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Holidays after the hurricanes
FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports on St. Pete's Gallagher's Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Patch reopening after facing hurricane damage from storms Helene and Milton.
ST. PETE, Fla. - Bay Area Christmas tree patches are seeing a different demographic of customers this year following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Gallagher's Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Patch has been open along 4th St in St. Pete for the past 37 years.
Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Patch.
David Gallagher, the owner of Gallagher’s Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Patch, said the storms somewhat impacted the lot.
READ: St. Pete local has cooked almost 25K meals for hurricane victims in his community
"During Helene, we did flood. We had two feet of water in here, and we did lose quite a bit of pumpkins," Gallagher said. "There’s no type of insurance for that type of stuff or the produce."
Gallagher’s tents also experienced wind damage from Milton.
"Everyone is just ready for a change because of all of the hurricanes and everything," Gallagher said.
Gallagher says the trees at his patch are sourced from all over the country.
"Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania," Gallagher said.
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Fortunately, Gallagher says, none of those growers were impacted by the storms.
"These things actually hold up pretty well in the weather. In the mountains, we get 70-80 mile hour winds on a normal basis in the summertime," Gallagher said.
Gallagher said the storms displaced some patch regulars, making them unable to return for new Christmas trees this year.
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"We’ve had some of our normal customers that we’ve usually had had to move in with family members and things like that who have informed me this year they won’t be getting a tree," Gallagher said.
Despite some regulars not returning, he says the patch is seeing new faces visit and are looking to buy new Christmas trees this year.
Some of the Christmas trees available at Gallagher's Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Patch.
"We’ve actually noticed that a lot of people who have owned fake trees in the past are buying real trees because they were flooded in their garages and in the house," Gallagher said.
The business hopes to spread some holiday cheer to displaced families by offering free 3-foot-tall trees to those with kids.
For more information on Gallagher's Pumpkin and Christmas Tree Patch, click here.
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