As Milton thrashed Tampa Bay, Helene’s debris largely stayed put

TAMPA — It was one of many fears that gripped public officials and local residents ahead of Hurricane Milton: slabs of wood and drywall, household appliances, dressers, bookshelves, chairs and couches, piled high at curbsides after Hurricane Helene.

The debris left over from this season’s last major storm, which slapped Tampa Bay a mere two weeks ago, was thought to be a potential danger as Milton bore down on the state.

Yet as crews began damage assessments at sunrise Thursday, it became apparent that Milton hardly touched much of what Helene left behind. Items that high winds could have turned into dangerous projectiles mostly still sat at street sides.

”Overall, we don’t have extensive damage in our community,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said Thursday morning after surveying the city by helicopter. “Even the debris that we weren’t able to pick up, you can tell that that’s been moved around in a few yards, but for the most part, that has stayed in place.”

Why did Milton not make more of Helene’s leftovers? It may be that much of the debris got picked up before Milton’s arrival. It may be that the winds were not strong enough by the time they reached this area. It may be that we were just lucky.

“I think it’s a little all of the above,” said Spectrum Bay News 9 meteorologist Mike Clay.

Clay noted that much of what remained of Helene’s debris was very heavy and wet. The storm also weakened significantly in the Gulf, he said, bringing wind speeds down considerably.

“A lot of times the actual wind observations aren’t as high as what is in the advisory,” Clay said. “A lot of times those winds are more out over the water.”

At the same time, had Milton been as strong as hurricanes like Michael or Katrina, damages would have been much worse.

On Davis Islands in Tampa, piles of what appeared to be mostly household items destroyed by Helene still lay in loose, wet piles along Davis Boulevard, the neighborhood’s main drag. Storm surge two weeks ago soaked the island, which sits along Hillsborough Bay, just a few feet above sea level.

While apartments and homes stood mostly vacant Thursday morning, it seemed the damage some experienced wasn’t fresh. Soaked couches and carpeting and home furnishings sat amid puddles. Some spots carried a musty whiff of mold. Yet all the trash that lined the curbside appeared mostly undisturbed. Windows were mostly intact. Buildings still stood.

In Tampa’s Sun Estates 3 mobile home park along Nebraska Avenue, pieces of metal hung limply from the side of a few homes. In Lowry Park, mattresses and other furniture lay in the street.

It was a similar scene across the Bay area.

In St. Petersburg’s Shore Acres, another area prone to flooding. Toys, couches and cabinets remained packed together at the curbside. Although after two storms in close succession, it was hard to distinguish between the marks left by Helene and those left by Milton.

A large tree with snaking roots lay amid destroyed household belongings on the sidewalk of Bayou Grande Boulevard NE. Nearby, another tree blocked the road. A mattress and a front door lay in the street.

In Ruskin, Jordan Bayliss hustled Thursday morning to the Shell Point Marina to check out his sailboat. On the way from his family’s home in Sun City Center, sodden debris piles still lined curbs and there was little sign of damage to homes and business. He was relieved that the Morgan 32 boat named Wild Child was spared serious damage.

“It didn’t feel quite as bad,” Bayliss said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state was working with FEMA on reimbursement funding for debris removal post-Milton. He said that after Helene, some debris sat around too long, prompting the state to put more trucks into duty. Crews removed about 50% of the debris left on the Gulf coast’s barrier islands in 72 hours ahead of Milton, DeSantis said.

He expects Milton’s debris will be picked up more quickly.

“It’s also just a morale thing,” he said. “You get hit with a storm, seeing debris is just a constant reminder that you got hit. When things get picked up, things look nice, people feel a lot better about it.”

Times staff writers Jay Cridlin, Divya Kumar, Emily Mahoney, Michaela Mulligan and Christopher O’Donnell contributed to this report.

• • •

Tampa Bay Times hurricane coverage 2024

5 things to know about the 2024 hurricane season, according to forecasters.

Forecasters predict ‘extremely active’ 2024 hurricane season. Here’s why.

Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here’s where to look.

Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits.