It goes without saying that this past hurricane season has been a challenging one for us all. Two major hurricanes in two weeks had many of us feeling as though we were stuck in a time loop. And it certainly didn’t help that each storm impacted our area between Wednesday and Thursday of their respective weeks.

Although Pinellas is no stranger to tropical systems throughout hurricane season, Helene and Milton packed a punch many were unprepared for. And it’s in these moments of unexpected destruction and loss, that finely-tuned preparation plans can be the lighthouse in the literal storm.

In its long 40-year history, PSTA has honed its storm response procedures over the decades as technology and techniques have evolved. In this Deep Drive, we’ll take you through the agency’s entire storm response procedures, from the moment the storm starts forming to evacuations to post-storm clean-up and recovery!

Before the Storm

PSTA’s storm response truly begins the moment the National Hurricane Center identifies an area of potential development. Thanks to the wonders of modern meteorology, we typically hear about potential storms a week before landfall.

An early tropical outlook for what would become Hurricane Helene—PSTA staff check each of these updates and send regular updates on storm preparedness plans.
(Courtesy of the National Hurricane Center)

Our Safety & Security Team begins monitoring the system and sends regular updates to PSTA leaders, especially once a storm track is released. If it appears the storm may impact our area, real preparation begins and updates are communicated with all PSTA staff.

Facilities Team

First, we’ll discuss what our incredible Facilities team, led by our Superintendent of Facilities, Missy Nevitt, does to prepare PSTA’s Administration and Operations buildings and the four terminals for inclement weather.

“We’ve really got it down to a science,” Missy said. “Once we’ve confirmed the storm is coming, I text my guys, ‘Move it in!’ and they jump into action like a well-oiled machine.”

Beginning at five in the morning, Missy’s crew gets to work securing all campus assets—essentially anything that could go flying is brought in or secured, including bus shelter parts, benches, and garbage cans. PSTA’s contractors pull trash from stops and terminals in the days before the storm makes landfall to minimize our contribution to flying trash. In the case of Hurricane Milton, there was also the task of removing all the debris left over by Hurricane Helene. The Facilities team picked uncountable amounts of branches and loaded them into 15 trailers, quickly rushing it all to the dumps at dawn before a four-hour line could form.

The last steps for our Facilities team can only happen once local evacuations are complete, our bus fleet is relocated, and the Administration building is fully cleared of staff. Missy and her right-hand men Jagan “Jay” Mohan and Ronnie Sansom remain on campus for the storm’s duration, allowing them to make final preps without staff coming and going from the buildings.

With PSTA’s campus a mere seven feet above sea level and sitting squarely in a flood zone, water intrusion is certainly a concern for Missy and her team. In the hours before a storm makes landfall, they walk the Administration building, position sandbags along doors, and chain the doors in place so high winds don’t pop them open. Next, they turn off the electric chargers on the lot, spray foam the doors to the electrical room, and install more sandbags there for good measure.

Once these steps are complete, Missy and her core crew hunker down in their offices for the long haul of the storm. The whole process takes about two days, but they are long—most work 10- to 13-hour days to prepare everything.

Transportation Team

While Missy and her crew are hard at work preparing headquarters, the Transportation team is abuzz with activity as evacuations are called for vulnerable flood zone areas. Next, we’ll learn about the incredible storm response efforts of our Operations and Transportation teams.

Interim Superintendent of Transportation Shelbie Harris begins directing her Transportation Supervisors to run buses for evacuations and prepare to relocate the fleet. Much like Missy, Shelbie hears about potential storms up to a week in advance and keeps her Transportation Supervisors updated as the situation develops.

The first order of business is notifying all bus operators and operations staff, giving each person time to prepare their families for the storm. For Shelbie, it’s essential operators have time to handle their own storm prep and evacuations, even if it affects their ability to report to work. Luckily, there’s always a list of operators ready to volunteer with evacuations and remain at PSTA headquarters to jump into action once the storm has passed.

Chief Operating Officer James Bradford ensures the Operations building is fully stocked with supplies and snacks, as PSTA awaits the activation of Pinellas County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Once EOC is activated, specially trained PSTA staff are deployed to work with the Pinellas County Emergency Management team and relay up-to-date information on the storm’s path, evacuations, and current weather conditions. PSTA’s EOC staff stays in contact with Safety Security & Training Supervisor Eddie Kester, who oversees the coordination of county-wide evacuation efforts. Here’s a look at just how many evacuations PSTA assisted with during Hurricanes Helene and Milton:

Hurricane Helene

• Pre-Storm Preparation and Evacuation Ridership (9/24–9/25)
  • 65,485

• Post-Storm Return and Recovery Ridership (9/28–10/7)
  • 241,157

• Targeted Evacuation Rides Requested by Emergency Management
  • 465

Hurricane Milton

• Pre-Storm Preparation and Evacuation Ridership (10/7–10/8)
  • 42,851

• Post-Storm Return and Recovery Ridership (10/12–10/20)
  • 219,141

• Targeted Evacuation Rides Requested by Emergency Management
  • 764
    
    

 
A line of older diesel PSTA buses lines up to assist in evacuations. 

