As soon as the wind and rain of Hurricane Milton passed Tampa Bay, work crews headed to schools to tackle ripped-up roofs, flooded floors and other damages caused by the storm. Their goal: To get campuses ready for students to resume classes as soon as possible.

Families across the Tampa Bay area are feeling the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and many who cannot return home because of flooding or other damage are looking for housing assistance and resources.

Tropicana Field’s roof was shorn off. A giant craned crashed into a building. But the Tampa Bay region didn’t experience the worst-case scenario from Milton.

Area districts had already announced that they won’t hold classes on Monday. Now Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas leaders say they would alert families and employees about Tuesday’s status by noon Monday. That will give them enough time to determine whether they have power at schools, and also to make needed repairs.

As the booming region faces the possibility of a direct hit from a major hurricane, the risks from storm surge are severe.

Buck Rollings’ phone has rung nonstop after Hurricane Milton carved through Tampa Bay, bending and breaking trees across the region. In the days since, Rollings, a certified arborist, and his crew have worked upward of 16-hour days,

First, Hurricane Helene's storm surge totaled Samantha Cipriani's Toyota Corolla and wrecked the homes of her employees. Then, Hurricane Milton flooded the St. Petersburg warehouse where she keeps wax,