Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
St. Petersburg summarizes lessons from record 2024 storm season, outlines recovery steps
Summary
City emergency management presented an after‑action review of three record storms in 2024, citing extensive flooding and infrastructure damage, lessons on communications and permitting, and long‑term recovery programs including a ~$160 million HUD Sunrise St. Pete plan.
City emergency management presented a detailed after‑action review of the 2024 hurricane season, telling council that three closely spaced storms tested response and recovery systems and produced far‑reaching impacts.
Amber, the city’s emergency management lead, summarized the 2024 season as “three storms that brought record‑breaking impacts, all within 67 days,” with the city’s Emergency Operations Center activated for a total of 57 days and widespread damage across the community. She reported roughly 12,000 residential structures flooded (about 5,200 with major damage, 3,700 with minor damage, 146 destroyed), and explained the city’s response and recovery steps including mobile permitting, street teams, targeted debris operations (2.1 million cubic yards removed in 90 days), and plans to accelerate infrastructure projects.
The presentation outlined strengths — rapid activation of EOC subcenters, broad community partnerships, innovative use of tiger dams and mobile permitting — alongside areas for improvement: communications (especially post‑storm localized notices), pre‑identification of debris management sites and contractual capacity for permitting review and inspections, and the need to expand and cross‑train personnel. Amber said the city has rescripted processes, scheduled workshops for department EOC subcenters, and is working with Hagerty Consulting on an after‑action report due in October.
Council members pressed staff on specifics: Vice Chair Hanowitz requested a redline version of updates to the disaster operations plan so council can see changes; questions were raised about hospital resilience plans, thresholds and notification procedures for critical‑facility shutdowns, and pre‑positioning of surge equipment. Staff described coordination with Pinellas County (Alert Pinellas / Everbridge notifications) and noted development of a Prepare St. Pete public tool for residents to check flood and stormwater risk at their addresses.
Why it matters: Council is preparing for the upcoming season with revised operations, new templates for boil‑water and reconnection messaging, procurement for high‑water vehicles and other specialized equipment, and a long‑term recovery emphasis — including the Sunrise St. Pete HUD initiative (~$160 million) that aims at housing, infrastructure and mitigation investments.
Next steps: Staff said they are wrapping up Phase 1 of the after‑action review and will use Hagerty Consulting to formalize the improvement plan by October; council requested targeted follow‑ups on debris‑management site lists, hospital assessments, and a single contact/point of communication for council during future activations.
Ending: Amber closed by saying many process changes have already been drafted and rehearsals scheduled; staff will return with the formal after‑action report and improvement plan in October.
