The state of Florida is one of the most hurricane-prone states in the U.S, with 41% of the 292 hurricanes hitting the Sunshine State. Throughout the season of Jun. 1st to Nov. 30th, meteorologists pay close attention to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to keep a watchful eye on potential hurricanes. This year two major hurricanes, Helene and Milton, have struck Florida.  

Most recently, Hurricane Milton was measured on Oct. 7 to have category-five winds as it approached the state. Milton made landfall on the night of Oct. 9 as a category three storm on Florida’s west coast, however, the impacts were felt heavily in Tampa.  

Schools in Hillsborough County were canceled after Friday, Oct. 4 due to the rapidly forming hurricane and giving families time to evacuate and prepare. Hillsborough County schools didn’t reopen until Thursday, Oct. 17, totaling 8 missed days that ran through the quarter’s end. Due to these circumstances, the school board decided to extend the first quarter to Oct. 25. These days must be made up for the students to reach the necessary hours needed for their classes. With many different variations to how the hours will be made up, both students and faculty are awaiting the decision that the school board will make, “hopefully soon,” said Assistant Principal Daniel Cribb.  

Meanwhile, Steinbrenner was used as a family and pet shelter for 900 people. Staff, including school officer Deputy Bennet, were working extremely long hours, sometimes even sleeping at the school to keep up with the influx of evacuees on campus. “That was a 36-hour shift for me,” said Bennet, describing the day during the hurricane until Thursday. In addition, after the storm, the work was nowhere near done. There was a severe shortage of gas in Tampa and along the evacuation routes. “My job was to escort the gas tankers to get them to where they needed to go and back to the ports,” said Bennet.  

The effects of Milton were devastating, especially after Hurricane Helene that hit Florida just weeks before. Helene was measured to have 140 mph winds when it hit near Perry, Florida on Sep. 26. Both hurricanes had severe consequences such as power outages, fallen trees, flooding, and debris. “It was kind of scary…there was a lot of wind…We lost power for six days” said sophomore Isabel Liberos. The power outages were so numerous that linemen had to be called in from other states to assist Floridians.

To this day, there are still piles of branches lining the streets to be collected and people are still trying to get their lives back on track. The community is now working to prepare for future hurricanes to minimize damage and loss of electricity.