After hurricanes Helene and Milton, recovery gets underway in Largo

LARGO — While storm surge from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26 flooded sections of Largo, including neighborhoods along Allen’s Creek and Indian Rocks Road, much of the city was spared serious damage.

But after Hurricane Milton hit the beleaguered region two weeks later on Oct. 9, bringing high winds and torrential rains to the Tampa Bay area while making landfall 75 miles south in Siesta Key, Largo and many inland communities experienced widespread devastation from downed trees and power lines, with many homes suffering power outages and damage ranging from destroyed fences to crushed roofs.

According to Largo Mayor Woody Brown, it will take the community many weeks to recover from the one-two punch, but he wants people to know the recovery process is well underway.

“We had 160 homes in Helene with significant damage, mostly along Allen’s Creek and Indian Rocks Road,” Brown said by phone on Monday, just days after he visited the shelter that was set up at Largo High School, where 2,800 people sought refuge from Milton’s relentless barrage of rain and wind.

“But Milton was widespread, with a lot of wind and rain, and as a result there was a lot of damage to private property. So, we all have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Indeed, the damage from Milton, fresh on the heels of Helene, has led to piles of debris on the city’s streets.

Brown said after the city’s private contractor pulled out following Helene, staff has been forced to pick up the slack, something the mayor said they have done and will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead.

“Typically, 1 in 20 homes, or 5%, have yard debris to be picked up every week,” Brown explained. “Now, 20 of 20 homes, or 100%, have debris, and it’s going to take time before it’s all removed.”

He said the city will not have curbside recycling this week as they turn their full efforts to debris cleanup, which Brown said they are taking “to our own site, not the county’s. So, it’s a lot faster turnaround. But still, everyone wants the same thing at the same time.”

The mayor praised the efforts of Largo’s police and fire departments, city staff and employees for doing everything they can to keep the city up and running after it saw roughly 70,000 residences lose power.

“Our water treatment plants kept working, but some of our lift stations went down because the power was out, and we had employees running around with gas cans refilling the generators to keep them running,” Brown said, adding many employees worked their shifts and then slept at the emergency operations facility.

Brown said after suffering damage from two unique but equally dangerous storms, city and county officials are working to find short- and long-term solutions to the problems that plague the region in their aftermath.

“I’m sure the conversation will start to look at how do we underground our infrastructure,” he said of the many overhead power lines that were toppled by trees or wind. “But it’s tough. My fear is people will start clearcutting their yards of trees after seeing 100-year-old oaks on the ground. But we need the canopy for other reasons.”

And like most civic leaders in Pinellas County, Brown preached patience as the area slowly recovers.

“We’re going to keep working on it,” he said.

“But remember that some people have power, and others still don’t have power, and there is still a lot of damage to their homes. So, it’s a long road ahead. And hopefully, people will understand that.”

Permitting moved

Due to water damage at Largo City Hall, the Building and Permitting Office for Largo residents and businesses has temporarily relocated to the Largo Community Center, 400 Alt Keene Road.

Residents, business owners and contractors with questions about existing permits or those needing to apply for a new permit can visit this new location 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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