St. Petersburg has updated tips to help residents negotiate the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Among other items, debris collection will begin next week.

ST. PETERSBURG – The city of St. Petersburg remains in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma. Here’s some important information and answers to frequently asked questions to assist you in recovery efforts.

Power Issues: Any power outages should be reported to Duke Energy: 1-800-228-8485. Duke anticipates full power restoration in Pinellas County by midnight tonight (Sept. 15), according to the company’s website. Duke officials said that 114,711 outages were reported in St. Pete and 50,022 had been restored as of Thursday (Sept. 14).

Traffic: St. Petersburg is still dealing with power outages affecting our traffic signals. As of Thursday, the city had 40 intersections with non-working traffic signals, 70 had been restored this week. The city placed an estimated 100 portable stop signs and 24 generators at intersections all over the city. St. Petersburg also requested assistance from Pinellas County for additional generators and officers to help with traffic control. Note, where traffic lights are out – please treat traffic signals as four-way stops.

Debris: Residential storm debris curbside pickup will commence early next week (week of Sept. 18) and will be handled through a city contractor. The city asks residents to place tree limbs behind the curb, off the street, in front of the house. Don’t mix-in other storm debris with the vegetation. For example: wooden fences are considered storm debris. No need to call – city crews are working and will eventually get around to all neighborhoods. Note, it may take several days, even weeks, to get to everyone. Residents who wish to drop off their brush or recyclables can do so at one of the city’s brush sites where extra city staff has been assisting residents with their drop-offs. More info: stpete.org/brushsites.

Charging stations: Several St. Pete recreation centers, along with the Main Library, can also provide charging resources.

Recycling: Recycling has been suspended until further notice, as we’ve lost power at the processing center. You can bring your recyclables to a brush site if you do not wish to wait for service to be reinstated. Items must be separated, unlike with residential recycling.

Street Teams: Several city street teams have been deployed to the neighborhoods, in an effort to inform residents about resources and storm restoration efforts. Citizens can expect to see teams passing out information as they walk through the neighborhoods.

Storm Aid: Citizens and businesses can apply for aid through FEMA. The city has opened three Disaster Relief Centers where staff are available to assist in the application of FEMA grants. They will be open from noon to 7 p.m. today and next week (Sept. 18-22) at the Enoch Davis Center and the Sunshine Senior Center. The West Library will open a Center starting Monday. Citizens can also apply directly for add through FEMA’s website – disasterassistance.gov – or through their app – fema.gov .

Photo of lineman reconnecting power courtesy of the city of St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg | Hurricane Irma | St Pete Recovers | Tampabay News | TB Reporter

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