City departments in Treasure Island are evaluating their performance during the 2024 hurricane season and preparing to present their findings to city commissioners on Tuesday. The goal: identify strengths and weaknesses to better prepare for future emergencies.

Representatives from the fire department, police, community development, finance, administration, parks and recreation, and public information have each submitted an “After Action Review” analyzing their roles in last year’s response.

Fire Chief Trip Barrs described the 2024 hurricane season as particularly severe and emphasized the importance of learning from the experience. “It was definitely a new experience for us, and we had a lot of opportunities to learn,” Barrs said. “We were diligent about tracking areas for improvement, and this is the culmination of those efforts.”

One key area of focus is evacuation messaging. Barrs noted that only about 30% of residents evacuated ahead of Hurricane Helene, which resulted in four fatalities. However, after intensified messaging, nearly all residents left before Hurricane Milton just two weeks later. Moving forward, Barrs said the department plans to be more assertive in its communication about evacuation risks.

Post-storm response is also a priority. Barrs said the city is already making formal requests to the state for specialized personnel to assist after major storms. “We just need more staff—specialized staff,” he said, pointing to roles in permitting, planning, and floodplain management as particularly hard to fill during regional emergencies.

Sunset Beach resident Grant Smith said he was generally satisfied with the city’s response but hopes communication around recovery efforts improves. “The initial response, given the resources, was quite good. What I think they could have done better is centralizing communication to better guide residents through the recovery process,” he said.

With the city’s police and fire station destroyed in the hurricanes, Treasure Island is now partnering with St. Petersburg College for a temporary solution. Construction of a new facility is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

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(Image credit: Spectrum News/Angie Angers)

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