Janelle Irwin Taylor
The city of St. Petersburg will cease operations at its comfort and charging stations established for residents in the wake of Hurricane Milton, when hundreds of thousands were without power.
With power now almost entirely restored to residents and businesses, the city will close the comfort stations Friday at 5 p.m. The stations are located at Enoch Davis Center, Azalea Recreation Center and Roberts Recreation Center.
Enoch Davis will continue serving as a Multi-Agency Resource Center with daily hours from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. The center offers assistance to residents in identifying resources to help with recovery efforts. Agencies on hand at the center include the Salvation Army, Department of Commerce, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Department of Motor Vehicles, the Area Agency on Aging, Bay Area Legal Services, Hope Florida and Crisis Counselors.
The center will remain open through this week. Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance and registration can be found at disaster.pinellas.gov.
The city will again shift its focus to debris collection, noting in an announcement that “Hurricanes Helene and Milton created an unprecedented amount of household and vegetative debris.” City crews “have been doing multiple citywide sweeps to clear the debris as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible,” the city said.
For residents still removing debris from their properties, the city reminds that items should be separated by type — vegetative, fencing materials, electronics, appliances, and construction materials. The city asks that residents not bag debris and to place it on the roadway curb, not the alley, and to avoid letting it spill into the street. Food waste should not be placed in debris piles to avoid pests and odors.
Mental health resources remain available to residents still coping with trauma from back-to-back storms. A variety of groups and agencies are providing services, including:
— Department of Health Mental Health Resources.
— Disaster Distress Helpline: Available 24/7 at 1-800-985-5990 by phone call or text; multilingual and ASL available.
— Care About Me: Call or text 1-888-431-1998 or chat on careaboutme.org.
— 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call or text 988 for support.
St. Pete officials are also reminding residents with roof damage that Operation Blue Roof is available to help cover damage with tarps. The program is available for primary residences or permanently occupied rental property with less than half structural damage. Vacation rental properties are not eligible, nor are roofs that are flat, made of metal or clay, slate or asbestos. The roof must be standard roof shingles or a similar material that allows contractors to nail the tarp into place. Contractors will consider tarps for metal roofs and mobile homes on a case-by-case basis.
To sign up for the program, register at BlueRoof.gov or by calling 1-888-ROOF-BLU (766-3258). A driver’s license or other proof of residency is required.
Residents who have installed tarps themselves can still qualify for the program. In those instances, contractors will remove the owner-installed tarp and minor debris in order to properly install a tarp. Large debris, such as large limbs or fallen trees, must be removed from the roof before tarp installation under the program.
More information on storm recovery updates is available at stpete.org/recovery.
