Hurricane Ian

October 3rd, 2022

• The TBEP team made it through the passage of Hurricane Ian relatively unscathed, and all feel extremely fortunate. Staff and families are all okay. Some of us experienced power outages through the storm (and currently still), but our offices are fully back up and running as of Monday, Oct. 3rd.
• Our hearts go out to the Sarasota Bay and Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Programs, their partners, and the residents of Southwest Florida who are experiencing tremendous loss and immediate need for recovery from the storm’s impacts.
• TBEP stands ready to assist in clean-up efforts and recovery over the weeks ahead, and our attention is also turning to water quality and habitat conditions in the Tampa Bay estuary following the flooding rains that occurred. Many of our municipalities are recommending limited water use, as our wastewater infrastructure swelled from Ian’s rains.
• If you’re interested in helping our fellow SW Florida neighbors, here are some suggestions:
  • Find volunteer opportunities or make donations to the Florida Disaster Fund to support our friends, families, and colleagues impacted by Hurricane Ian. You can make a donation by visiting their web page at volunteerflorida.org.
  • The Tampa Bay Times also provided some recommendations for where to volunteer or direct donations here: https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2022/09/29/where-donate-or-volunteer-help-hurricane-ian-victims/ .