{"id":108185,"date":"2024-09-29T03:40:29","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T20:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108185"},"modified":"2024-09-29T03:40:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T20:40:29","slug":"gulfport-like-so-many-tampa-bay-communities-picks-up-helenes-pieces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108185","title":{"rendered":"Gulfport, like so many Tampa Bay communities, picks up Helene\u2019s pieces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">GULFPORT \u2014 At dawn Friday, when the deluge finally dwindled to a drizzle, people in this tiny waterfront town \u2014 and across Tampa Bay \u2014 began venturing out to see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/hurricane-helene-wasnt-direct-hit-tampa-bay-it-sure-felt-like-it\/\">what havoc Hurricane Helene had wrought<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">The road was closed three blocks from the beach. Lights from police cruisers swept the yellow-gray sky. For the first time anyone could remember, the mayor had called in the National Guard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Waves, up to 8 feet high, had swept in overnight, shattering windows, downing doors, drowning the bars and shops. Beer bottles, silverware, beaded bracelets floated along the curbs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The storm had passed more than 100 miles from Boca Ciega Bay. But the surge had destroyed downtown Gulfport: The worst damage since the town was founded more than a century ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u201cLike someone came in with a bulldozer and just tore everything down,\u201d said Mayor Sam Henderson, 53. \u201cI thought I was going to be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/at-least-15-boats-bashed-into-gulfport-N3WRXLPPLNBQNHIGEX2MDMIEVU.jpg?auth=358d4805c3f46f48cf9f482259f7f0343f7c81f3fb91d5c8ec3b94e074e12b22&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/at-least-15-boats-bashed-into-gulfport-N3WRXLPPLNBQNHIGEX2MDMIEVU.jpg?auth=358d4805c3f46f48cf9f482259f7f0343f7c81f3fb91d5c8ec3b94e074e12b22&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"At least 15 boats bashed into Gulfport Beach on Thursday night, Mayor Sam Henderson said, some flying across Boca Ciega Bay into the pier, seawall and street. The town was still struggling to remove vessels lost during Hurricane Debby, he said. There&#x2019;s a lot of red tape to jump through to get rid of battered boats.\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"At least 15 boats bashed into Gulfport Beach on Thursday night, Mayor Sam Henderson said, some flying across Boca Ciega Bay into the pier, seawall and street. The town was still struggling to remove vessels lost during Hurricane Debby, he said. There&#x2019;s a lot of red tape to jump through to get rid of battered boats.\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/at-least-15-boats-bashed-into-gulfport-N3WRXLPPLNBQNHIGEX2MDMIEVU.jpg?auth=358d4805c3f46f48cf9f482259f7f0343f7c81f3fb91d5c8ec3b94e074e12b22&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">At least 15 boats bashed into Gulfport Beach on Thursday night, Mayor Sam Henderson said, some flying across Boca Ciega Bay into the pier, seawall and street. The town was still struggling to remove vessels lost during Hurricane Debby, he said. There\u2019s a lot of red tape to jump through to get rid of battered boats.<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">Here lay a tableau of the devastation so many Florida communities now face: postcard-perfect streets and humble houses torn into splinters. Gulfport, and so many other slices of Tampa Bay, have been forced into an existential crisis. What does rebuilding look like when so much must be gutted? How does the heart of a community endure?<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">No answers are immediately apparent, but here, in the muddy, miserable aftermath, neighbors turned to each other and faced the work ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">More than a dozen boats had smashed into the seawall, onto the beach, in the street, where a brown, oily river ran along Shore Boulevard S. Pier railings were twisted. The historic casino, beach shelters, rec center \u2014 all had been flooded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">At least two-dozen businesses were totaled, plus 70 houses. Most of the first-floor condos at Town Shores had waist-high water sweep through.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe were so lucky,\u201d said Paige Acree, who was hauling soggy T-shirts outside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gulfport-brewing.com\/\">Gulfport Brewery<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve been crying with the other business owners all morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/neptune-grill-has-graced-the-corner-of-Z7KRPZTH7ZEWHNPYNSBF52O7MM.jpg?auth=0c10f1fe93fbd825b1413514f038c889bc62bdf62de8d5144aa2372c851a2ccb&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/neptune-grill-has-graced-the-corner-of-Z7KRPZTH7ZEWHNPYNSBF52O7MM.jpg?auth=0c10f1fe93fbd825b1413514f038c889bc62bdf62de8d5144aa2372c851a2ccb&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Neptune Grill has graced the corner of Beach Boulevard and Shore Boulevard for more than 14 years. On Friday, employees and volunteers helped clear furniture from the flooded dining room. Will they reopen? The owner said, &quot;Always.