PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Surrounded by hundreds of hurricane-damaged homes last fall, the Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware in St. Pete Beach couldn’t open fast enough for customers trying to repair and rebuild their properties.
The store shared the same fate of its neighbors with extensive flooding damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and it took workers two months to clean up and complete repairs.
What You Need To Know
- Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware in St. Pete Beach couldn’t open fast enough for customers trying to repair and rebuild their properties from the hurricanes
- Assistant manager Adam Rawson was part of the team rebuilding the store and met residents as they were walking up to the store
- Longtime St. Pete Beach resident Rick Hilber is also one of their who wrapped up his hurricane planning weeks ago
Assistant Manager Adam Rawson was part of the team rebuilding the store and met residents as they were walking up to the store following the string of hurricanes.
“They had lost their cars, lost their houses, and they were just needing supplies and basic generators,” said Rawson.
“Everyone was hurting at the same time, so we gave them hugs and support because we were hurting, too. We reopened as quickly as we could for the community here. We are ready for the next one and we are going to make sure that people are equipped with batteries, power, water and gasoline. We have all the gas canisters, along with generators, that anyone could as for,” he added.
The store has been busy over the past several weeks with residents stocking up on disaster supplies and working towards wrapping up their emergency plans before June 1, especially snowbirds representing the first wave of hurricane preparedness.
“We love our seasonal residents and they’re always ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing for what’s to come and finding solutions while being adaptive,” said Rawson.
Longtime St. Pete Beach resident Rick Hilber is one of their customers who wrapped up his hurricane planning weeks ago.
His home sustained damage from nearly two feet of flooding, so he’s not taking anything for granted this year.
“Hurricane Helene just never ended,” said Hilber.
“It’s still going. People are still feeling it, and they’re going to still feel it 20 years from now,” he continued.
Right now, Hilber is standing by, ready with new solutions to protect his family and his home.
In addition to a number of essential emergency supplies, he also has two generators — a primary and a back-up — wired with a home link manual transfer switch and sitting on a lift to protect it from flooding.
“If you have a generator, you have to maintain it throughout the year. Don’t expect to just drag it out during an emergency because it may not run. You need to start it once every three months,” said Hilber.
He also recommends moving any items of value to your highest shelves to minimize your losses during a flooding event.
Treasure Island Resident Kerri Spring is another Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware customer who just completed hurricane repairs on her condominium.
She, too, is taking the time to prepare for hurricane season now, because so many neighbors were out of time between Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“Now, we’re prepared and understand what everybody else feels when we don't get hit,” said Spring. “Fort Myers, Louisiana, Texas — now, we know what it feels like.”
