Forest Hills community still recovering from Hurricane Milton 4 months later

Families still recovering from storms seek help

Aaron Mesmer reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Members of a Tampa community hit hard by flooding following Hurricane Milton joined a pair of elected leaders Friday to mark four months since the storm and discuss how to continue their recovery.

Big picture view:

During a news conference in the Forest Hills area, Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera and Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen updated neighbors on efforts to respond to the issues that contributed to flooding.

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"They're still living with the pain and the anguish of what they've gone through in Milton," said Viera.

The backstory:

In the days after Milton, pump stations failed, causing several feet of water and sewage to flood dozens of homes in Forest Hills. A community leader told council members this week she counted at least 60 houses impacted by floods.

Many of those families are still out of their homes and some will never be able to return, including Gwendolyn Torres, who had to move into a new home despite her financial struggles due to the storm.

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What they're saying:

"There was nothing salvageable. I lost my car. I lost my home, all our belongings," said Torres, who said FEMA provided her $6,000 to help with her recovery and other families are in similar situations. "The need is so great in this area, so it's a waiting game and then even what they do offer doesn't touch what we lost. Six grand is what got me into my [new] place, so it didn't pay for furniture, didn't pay for anything else. So battling [FEMA] and just trying to rebuild."

What's next:

Cohen said he hopes a report ordered by the county will address neighbors' concerns, including potential upgrades to pump stations, stormwater systems and canals. He also said the federal government promised to make more than $700 million available to the county to help with post-storm upgrades.

"Things that we can do to either help individuals or organizations or our own infrastructure to withstand these types of events in the future," Cohen explained, adding the report should be finished in the coming months.

Viera said the city hopes to make funding available to impacted families as well.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered during a news conference held Friday with Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera amid Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen.

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