&quot;\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"Neptune Grill has graced the corner of Beach Boulevard and Shore Boulevard for more than 14 years. On Friday, employees and volunteers helped clear furniture from the flooded dining room. Will they reopen? The owner said, &quot;Always.&quot;\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/neptune-grill-has-graced-the-corner-of-Z7KRPZTH7ZEWHNPYNSBF52O7MM.jpg?auth=0c10f1fe93fbd825b1413514f038c889bc62bdf62de8d5144aa2372c851a2ccb&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">Neptune Grill has graced the corner of Beach Boulevard and Shore Boulevard for more than 14 years. On Friday, employees and volunteers helped clear furniture from the flooded dining room. Will they reopen? The owner said, &#8220;Always.&#8221;<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">O\u2019Maddy\u2019s and Pia\u2019s Trattoria, the Greek restaurant and the ice cream shop, the crystal store and pizza place, all of her neighbors nearer to the water had lost everything. Acree, whose brewery sits on slightly higher ground at 30th Ave. S, had water in her storage shed and brew house, but the dining room was dry. A dock from behind the casino had floated a quarter-mile up the road and landed at the eatery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u201cNow we have dockside dining,\u201d joked the brewmaster, Jason Toft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Like many people who escaped the worst \u2014 and saw others suffering \u2014 Acree felt grateful. And guilty. She had to do something.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">By 9 a.m., she and Toft had pitched a blue tent behind their new dock, set up folding tables and carried out coolers. Her husband drove the Jeep to Costco. The cook hauled the grill to the sidewalk and set out the ketchup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The hurricane churned for hours off Tampa Bay, destroying thousands of homes, businesses and boats along Florida\u2019s Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">At least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/28\/hurricane-helene-death-toll-pinellas\/\">11 people in the area died<\/a>. More than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/hurricane-helene-tampa-bay-florida-rescues-flooding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1,000 had to be rescued<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Some escaped rising water in their homes, huddling in attics, paddling canoes, fleeing to neighbors\u2019 apartments. Others had lost sleep stuffing towels under doors, moving files and photos to higher shelves, bailing their kitchens, only to call it a loss. Many woke to downed fences and trees, flooded cars. Saltwater sparked fires. Houses smoldered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Nearly every corner of our region that touches water felt the storm\u2019s brunt. Scenic neighborhoods like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/davis-islands-hurricane-helene-tampa-surge-storm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Davis Islands<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/st-petersburgs-shore-acres-assesses-damage-after-hurricane-helene\/\">Shore Acres<\/a> saw high-water lines staining their facades. Sleepy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/hurricane-helene-pinellas-damage-mobile-home-park\/\">retirement havens<\/a> up and down the Pinellas and Pasco county coastlines were shattered. Along <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/record-flooding-along-alafia-river-left-residents-scambling-save-possessions-pets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rivers like the Alafia<\/a> in Tampa, and in vulnerable neighborhoods like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/27\/tampas-palmetto-beach-residents-swim-survive-dangerous-storm-surge\/\">Palmetto Beach<\/a>, people took dogs and children in their arms and ran \u2014 or swam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">The day after landfall, nearly a million Floridians still didn\u2019t have power \u2014 including 305,000 in Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/a-floating-dock-which-had-been-anchored-RKOIJP6BLJHSDNDVRSZCLSL5BE.jpg?auth=66fe7d8124604b4c9578445d7c44b2757605e8689d4d1a0503d8838a64309f6d&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/a-floating-dock-which-had-been-anchored-RKOIJP6BLJHSDNDVRSZCLSL5BE.jpg?auth=66fe7d8124604b4c9578445d7c44b2757605e8689d4d1a0503d8838a64309f6d&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A floating dock, which had been anchored behind the historic Gulfport Casino, washed up in the storm surge of Boca Ciega Bay and was carried a quarter-mile inland, where it landed on this downtown sidewalk. \" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"A floating dock, which had been anchored behind the historic Gulfport Casino, washed up in the storm surge of Boca Ciega Bay and was carried a quarter-mile inland, where it landed on this downtown sidewalk. \" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/a-floating-dock-which-had-been-anchored-RKOIJP6BLJHSDNDVRSZCLSL5BE.jpg?auth=66fe7d8124604b4c9578445d7c44b2757605e8689d4d1a0503d8838a64309f6d&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">A floating dock, which had been anchored behind the historic Gulfport Casino, washed up in the storm surge of Boca Ciega Bay and was carried a quarter-mile inland, where it landed on this downtown sidewalk. <!