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Tarpon Springs Aquarium cleans up after Hurricane Milton

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Published  October 11, 2024 10:10pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Milton aftermath: Wind damage in Tarpon Springs

Haley Hinds reports

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - The cleanup is underway in Tarpon Springs. They didn’t fight as much storm surge flooding as they did with Helene, but the wind left behind a lot of damage. 

At the Tarpon Springs Aquarium & Animal Sanctuary, they said they learned their lesson from Helene and used that knowledge to better prepare for Milton. 

At the family-owned aquarium, they treat their animals like family. 

READ: Pinellas County communities picking up the pieces after Hurricanes Milton and Helene

"We have big saltwater tanks, reptiles and petting zoo animals. Many are unwanted pets and some are rescues," said Paige Konger-Henry, the co-owner of the Tarpon Springs Aquarium & Animal Sanctuary. "They deserve the world."

The business has been open since 1990 and has been through a fair share of storms, but the one-two punch from Helene and Milton took a lot of cleanup. 

"With Helene, like everyone else, our story was flooding," said Konger-Henry. "Pumps running under saltwater. Then, with Milton was a lot of wind damage."

They took what they learned from Helene and used it to prepare for the next storm. 

MORE: Appliance debris from recent hurricanes sparks fire at Clearwater scrap metal recycling business: CFR

"I feel like with Milton I had high spirits, because we went through Helene and I knew what was possible and could get through cleanup like that," Konger-Henry explained. "We were prepared for Milton, learning our lesson from Helene."

And when they returned hours after the storm, their hard work paid off. 

"We have a large canopy that’s rated for 110 miles per hour. We were getting by skin of our teeth with Milton here," she said. 

And while there’s a lot of work to do to get back to normal, they’re ready to welcome the public back. 

"We’ve made good progress, and we can get it open by Saturday. Fingers crossed," Konger-Henry said.

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