Hurricane Milton recovery far from over in the Tampa Bay area one month later
TAMPA, Fla. - One month after Hurricane Milton, the recovery is far from over for families across the Tampa Bay area.
In the North Tampa area, one woman and her family have been living in a hotel for almost a month. Gwendolyn Torres lived in her Forest Hills home with her three adult children, one who has autism, and four grandchildren, one who also has autism and is nonverbal.
Like her neighbors, Torres said they’ve never experienced major flooding in "Zone X."
RELATED: Tampa councilman continues push for independent investigation into North Tampa flooding after Milton
"We have a 1 in 500 chance of ever flooding," she said. "So, that was never an issue. We always prepare for wind, limbs, debris."
Torres said they woke up the morning after Milton and thought they made it through the storm with only losing power.
"Everything was fine," she said. "Forty-five minutes later, the house was flooded. Came up through the floors, and we were evacuated by the National Guard."
Torres and her family were rescued from a window, and she said they had four feet of floodwater in their home. Since they were evacuated, Torres and most of her family have been living out of two hotel rooms.
"We're living out of two drawers and a closet," Torres said.
She and her adult son with autism have been living in one room and her other adult son and his family of five have been living in the other room.
"Everybody's forgotten already," she said. "Milton's over with. They're done with. Everybody moved on with their life."
Related coverage: City council discusses flooding issues after Milton
Neighborhoods around the North Tampa area were inundated with historic levels of rainfall during Hurricane Milton. Now, Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera is continuing his push for an independent investigation into the stormwater infrastructure and preparations during the storm.
Torres said she lost her car, all of her family's belongings, furniture and appliances.
MORE: Polk residents near Lake Bonny bring concerns to city meeting on Hurricane Milton flooding
"I don't think anybody could truly understand or comprehend what that means or how hard this is," she said. "When I say everything, I mean everything."
Although a lot of things are replaceable, there are a lot of sentimental belongings and memories that aren’t replaceable.
"But, my grandmother's rocking chair, my grandmother's China cabinet," Torres said. "My photos of my children. Belongings of my husband who passed in March."
Torres wakes up every morning to check the status of her claims with FEMA, but they’re still pending. The only things that have been approved are her temporary housing, which will eventually run out, and a $770 emergency payment.
READ: St. Pete parks damaged, nearly a dozen playgrounds remain closed after hurricanes
"I'm doing everything in my power to advocate for my family," Torres said. "I'm not just sitting around, waiting for somebody to fix it for me."
Torres is grateful to have a roof over her head right now while she tries to fix a lifetime of damage that Milton left behind for her family.
"I'm going to stay here until everybody else gets taken care of, and then worry about myself," she said.
On Friday morning, Torres said her son, his fiancée and their three children found out they would be able to move into an apartment. But, she said they don’t have any furniture, appliances or essentials right now, so that’s the next step they’ll have to tackle.
Torres said her parents bought the Forest Hills home more than two decades ago for Torres to raise her family in, but they now have to sell it.
"My parents were denied FEMA for the house, because it was their secondary home, because they bought it for me and my family," she said.
She hopes she can get some kind of assistance from FEMA to at least help with the costs of moving and storage, while she looks for a new home for her family.
Some Tampa leaders have been pushing for an investigation into the stormwater infrastructure during Milton, especially in the North Tampa and University areas. The city’s mobility department said the pump station at Curiosity Creek lost power Wednesday night as the storm barreled in. Officials said the pump station there had a backup generator, but the transfer switch didn’t kick on.
READ: Linemen spent weeks away from home responding to Helene, Milton
It’s not clear exactly why the switch didn’t turn on, but city officials said it’s possible that there was a surge when the power went out that caused the switch not to turn on.
Mobility officials said that pump was down until mid-day Friday. They said there are three pump stations, which are located in Forest Hills, Curiosity Creek, East Ridge and Bouganvillea, but the station at Curiosity Creek is the only one with a generator.
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