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">In Gulfport, residents were told it would be three days, at least, before the lights came back on. And months, maybe years, for their quirky community to recover.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Most of the affected homes and businesses lay in evacuation zone A. Others sat only 3 feet above sea level.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u201cWhat\u2019s left of the homes and businesses will have to be gutted and rebuilt, but they won\u2019t look the same,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cInsurance is going to make them elevate everything two to 12 feet, which will completely change the character and scale of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">The town will come back, the mayor said, because of the people. \u201cBut I\u2019m worried it won\u2019t ever be the same again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Near the Gulfport waterfront Friday afternoon, sludge sat ankle deep inside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/p\/Tommys-Hideaway-Gulfport-Pizza-Pub-100089606320347\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tommy\u2019s Hideaway<\/a>, glistening with shards of glass from shattered windows. Waves had toppled the industrial refrigerator, the kegerator, all the tables. Only the wood-fired pizza oven had been spared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">At least a dozen people were sweeping, mopping, squeegeeing. Some were employees who had no idea if they could ever go back to work. Others were strangers who had stopped in to lend a hand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Rachel Maisner, 36, and her wife, Tinsley, 32, had been regular customers and now were scooping wads of sodden napkins from the floor. \u201cOur power is out, so why not come help?\u201d Maisner asked. \u201cThere\u2019s not much we can do, but we can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/regulars-snowbirds-and-strangers-gathered-V6KIHLX6P5B4XKXHG4SCOH74V4.jpg?auth=6f1bdece814d01a69d6eef9dea9ba3796ca5fd270d9a4a53bb5b66113e2079ba&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/regulars-snowbirds-and-strangers-gathered-V6KIHLX6P5B4XKXHG4SCOH74V4.jpg?auth=6f1bdece814d01a69d6eef9dea9ba3796ca5fd270d9a4a53bb5b66113e2079ba&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Regulars, snowbirds and strangers gathered at the tiki hut Friday to help salvage liquor bottles, silverware and plates. This sign hung above what used to be the outdoor bar. \" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"Regulars, snowbirds and strangers gathered at the tiki hut Friday to help salvage liquor bottles, silverware and plates. This sign hung above what used to be the outdoor bar. \" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/regulars-snowbirds-and-strangers-gathered-V6KIHLX6P5B4XKXHG4SCOH74V4.jpg?auth=6f1bdece814d01a69d6eef9dea9ba3796ca5fd270d9a4a53bb5b66113e2079ba&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">Regulars, snowbirds and strangers gathered at the tiki hut Friday to help salvage liquor bottles, silverware and plates. This sign hung above what used to be the outdoor bar. <!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">A couple of doors down, across from what used to be the volleyball courts, Dia Vartsakis, 35, was watching men haul dripping blue booths from her restaurant, <a href=\"https:\/\/neptunegrillgulfport.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Neptune Grill<\/a>, onto the curb. Surge had crushed the outside bar, swelled five feet indoors. She was worried about insurance, but more worried about her employees. She had to re-open for them, she said, and the town.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Next door, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/p\/The-Tiki-Bar-Grill-at-56th-Shore-100063858521858\/\">Tiki Bar &amp; Grill<\/a> also had been flattened. A stove sat sideways, washed from the kitchen, and the patio had been swept away. On the only wall still standing, above where the bar had been, a blue sign said, \u201cWelcome to Paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to salvage whatever we can,\u201d said Coleen Walsh, 69, stacking liquor bottles into soggy boxes. She and her husband, Dan, are snowbirds from Massachusetts and regulars at the tiki hut. They had walked down from their Town Shores condo to help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThat\u2019s what we do in Gulfport,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we winter here and love this place.