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Tampa prepares for the 2025 hurricane season using lessons from last year's back-to-back storms

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Updated  May 30, 2025 5:47pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News
Tampa leaders discuss hurricane preps

Tampa leaders discuss hurricane preps

Tampa leaders are using lessons learned during the 2024 hurricane season to plan for this year’s storm season. FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.

The Brief

    • City of Tampa leaders, first responders, and officials gathered Friday to share important lessons learned from Helene and Milton ahead of June 1.
    • Tampa police and Tampa fire-rescue showed off two new all-terrain vehicles, called SHERPs, which will help them conduct water rescues.
    • Tampa Fire Rescue is hosting a Hurricane Preparedness Expo on Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Barksdale Senior Center, where residents can get free sandbags while supplies last.

TAMPA, Fla. - The 2025 hurricane season officially starts on Sunday, June 1. So Tampa leaders, first responders, and officials gathered on Friday to share important lessons learned from Helene and Milton. 

"I come before you today, not with fear of what we have gone through, but pride in the way that our community responded," Tampa mayor Jane Castor said.

RELATED: NOAA releases hurricane forecast for 2025 Atlantic season

Castor also acknowledged that there are still so many people in the middle of the rebuilding process.  

What we know:

On Friday, Tampa police and Tampa Fire Rescue showed off two new all-terrain vehicles, called SHERPs, which will help them conduct water rescues.

"We made more than 100 water rescues that saved hundreds of people and even 16 pets," Tampa police assistant chief Ruth Cate said of last hurricane season. 

Meanwhile, there were plenty of power outages last storm season, especially after Milton when many residents went several days in the dark. TECO officials said they’ve made some adjustments ahead of this hurricane season.  

"We’ve enhanced our outage map technology to improve its availability and response even during times of high traffic," TECO spokesperson Cherie Jacobs said. "We now provide mobile safety orientation for those out-of-state power crews who are coming in to help us."

Dig deeper:

As for Port Tampa Bay, officials there are focusing on resiliency: Hurricane Milton caused major power issues at the port’s private fuel terminals, which delayed gas distribution. So the port is now working with the independent fuel terminal companies to beef up support.

"We talked about power prioritization, how those facilities would get power back, where they could store some of their critical equipment, such as pumps, motors," Port Tampa Bay VP of Operations Matt Thompson said.

When asked what the biggest lesson learned from last hurricane season was, Castor said it has to do with stormwater.

RELATED: Hillsborough crews use small robots to help clean out stormwater system

"That it wasn’t just stormwater from the city of Tampa. That all of the ponds that are connected and that if one location is somehow blocked, that it literally can flood neighborhoods," Castor said.  

According to the city, crews have already removed over 500 tons of debris from stormwater systems. Drains and ponds have been cleaned. Wastewater pumps have been raised, and generators have been procured for stormwater pumps, Castor added. 

What's next:

Tampa Fire Rescue is hosting a Hurricane Preparedness Expo on Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Barksdale Senior Center where residents can get free sandbags while supplies last. 

Click here for more information. 

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The Source: This story was written with information provided gathered by FOX 13's Ariel Placensia. 

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