The greater Tampa Bay region was battered by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton in the span of just 65 days.
Sandra Tapfumaneyi, Sarasota County’s emergency management chief, said flooding from the storms had the biggest impact on her county.
“Getting hit with three storms in a season is pretty rare for this area, but storm season was definitely very busy,” Tapfumaneyi said.
While several counties are still assessing damage, some are looking at tens of thousands of homes affected by the trio of storms.
David Conner, Pinellas County public information officer, said Helene’s flooding and Milton’s winds compounded the damage Pinellas faced.
“It is going to take a while to recover from the storm and the available resources and the needs are going to change every day,” Conner said.
Below are some numbers detailing the damage caused by each hurricane the Tampa Bay area has faced this season.
Hernando County Emergency Management Director David DeCarlo said his county is still calculating the number of homes affected by the storms.
He said Helene hit his county the hardest, with flooding continuing to affect the area.
"We're in long-term recovery right now,” DeCarlo said. “I want to manage expectations - the water is going down but it is going down slowly."
