Saturday marks the end to one of the most destructive hurricane seasons on record for Tampa Bay

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Published  November 30, 2024 2:59pm EST
FOX 13 News
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End of hurricane season recap

FOX 13's Jordan Bowen has an update on the financial impact from the storms and the work that still need to happen.

TAMPA - Saturday marks the end to one of the most active and destructive hurricane seasons on record for Tampa Bay. 

Overall, the Atlantic saw 18 named storms, which are defined as those with winds of at least 39 mph or more.

Eleven of them became hurricanes. Five were considered major hurricanes, including Helene and Milton.

Helene was among the deadliest hurricanes, killing at least 14 people in the region. 

The 2024 hurricane season led to more than 314,000 insurance claims and about $5.3 Billion in losses in Florida.

Then came Milton days later, as both storms crippled beach communities and left roads lined with soaked belongings, and damage for miles which in the same areas have sat for weeks still waiting to be picked up.

"I get calls every day about my neighborhoods being ignored. We have the city divided up, and we have equal amounts of contractors and city workers in everyone's neighborhood. So, again, we're getting this done as quickly as we possibly can," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.

READ: St. Pete local has cooked almost 25K meals for hurricane victims in his community

All in all, the storms led to more than 314,000 insurance claims and about $5.3 billion in losses in the state, along with a total of 63 deaths in Florida. 

As for people still in need of assistance, FEMA has extended the deadline for disaster relief to Jan. 7, 2025, which means residents have until then to apply online for financial help.

Meanwhile, municipalities have their own deadlines to meet. In order for cities to qualify for FEMA reimbursement, they have a 90-day deadline to pick up all the debris lining the curb.

Debris clean-up continues throughout Tampa Bay.

Earlier this month, Castor said the city has been working fast to meet that deadline.

"We have close to 300 contractors that are out there working seven days a week, making sure from dawn to dusk, making sure that we are picking this debris up as quickly as we can. We've gotten the vast majority of the household. And so now it's down to that lawn debris," Castor said.

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