2025: Remembering Helene and Milton

Nessa Brown


2025: Remembering Helene and Milton

Although most of my blog has been written in 2025, Florida is still feeling the effects from Helene and


Milton. The 2024 hurricane season demolished many beloved spaces near and far from where I write and


they are still being rebuilt. Individuals are still getting back on their feet, still trying to get help from the


government, and still rehabilitating from Helene and Milton as of 2025. The storms may have been only a


few days long, but for the states they tore through, the repercussions will be there for years. 



Great quantities of Floridians, most of them who are located in Pinellas, are actually raising their homes to


avoid the storm surge. These people are raising them 10–11 feet to avoid the flood zone. (Michreal, Paluska.


“Rising Above the Flood: Floridians lifting their homes above the surge” ABC Action News,


abcactionnews.com) FEMA calls it the FPE, meaning Flood Protection Elavation. There are two options for


raising your home: lifting the house and building a new foundation, or leaving the house as it is and building


an elevated floor. The most ethical way to carry out the FPE process is to use as much of the original


foundation as possible.



The Sunshine State’s economy was also hit by Helene and Milton. Florida happens to be the second largest


producer of strawberries in the United States of America, making $430 million annually. Florida also grows


$750 million annually in tomatoes and is responsible for 70% of our nation’s fresh-market tomato production


(Daniel, Munch. “Double Blow to Florida Farms: Hurricane Milton Worsens Damage After Helene” FB,


fb.org) The storms flooded farms and ruined orange groves, and that happened to affect what Floridian


farmers can grow, which negatively affects the Floridian economy.



Hurricanes Helene and Milton were catastrophic, historical, and destructive. Helene tore through the states,


leaving them to scramble to prepare for Milton. It has been a very rough couple of months for thousands of


Americans, and I sincerely hope that all the hurricane recovery efforts are paying off. You should always be


informed on how to stay safe when disaster is heading towards you. Even if you aren’t affected, you should


be knowledgeable on how to help others in your community. No matter where you are, no matter what


career you are in, no matter who you are, hurricanes don’t discriminate.



Resources for those affected by the hurricane

For those seeking assistance, here are some organizations providing relief and support.


  • Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay
  • Disaster Aid USA
    Global Giving

sources
  • “Double Blow to Florida Farms: Hurricane Milton Worsens Damage After Helene.” American Farm Bureau Federation, www.fb.org 
  • FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. “H O M E O W N E R ’ S G U I D E T O R E T R O F I T T I N G.” CHAPTER 5, pp. 87–90. www.fema.gov
  •       “Hurricane Milton ‘Explosively Intensifies’ to Category 5.” National Fisherman, 8 Oct. 2024, www.nationalfisherman.com  
  • Paluska, Michael. “ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS).” ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), 23 Aug. 2024, www.abcactionnews.com 

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