The week immediately following Hurricane Helene came with its own whirlwind of activity, with students rushing back to campus, settling in, checking new due dates, and watching as the news poured in by the hour, reporting the storm’s widespread devastation that crossed state lines.
For Jaden Workman — an ROTC cadet majoring in applied sociology and triple minoring in leadership studies, military science, and criminology — that week was her time to recover and catch up on schoolwork.
“I had classes — makeup classes — and I had tattoo appointments,” said Workman, with an amused smile on her face. “I was just in work mode that whole week because we had tons of work to make up from Helene.”
Hints of normality slowly started returning to The University of Tampa, and that next Saturday after Hurricane Helene, Workman got to attend the Tampa Spartan Battalion Alumni Association. At this ROTC luncheon, she was introduced to prominent people like Paul and Maria Weizer, a UTampa alumni couple who graduated in ‘94 and ‘96, respectively.
That same day, Oct. 5, was when news of another storm system forming in the Gulf of Mexico came along. The warning of another major hurricane coming less than 10 days after Hurricane Helene hit loomed over a wearied Florida.
Workman lived in a dorm on campus, meaning that an evacuation order would have been inevitable with the University being located in Zone A. She soon began her search on Oct. 5 for flights to her home in Cleveland, Ohio, after she received the campus-wide message issued by UTampa’s Emergency Operations that stated Tropical Depression 14 was being monitored and was expected to develop further as it traveled eastward.
The flights that Workman found cost $300, which had risen from its usual cost of $180 for a round-trip flight to Cleveland — an increasing trend that appeared in the cost of flights heading out of Tampa, despite airlines’ claims against the allegations.
Feeling unsure about booking the expensive flight, she called her mom for advice on whether this was a flight worth investing in.
“I did want to go home,” explained Workman. “I went home for Helene, but I was like, ‘I really can’t book another trip again, right? I don’t know how long this will last.’”
Since UTampa initially stated that weekend that there were no plans at the time for changes in campus operations, Workman’s mom advised that it might be better to wait to book that flight back home until classes were officially canceled. Workman agreed, as she felt at the time that she was “jumping the gun” on evacuating again.
However, once UTampa officially announced the cancellation of classes and the evacuation of the entire campus, Workman decided to look for that original flight.
“When I looked again, it jumped to, like, $850 for the flight. Same place, round trip — it was the same flight, basically. So that was worrisome because, financially, I don’t want to do that.”
Despite the various claims of airlines that they did not price-gouge before the storm and capped the maximum prices of flights, the jump in prices in just the span of hours was alarming. As UTampa was located in a mandatory evacuation zone, many students who lived on campus — including Workman — had to evacuate and find their own way to safety. The price inflation of flights was a barrier for many looking for that safety.
With no immediate way home, the junior student’s next phone call went to her best friend at UTampa, asking if she would be leaving town — if she had any plans on where to go. Her friend said she planned on staying at the evacuation shelter about an hour away that the University set up for students in the event of a hurricane. This was meant as a final resort for students who had nowhere else to go — only four students who lived on campus stayed at the shelter for Hurricane Milton.
For Workman, that was a good plan for the time being, especially since the tropical depression quickly intensified into Hurricane Milton and was gaining traction on its trajectory to Tampa.
With that in mind, Workman also decided to reach out to her ROTC program for additional guidance. Master Sergeant De La Cruz inquired about her situation, and upon learning that she and her friend were planning on heading to the shelter, he quickly called some alumni from the ROTC program who he heard had opened up their homes to shelter students needing a safe place to stay.
And he did. The master sergeant called Paul and Maria Weizer, the alumni whom Workman had first met over the weekend at the ROTC luncheon. Maria and Paul Weizer soon extended an offer to both Workman and her friend. Workman’s friend elected to stick with the shelter that the University offered, while Workman herself decided to take the Weizers up on their offer after consideration.
The Weizers lived about 10 minutes away from campus on the west side of Tampa. It was closer to the water, and while it seemed more dangerous to stay with them due to the proximity, to Workman it felt safe because they had a house that had hurricane-proof windows and a generator. Although the cadet did not really know this couple very well, besides the one event they had together, she headed to their place on Tuesday evening, around 8 p.m.
