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Hurricane Preparedness Week: Residents voice concerns as hurricane season approaches

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Published  May 5, 2025 10:15pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News
Preparing for hurricane season during recovery

Preparing for hurricane season during recovery

Evyn Moon reports.

The Brief

    • Tampa residents are feeling anything but ready for the upcoming hurricane season that begins on June 1.
    • Anxiety is especially mounting in the Westshore neighborhood of Tampa, where recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton continues.
    • City officials said they are actively working to clean out some waterways.

TAMPA, Fla. - As Florida marks Hurricane Preparedness Week, many Tampa residents are feeling anything but ready.

With the 2025 hurricane season just three weeks away, anxiety is mounting in the Westshore neighborhood of Tampa, where recovery from last year’s devastating storms — Hurricanes Helene and Milton — is still far from complete.

READ: St. Pete Fire Rescue will get 3 new high-water rescue vehicles ahead of peak hurricane season

Local perspective:

Elizabeth and William McCoy, residents of the area, said they’re still repairing their home and haven’t had time to properly prepare for the upcoming season. 

"We're not prepared," Elizabeth said. "Our house — we are still repairing it from last year."

One of the couple’s top concerns is a debris-filled canal that runs behind their home. The waterway, which serves as a drainage system during major storms, was clogged with sediment and damage from last fall’s hurricanes. Residents said it has lost much of its capacity and fear it could lead to more flooding if another major storm hits.

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"This is a big issue," William McCoy said. "Most of the older canal walls gave way during Hurricane Milton. A lot of that land ended up in the canal, reducing its ability to handle floodwaters … If [the city] could clean it out, dredge it out, to help hopefully prevent massive catastrophic flooding like last year."

What they're saying:

The City of Tampa has held recent town halls to update residents on storm preparations. City officials said they are actively working to clean out some waterways, but it's unclear if the canal behind their Westshore home is included in those efforts.

"We are doing everything we can to prepare for the upcoming storm season," said Vik Bhide, the mobility director for the City of Tampa. "The community is rightfully concerned after last year’s unprecedented storm activity."

As June 1 draws near, residents are urging the city to take action to prevent a repeat of last year’s devastation.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evyn Moon. 

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