When disaster strikes a community, government emergency services spring into action to ensure residents’ safety, restore services and undertake whatever cleaning up is required.
That has been the case for Hillsborough County residents who are dealing with the aftermath of the impacts that Hurricanes Helene and Milton had on the local area.
To facilitate the deployment of emergency services and support the ongoing recovery process for Hurricane Milton, Hillsborough County has issued a series of local state of emergency decrees dating back to October 6, 2024, in preparation for the impending Hurricane Milton which struck Florida’s west coast south of Tampa on the evening of October 9. The county’s decree followed a State of Florida disaster declaration on October 5. It also followed the September 23 local emergency declaration by the county in anticipation of what became Hurricane Helene, which was extended on December 9. The state of emergency order for Hurricane Milton was renewed on December 15.
A local state of emergency decree has a maximum lifespan of seven days and must be renewed by the county if emergency conditions still exist and the benefits of a decree are still needed to facilitate disaster recovery.
One of the major benefits of a state of emergency cited by county officials is the ability to more easily purchase goods and services that support their disaster response and provide aid to residents.
According to an email response from Tim Dudley, director of the Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management, “Residents should be aware that emergency operations are still in progress. The Public Works department is finishing up its efforts to pump and remove floodwaters and collect debris, and the County is assisting with transitional housing and responding to unmet needs. The Local State of Emergency (LSE) permits the County to more quickly obtain the merchandise, goods, equipment, services, property, or personnel necessary to help alleviate the ongoing emergency.”
As of our deadline, the emergency orders issued by Hillsborough County for Hurricanes Helene and Milton remain in effect. While the ongoing disaster recovery and accompanying decrees seem without end, the longest series of local state of emergency decrees occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and covered the period March 13, 2020, to March 10, 2022, according to county officials.
You can learn more about local state of emergency orders issued by Hillsborough County and other important disaster recovery information by visiting www.hcfl.gov.
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