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/beer-bottles-napkins-and-menus-swirled-KA3HLNNI5FDPDP44GBMY3J53SU.jpg?auth=00a20425d8a10d24cfacbbb729635cfc0cc7f395367745a7948b6ff50b5dc0c2&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/beer-bottles-napkins-and-menus-swirled-KA3HLNNI5FDPDP44GBMY3J53SU.jpg?auth=00a20425d8a10d24cfacbbb729635cfc0cc7f395367745a7948b6ff50b5dc0c2&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beer bottles, napkins and menus swirled near storm drains after Hurricane Helene gutted downtown Gulfport.\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"Beer bottles, napkins and menus swirled near storm drains after Hurricane Helene gutted downtown Gulfport.\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/beer-bottles-napkins-and-menus-swirled-KA3HLNNI5FDPDP44GBMY3J53SU.jpg?auth=00a20425d8a10d24cfacbbb729635cfc0cc7f395367745a7948b6ff50b5dc0c2&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">Beer bottles, napkins and menus swirled near storm drains after Hurricane Helene gutted downtown Gulfport.<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">A couple of blocks up Beach Boulevard, where the water hadn\u2019t reached, Lisa Merriweather, 51, was wrestling an industrial leaf blower down the sidewalk. Her shop, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themodernmangroomingsalon.com\/home\">Modern Man Grooming Salon<\/a>, hadn\u2019t been hit. But she couldn\u2019t bear to see the rubble and debris. For hours, she had been working her way down the main drag, blowing off driveways and sidewalks, anything she could do to start erasing the tragedy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d she said. \u201cBut Gulfport is family. So much is gone. But we still have each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The town started as a stop-over between downtown St. Petersburg and the barrier islands. In the 1910s, before there were bridges to the beaches, folks could take a trolley down 22nd Avenue S to Gulfport, then board a boat at the casino to Pass-a-Grille. The waterfront was lined with hotels and snack bars \u2014 many of which still stood. Until Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">Once cars replaced trolleys, and once bridges let beach-goers bypass the boat, Gulfport lost much of its tourism. Fishing became a main industry. Property values declined, and homes fell into disrepair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">That all changed in the mid-2000s, as artists and eclectic residents got priced out of Key West and revitalized Gulfport with galleries and shops. Newcomers, including many LGBTQ+ people, refurbished bungalows, opened restaurants, repopulated the downtown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">After the pandemic, the town hit its modern heyday. Breweries and bars filled all the storefronts, and markets and festivals drew busloads of visitors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/everyone-did-the-right-thing-said-SWJCE2ZWYJBMTEHFUK6ZSULFMA.jpg?auth=0a3ba72de030298b36ceb500c027ff7a11bbfeebb9af5462eb275472a886f430&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/everyone-did-the-right-thing-said-SWJCE2ZWYJBMTEHFUK6ZSULFMA.jpg?auth=0a3ba72de030298b36ceb500c027ff7a11bbfeebb9af5462eb275472a886f430&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Everyone did the right thing, said Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson. Business owners boarded up, stacked sandbags, evacuated. &quot;But Mother Nature is going to win every time.&quot;\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"Everyone did the right thing, said Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson. Business owners boarded up, stacked sandbags, evacuated. &quot;But Mother Nature is going to win every time.&quot;\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/everyone-did-the-right-thing-said-SWJCE2ZWYJBMTEHFUK6ZSULFMA.jpg?auth=0a3ba72de030298b36ceb500c027ff7a11bbfeebb9af5462eb275472a886f430&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">Everyone did the right thing, said Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson. Business owners boarded up, stacked sandbags, evacuated. &#8220;But Mother Nature is going to win every time.&#8221;<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">The town is 3.8 square miles, with about 11,400 year-round residents \u2014 retirees, teachers, landscapers. Dog parks and a prized library line its brick streets, shaded by live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. There are no chain stores or parking meters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u201cWe\u2019re magical, quirky, blue-collar, diverse. Just a little slice of old Florida that doesn\u2019t exist anywhere anymore,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cOr we were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">For 15 years, as a councilman and mayor, Henderson has tried to preserve the little town, protect it. This hurricane could force Gulfport into a future he fears. \u201cThe price of repairs may mean we lose our character. There will be a different kind of people who can afford to live here, moving forward,\u201d he said. \u201cI think this one was it. The turning point. I hope I\u2019m wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">As the sun slid into Boca Ciega Bay on Friday, the bruised sky suddenly was streaked with scarlet. Dump trucks and disaster cleanup vans rumbled out of town. The river of polluted water had receded into the storm drains.