Hurricane Milton’s Impact and the Strength of Community

The storm didn’t destroy everything, but it left a mark on Tampa Bay

Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL loses its rose during Hurricane Milton (Tampa Bay Times)

In my last post, I discussed bracing myself and my home for Hurricane Milton’s impact on Tampa Bay. I’m happy and relieved to report that I’m safe and my home is safe. Thank you all for your well wishes!

Whew.

The night of the storm was tense. The storm “wobbled” along its path, sometimes moving south, then back north towards us, then landing somewhere in the middle. It made landfall near Siesta Key, south of Tampa Bay, but we were still on the path of the massive storm.

The wind began to pick up at 6:30 PM on Wednesday. I made an early dinner in preparation for the lights to go out. My boyfriend and I watched the news and listened for shattering glass.

We received alerts for flash flooding in our area, but thankfully, our building did not flood.

Anxious kitty ready for Hurricane Milton. Image by author.

The worst of it was between 9:30 PM and 12:30 AM. My boyfriend and I spent these hours soothing our anxious cat between us in bed as the wind howled and whistled all around us. A branch broke off the…