started after Hurricanes Helene and Milton as a grassroots effort in the founder's driveway to provide hot meals, essential supplies and a place of connection for St. Petersburg residents. Now, it has grown into a non-profit organization.
Show Up Relief Alliance was also recognized on Friday. It helps areas commonly affected by natural disasters, providing disaster preparedness and relief services at no charge.
Rebuilding Tropicana Field
A few weeks after Hurricane Helene hit, Hurricane Milton struck the Bay Area and tore the roof off of Tropicana Field.
"We all remember that picture of the roofless Tropicana Field stadium after the storms. That image really captures the violence of the storms and significance of the impact," Welch said.
Welch said eight of twenty-four roof panels have been successfully installed, and he believes that the roof installation will be done by the end of the year.
Once it is complete, turf installation and other interior work will begin.
Welch said he is confident all the work will be completed by April 2026.
The Source: This story was written with information from the city of St. Petersburg and previous FOX 13 News reports.