St. Pete Standard

Today, the City of St. Petersburg initiated damage assessment and recovery efforts following Hurricane Debby. Mayor Kenneth T. Welch, along with city officials, acknowledged the work of city teams in addressing storm impacts.

"We are thankful that St. Pete experienced minimal impacts from this storm. However, our thoughts are with our low-lying neighbors who have been affected by flooding," stated Mayor Welch. He expressed gratitude for the city's preparedness and resilience against such weather events.

Current weather advisories indicate that Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Warnings have ended, but a tornado watch remains until 4 p.m., and a flood watch is in effect until 8 p.m. Two northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge remain open, while the Skyway Bridge is closed due to high winds.

Nearly 400 city team members are involved in assessing damages. The leadership has coordinated with Duke Energy for updates on power outages affecting approximately 14,000 households countywide. The St. Pete Fire Rescue responded to over 320 calls recently and has deployed members to Levy County as part of FL Task Force 3's efforts.

Initial assessments report more than 50 downed trees throughout the city, though power has been restored to all traffic lights. Various public facilities remain closed due to flooding or power outages, including Dell Holmes splash pad and park, Shore Acres Recreation Center, Childs Park library, North Park library, and Sunken Gardens.

Further damage assessments will continue tomorrow focusing on low-lying areas while plans for debris management are being finalized for community distribution. Updates will be provided through official social media channels @StPeteFL or on their website www.stpete.org/hurricane.