Hurricane Milton vs Saint Peterburg, Florida

Hurricane Milton made its way across the Gulf of Mexico as an extremely powerful category 5 hurricane. Thankfully it started to fall apart as it approached the west coast of Florida, eventually making landfall as a strong Cat 3. St. Pete got lucky, as Milton crashed ashore just south of Tampa Bay along the beaches of Sarasota and Siesta Key. This southern landfall decreased the windspeed experienced in St. Petersburg, though the damage was still immense.

Here's my view of our beautiful city after the storm:

The most notable damage was seen at Tropical Field, where Milton literally tore the roof off.

Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays) was used as a shelter as the storm approached. I can only imagine the scramble inside as the roof started ripping apart.

Here we see a fully exposed stadium. We will see what happens moving forward as the Rays are expecting a new stadium which is scheduled to break ground in early 2025.

Meanwhile a few blocks east:

A construction crane falls from atop the largest building being erected in this city, crashing upon the home of our beloved newspaper and media company, the Tampa Bay Times.

Whoops.

Why the cranes were left 46 stories up as a powerful hurricane was barreling down, I have no idea. I'm sure it takes awhile to take them down, but, wow...

Elsewhere, fallen trees (not cranes) are everywhere:

This is my neighborhood, Old Northeast. Such a beautiful place to live, with downtown St. Pete to the south and Tampa Bay to the east. 

If you want a visual of why this neighborhood is called "Old Northeast", here it is:

Most of our streets in this neighborhood are brick, though some of the main ones have been paved over. I love this view of old meets new, as the past peeks through. These bricks have stood the test of time... asphalt, not so much.

Our city and our people are resilient and fantastic. This damage seems minimal following Hurricane Helene, which devastated our beach towns and low lying neighborhoods near Tampa Bay. We are going to make this place whole, sometimes paving over the past to rebuild, though nothing is forgotten here. Love you St. Pete.