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">The woman with the leaf blower had cleared two more blocks, making it almost to Gulfport Brewery \u2014 where more than 100 people gathered around the blue tent. Couples, friends, strangers, kids, dogs filled all the tables on the sidewalk. The power was still off. The taps weren\u2019t flowing. But everyone was drinking water and Gatorade, toasting their neighbors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">Sierra Espinosa, 27, wore a straw hat as she bent over the grill. She had already served at least 1,000 hot dogs and hamburgers. Now, she was starting to cook the donations, which had been coming in all afternoon: plump shrimp and filet mignon, 160 pounds of chicken. Nearby restaurants had emptied their freezers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/since-their-eatery-didnt-get-damaged-WAQA6L6RIFGZZJXSB2Z6AKOLHM.jpg?auth=77f3cd463986163dfc097522004afc6b61d9ae8ad0a5fac6aee6d77135ccf64d&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/since-their-eatery-didnt-get-damaged-WAQA6L6RIFGZZJXSB2Z6AKOLHM.jpg?auth=77f3cd463986163dfc097522004afc6b61d9ae8ad0a5fac6aee6d77135ccf64d&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Since their eatery didn't get damaged, staff at Gulfport Brewery threw a cookout for their neighbors Friday. By sunset, they had grilled more than 1,000 hot dogs and hamburgers and were starting to cook donated chicken, shrimp and filet mignon. \" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 413&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"Since their eatery didn't get damaged, staff at Gulfport Brewery threw a cookout for their neighbors Friday. By sunset, they had grilled more than 1,000 hot dogs and hamburgers and were starting to cook donated chicken, shrimp and filet mignon. \" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/since-their-eatery-didnt-get-damaged-WAQA6L6RIFGZZJXSB2Z6AKOLHM.jpg?auth=77f3cd463986163dfc097522004afc6b61d9ae8ad0a5fac6aee6d77135ccf64d&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"413\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">Since their eatery didn&#8217;t get damaged, staff at Gulfport Brewery threw a cookout for their neighbors Friday. By sunset, they had grilled more than 1,000 hot dogs and hamburgers and were starting to cook donated chicken, shrimp and filet mignon. <!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">For hours, people had been flocking to the brewery with bags of granola bars and Doritos, diapers and Depends, tampons, toothbrushes, bleach, blankets, cat litter and dog food. One woman had spent all afternoon baking gluten-free muffins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">It was almost dark when Espinosa started filling take-out containers. A couple of filthy, exhausted men came to carry their dinners back to wherever they were staying. So many people wouldn\u2019t be able to go home for a long time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\">\u201cCome back tomorrow!\u201d called the cook. \u201cWe\u2019ll be out here all day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-align article__body-align-center\"><b>\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/04\/05\/2024-hurricane-season-csu-forecast-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">5 things to know about the 2024 hurricane season, according to forecasters.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/04\/03\/forecasters-predict-extremely-active-2024-hurricane-season-heres-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forecasters predict \u2018extremely active\u2019 2024 hurricane season. Here\u2019s why.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/environment\/2024\/04\/04\/floridians-hit-by-ian-will-pay-more-flood-insurance-what-can-tampa-bay-learn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Could Tampa Bay flood insurance rise after a hurricane? A warning from Hurricane Ian<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/05\/30\/tampa-bay-tides-flooding-hurricane-season-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here\u2019s where to look<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__body-float article__body-float-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/06\/01\/2024-hurricane-season-storm-kits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/hurricane\/2024\/09\/28\/gulfport-like-so-many-tampa-bay-communities-picks-up-helenes-pieces\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GULFPORT \u2014 At dawn Friday, when the deluge finally dwindled to a drizzle, people in this tiny waterfront town \u2014 and across Tampa Bay \u2014 began venturing out to see &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108185\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=108185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108185\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=108185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=108185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=108185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}