After the devastating storm surge levels Hurricane Helene brought to our area, PSTA leaders were highly concerned about the even higher storm surge predictions released in the days leading to Hurricane Milton’s arrival. The decision was made to relocate our bus fleet of over 200 buses to higher ground elsewhere in the county, a massive undertaking that began as soon as service was suspended Tuesday at 2 PM and emergency evacuations ended at 7 PM.

For hours, a steady stream of buses are driven by tireless bus operators to chosen high ground, some vehicles needing a tow due to in-progress repairs. Only a handful of PSTA’s oldest diesel buses remained at headquarters, just in case last-minute emergency rescues were needed right before or right after the storms.

During the Storm

As the skies darken by the middle of the week, PSTA’s skeleton teams settle into a long night vigil as each storm makes landfall between Wednesday and Thursday of its respective week. For Missy and her team, they gather in her office to watch the camera feeds and keep each other company while the power remains on. For the transportation team, one supervisor and a handful of operators make themselves comfortable but remain on standby should their services be needed.

The wind howls, the retention pond fills, and debris streaks across camera feeds. Missy monitors the cameras closely, checking water levels and conditions through her curated command center. Meanwhile, the small transportation team sits tight, staying in constant contact with PSTA staff stationed at the county EOC.

Missy, Jay (right), and Ronnie (left).

After the flurry of activity in the days leading up to the storm, PSTA’s emergency crew is not unlike all remaining residents of the Tampa Bay Area. There’s nothing to do but wait, listen, and wonder. Missy watches the water rise in the pond and the retention canal and takes walks around the building to ensure everything is secure.

Missy and her team remained on campus for 60 hours during Helene and 72 hours for Milton. PSTA staff at EOC spends three days with the rest of the Pinellas County Emergency Management team. It’s a long couple of days, and when the winds finally die down, their hard work is far from over.

After the Storm

The following morning, like so many others, PSTA’s overnight storm crew steps outside and surveys the damage. After Helene, the building still has power, but Milton’s aftermath requires the aid of PSTA’s large generators. These generators power the servers, emergency lights, fuel lanes, tanks, dispensers, and the slow bus chargers.

Missy conducts a site survey around campus, then the terminals and the SunRunner route. She receives reports on damage or issues with both buildings and calls her team back in to handle post-storm clean-up.

Meanwhile, the Safety & Security team sends trucks out to run all the routes, assessing which ones require detours and which ones are clear for service. It’s a complex task navigating flooded roads, downed trees and power lines, and dodging debris, but over the course of the day, detours are issues, and service resumes as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Sand, mud, and debris cover a PSTA shelter on one of the beaches after Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic storm surge.

But PSTA’s post-storm recovery does not end there—while emergency crews get much-needed rest, PSTA begins coordinating with local partners to help the community. After both Helene and Milton, PSTA instituted fare-free periods to help people get around after losing their cars and homes to storm surge or wind damage. The agency also participated in storm relief community outreach, such as the three supply drives held in partnership with Reach St. Pete.

Representative Kathy Castor joins PSTA’s Communications and Outreach team for a Hurricane relief drive in partnership with Reach St. Pete.

In the days after the storms, news stories emerged about the incredible bravery of individual bus operators who found themselves becoming first responders during evacuation efforts. You can learn more about their stories here:

• Tampa Bay Times: Pinellas bus drivers became emergency responders amid hurricanes
• ABC Action News: PSTA drivers help thousands during Hurricanes Helene and Milton
• Bay News 9: PSTA drivers transport thousands during back-to-back hurricanes
• St. Pete Catalyst: PSTA drivers helped save thousands of lives during storms

Although this hurricane season was one of the worst in recent memory, PSTA’s storm response measures met the challenge, undaunted. It’s only thanks to the immeasurable dedication of PSTA staff and leaders that evacuations could be quickly completed and service reinstated as soon as possible. With each storm, PSTA adds a new technique or procedure to its robust storm preparedness routine.

Rest assured that, should another active hurricane season come our way, PSTA will always be ready to help our community members get to safety!