The following night, as Hurricane Milton made landfall about 65 miles south of Tampa in Siesta Key, Workman and the Weizers found solace in the time they shared together, watching childhood cartoons streamed through the Apple TV that they were able to connect with their iPhone.
“They had three channels, and one of the channels was Cartoon Network. And all of the networks broadcasted were old, like old cartoon films. We watched old Snoopy cartoons and a bunch of classic black-and-white shows that I couldn’t name,” the cadet recounted with a smile. It was a sliver of peace that they enjoyed while the winds of Milton continued to howl outside.
In the aftermath, the trio was able to remain relatively safe and had minimal damage from the storm. Although they lost electricity for the week following the storm, they had a generator that allowed them to use the basic necessities. They had water. They were able to cook meals, like a simple rice dish with vegetables and spam, which Workman had never tried before that moment.
“For me, honestly, [Milton] didn’t affect me that much,” explained Workman. “I was in a house, and hardly any damage came to the house. ... Now, the surrounding neighborhood had a little bit more damage. Their neighbors across from them had a huge downed tree that went over the driveway but, thankfully, didn’t hit the house.”
Workman and the Weizers walked around the neighborhood in the days after and helped the neighbors with the cleanup, with the tree limbs and branches that had accumulated all over. The cadet also recalled the constant popping of the generators in the neighborhood and the moments when it fused out because of its constant usage.
On Sunday, Oct. 13, UTampa announced the reopening of the campus, and Workman soon bid farewell to the Weizers and the home that kept them all safe.
The shortage of gas in the city was one issue that Workman could recall after leaving the Weizers.
“It was awful trying to get gas,” said Workman, with a shake of her head. “I mean, there was no gas. That Monday through Friday of the very next week, I knew a lot of people who were unable to do stuff, unable to work, and unable to go get groceries because they just didn’t have a full tank.”
The following Sunday morning, Workman called about 10 local gas stations in the area, and all said that they were closed or didn’t have gas. In a stroke of luck, she managed to find fuel at a gas station in Ybor City, where police were stationed and escorting people to specific pumps. Although the wait was incredibly long, the result was worth it.
Workman recognized her huge luck in getting any gas at all, and at the advice of a friend, she only filled her tank halfway (which would last about 5 to 7 days) so that others in the area could get gas as well.
Another memorable moment of the aftermath was the community coming together to help others, especially at the Portico Cafe where Workman volunteered every Sunday to help feed people in need. Despite the complete power outage in downtown that day, which split the volunteer count in half, Workman was thankful that she was able to help.
Since there was no electricity, the volunteers opened early and made plenty of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give out as bagged lunches, and then when the church nearby opened up, they had bagged lunches as well with a ham and cheese sandwich, fruit, and a bag of chips.
Everyone was fed that day.
As Workman reflected on the aftermath of the hurricane for UTampa itself, she said, “As people started getting back on campus, you could definitely tell that people were hurting. A lot of classes, a lot of professors didn’t have power themselves. They couldn’t teach class. They couldn’t even Zoom. A lot of the professors were very lenient on work, because their whole lesson plan kind of got messed up.”
Despite the challenges, Workman appreciated how the UTampa community came together to support one another after Hurricane Milton. She also recognized the hard work of campus facilities staff and dining hall workers, who had to deal with their own recovery while still showing up to support students.
“I know Campus Safety and all the custodians and all the staff, like, they’ve been working very, very hard to get the University up and running and looking the same as if nothing happened. So I’m very thankful for them. But the dining hall and that kitchen staff, like, they got affected too. They lived close by. And so sometimes, I’ll talk to some of the workers in the dining hall, and they’ll be like, ‘Yeah, you know the hurricane, we got some damage to work through, you know, our house and stuff, but nothing major.’ But they come back to work, and so they’re still recovering, just like the students.”
Workman nodded her head and reflected on weeks that have passed since both hurricanes impacted Florida.
“I think getting back to normal is still happening,” she said.