Crisis Center of Tampa Bay responds to drastic increase in calls after Hurricane Ian

TAMPA, Fla. - As people begin the long road to recovery after Hurricane Ian, there’s an even greater need for physical and emotional support.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay manages the 211 calls for Hillsborough and Charlotte counties and has noticed an increase in calls from that area in particular.

"So with Charlotte County calls, just to kind of give you an idea, before Hurricane Ian, we took about 200 to 300 calls a week from Charlotte County," Eric Bledsoe, Director of Gateway Services for the Crisis Center in Tampa Bay said. "But since last Monday, we've had 2,500 calls up to yesterday from Charlotte County alone. That’s in addition to all the other lines that we answer in our contact center."

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The calls coming in are mainly disaster-related as people are looking for supplies, gas, food and water.

"So the greatest need is just those daily supplies because even first responders down in that area, they've lost their homes, but they're out in the communities every day trying to help the community, you know, recover," Bledsoe said.

In a normal week, the Crisis Center said it receives around 3,000 calls, but since last Monday, that number is closer to 8,000. They also report an increase in calls to the 988 line as people grapple with the emotional effects of Hurricane Ian.

"People are just having trouble coming to grips with the fact that the storm took away everything except for them," Bledsoe said. "But, you know, we try to circle back to letting them know how fortunate it is that even though they may have lost everything, resources and belongings can be replaced, but loss of life cannot."

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If you find yourself in need of any kind of help, you can reach a counselor at any time through 211 or 988.