Even before the new city manager can start, Dade City must dip into reserves for cleanup.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published July 1, 2003
[Times photo: Dan McDuffie]
Jimmy Miller of Dade City examines his 1982 Chevrolet Caprice that was crushed by a fallen tree limb during Sunday night's storm.
DADE CITY - The wind started blowing about 6:40 p.m. Sunday.
Jimmy and Sally Miller were eating dinner in their Palm Avenue home when they heard it whip through the trees.
"Within about two minutes, a really heavy rain - a downpour - just descended on us," said Jimmy Miller, 58.
Less than 10 minutes later, three laurel oak trees had fallen in the back yard, burying two cars and punching a hole in the roof of the house.
A fierce storm, and possibly a tornado, skipped through Dade City early Sunday night, taking down trees and knocking out power to about 2,700 customers.
Dade City officials responded Monday, allocating up to $12,800 for the cleanup. City commissioners stopped short of declaring an emergency.
"We have a tremendous amount of debris around the city that has got to be cleaned up," said Harold Sample, the new city manager.
Sample's contract doesn't technically take effect until today. But duty called Sunday night.
After the rain let up and a blackout descended over downtown, officials from Dade City, Pasco County Emergency Management, the Sheriff's Office, Tampa Electric Co. and numerous fire departments worked to restore order.
On Monday, Sample presented commissioners with a price tag.
"The last thing I wanted to do on my first day was to come and ask you for unbudgeted funds," Sample told commissioners during a special meeting.
In a unanimous vote, they approved a contract with the Brooksville firm Grubbs Emergency Services LLC to incinerate tree debris at Watson Field. Grubbs also will clear debris already at the field, a project Sample said needed doing anyway.
The expenditure will come from the city's already depleted reserve funds.
"This is another hit that will not be here for purposes of budgeting next year," Sample said.
But with large tree limbs littering streets throughout town, commissioners had little choice.
The National Weather Service, which issued a tornado warning Sunday night, could not confirm whether a funnel cloud came through the city. Local officials weren't sure either.
"There was a heck of a lot of wind came through Dade City," Sample said.
Palm and Florida avenues between U.S. 301 and 21st Street appeared to have the brunt of the damage, but it was mostly limited to trees. The storm caused structural damage to seven houses, leaving one uninhabitable. Officials think no one was living there.
Public works director Ron Ferguson said 14 trees or large limbs fell, blocking roads and cutting power lines. Fire chief Bob Cabot said a utility pole fell onto U.S. 301.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office sent 13 deputies to assist with security in the commercial district downtown, where power and traffic lights were out.
Ed Blommel, a spokesman for Tampa Electric, said about 2,700 customers lost power in the storm. Crews from Pasco County and Tampa restored most of those by 11:30 p.m., he said.
No injuries were reported, officials said.
The city will quickly begin collecting the tree debris and hauling it to Watson Field, at 17th Street and North Avenue. Sample said residents can gather debris from their yards and take it to the field for incineration.
But residents and city officials agreed the situation could have been much worse. Sample implored people to have emergency preparedness plans.
The Millers, who moved to Dade City six years ago, said they felt mostly luck and relief on Monday despite a back yard full of branches.
"I'm just so thankful," Sally Miller said. "I don't think I can say that enough."
Cleanup help
Residents who are unable or who can't afford to clear tree limbs from their yards may contact First Baptist Church, which runs a disaster relief effort through the Florida Baptist Convention. The church phone number is (352) 567-3265.
