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Tampa opens 3rd 'comfort station' to help those impacted by Helene

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Published  October 3, 2024 6:50am EDT
Hurricane Helene
FOX 13 News

More comfort stations open in Tampa

More help is on the way for people in Tampa still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Comfort stations are offering food and supplies, along with services like laundry.

TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa opened a third comfort station on Thursday to provide essential services for residents affected by Hurricane Helene.

The new comfort station will be located at the Gandy Civic Association, 4207 W. Oklahoma Ave., and will operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Oct. 17.

At the Gandy Civic Association site, residents can access pop-up permitting services and receive free food, water, tarps, hygiene kits, and other critical supplies, the city said, noting that showers and on-site laundry services will not be available at the new location.

The City of Tampa has opened three comfort stations to help residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The City of Tampa has opened three comfort stations to help residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The city also announced it will offer free laundry assistance to residents in north Tampa on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents can access laundry services at Laundromart of Tampa, located at 8215 N. Florida Ave. While the machines will be available at no charge, residents are asked to bring their own detergent and bleach.

The City of Tampa is offering free laundry assistance on Thursday at Laundromart of Tampa off North Florida Avenue. (Courtesy: City of Tampa)

"The past few days have been challenging to say the least," Tampa mayor Jane Castor wrote in an X post marking the beginning of the Rosh Hashanah holiday. "Our community is recovering from devastation. And it has been incredible to see our community -- people from all walks of life -- come together to help one another in these times of need."

The city noted that it continues to operate two additional comfort stations at Desoto Park (2617 Corrine St.) and Marjorie Park (97 Columbia Dr.), open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. These stations offer food, water, ice, showers, restrooms, charging stations for electronic devices, laundry assistance, and a pop-up permitting center. Permitting services at these locations, aimed at expediting the permitting process for those needing storm-related repairs, will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. over the weekend, Oct. 5-6.

The City of Tampa has opened three comfort stations to help residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The City of Tampa has opened three comfort stations to help residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The Salvation Army Tampa announced it would be partnering with the city at the Gandy Civic Association on Thursday and Friday from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m., providing lunch and dinner.

For more information on storm-related resources from the city of Tampa, click here.

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