Interviews from the 2024 hurricane season

Nessa Brown



Interviews from the 2024 hurricane season


Everyone was affected by the hurricanes on a different level. Some people were hardly


affected; they lost power for an hour and continued with their lives. Others lost everything;


they lost their home, their jobs, their car, and everything that they knew and loved. I want to


show how one storm can have such varying affects on people. My sister, who was in a


previous post, my dad, mom, and my stepmother had drastically different experiences with


Hurricanes Helene and Milton. 



A corporate bookkeeper


I was able to interview my mom, Amanda Brown, on January 23, 2025. My mom is a bookkeeper for a water company. 


Nessa Brown: What evacuation zone were you in during Helene and Milton?


Amanda Brown: We weren’t in one; we live outside of an evacuation zone.


NB: What do you do for a living?


AB: I am a bookkeeper, or accountant.


NB: How long did the storm affect your occupation? 


AB: The basement of my work was flooded, which resulted in me working from home for a couple of weeks. 


NB: How did Hurricane Milton go for you?


AB: It was tragic; it was sad watching people lose their homes, watching family members lose their homes. Businesses had to close; it was sad. It was an inconvenience for us, but watching how tragic it was for us was the hard part.


NB: How did Hurricane Helene go for you?




AB: It felt like our community was kicked while it was down. It was like a double punch; it was sad. People finally tore down their houses to repair them after Milton. Everything they owned was sitting outside their front lawns, and another hurricane comes. There was no place to put the stuff.



NB: What was the condition of your house before and after the storms? Did you lose power?



AB: Minor damages, such as a piece of our fence getting blown out—that’s really it. We also lost power for around 13 hours.



NB: Are there any tips you would recommend to people in future hurricanes?



AB: There's local and national checklists for preparedness protocols, such as stocking up on water or medication. I would recommend candles and batteries or get to a shelter in a mobile home.


A moving business owner


I was able to interview my father, Ross Brown, about the experiences he had with both storms on December 19, 2024. He has run a moving company for over 35 years and has never felt the effects of a hurricane like this.


Nessa Brown: What evacuation zone were you in during Hurricane and Milton? 


Ross Brown: I don’t live in evacuation zone ABCD or E. I live too far in land, away from the coast.


NB: What do you do for a living? 


RB: I am the owner of a moving company. 


NB: How long did the storm affect your occupation?


RB: From the date of the storms, it will have an affect on my industry for the next 6 to 8 months. As for people moving, they cannot move because there are not enough houses. Houses are still damaged, and the system will not let people move back in. That affects the moving industry and slows it down astronomically.


NB: How did Hurricane Milton go for you? 


RB: As a person, it affected my household with power loss for an hour. As a business, it didn’t affect my truck at all. 


NB: How did Hurricane Helene go for you? 


RB: Hurricane Helene didn’t affect me personally once again. Neither my house nor business was affected; I'm too far inland.

NB: What was the condition of your house before and after the storms? Did you lose power?


RB: We lost power for an hour during Milton; besides that, same condition. Easy answer, no damages. 


NB: Are there any tips you would recommend to people in future hurricanes?


RB: If I could show pictures I would, I would say large plastic containers that can fit in your freezer, fill them up with water, and make large ice blocks. Make multiple of them before the storm arrives. Other than that, just have preparation with food and water. You can also line your bathtub with tin foil and tape. Once you lose power, you put the ice in the tub and cover it with more tin foil. Then put your food in the tub; it can last up to a few days. 


An ICQA executive for inventory control


I had the opportunity to interview my stepmother, Melissa Hartman, about her input on the storms. She works for a delivery company and manages the inventory. 


Nessa Brown: What evacuation zone were you in during Helene and Milton? 


Melissa Hartman: I was in evacuation zone C.


NB: What do you do for a living? 


MH: ICQA executive for inventory control.


NB: How did the storms affect your occupation? 


MH: I was affected for about one week.


NB: How did Hurricane Milton go for you? 


MH: Hurricane Milton affected me by making me evacuate and losing electricity for a couple days, but nothing compared to people that lost everything. 


NB: How did Hurricane Helene go for you? 


MH: Hurricane Helene did not affect me at all.


NB: What was the condition of your house before and after the storms? 

MH: No property lost. Helene was damaging to a lot of Floridans, as well as for people in SC, NC, and GA.


NB: Are there any tips you would recommend to people in future hurricanes? 


MH: Make sure that you have candles, lanterns, propane grills, and a radio. 



These hurricanes affected a variety of people in a variety of ways. I think that it is important


to see everyone’s experiences and input on what happened. No matter who they are, no


matter what they do, the storm impacted thousands of people. 


Resources for those affected by the hurricanes

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

● Pinellas Community Foundation

● Feeding Florida

● OneBlood

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