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How community resilience can help with storm recovery

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Five people talk while sitting at tables on a stage in front of a blue velvet backdrop
Warren Buchholz
/
WUSF
Florida Matters host Matthew Peddie talks with (l-r) Matt Thorn, Charles Gallagher, Mary Burrell and Thomas Mantz

Community leaders join Florida Matters to talk about how they helped with the recovery from the 2024 hurricane season.

When a disaster strikes, you can expect help from local and state governments and from FEMA.

But it may not be long before you find out those agencies can’t do it all. And knowing who your neighbors are can make a big difference in how your community recovers.

In this episode, you’ll hear from community leaders and from some of your neighbors across the Tampa Bay region about the different ways people can help each other out before, during and after a hurricane.

ALSO READ: Feeding Tampa Bay president and CEO talks 2024 hurricanes, rebuilding community

Panelists included Mary Burrell, the Whole Community Engagement Program Lead with Pinellas County Emergency Management; Thomas Mantz, the President and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay; Charles Gallagher, an attorney with Gallagher & Associates in St. Petersburg; and Matt Thorn, who started the Relief Market and Grille out of his Shore Acres home after Hurricane Helene.

The conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at the Palladium Side Door Cabaret in St. Petersburg.

Here are some of the resources mentioned during the show:

You can listen to the full show in the media player above.

I am the host of WUSF’s weekly public affairs show Florida Matters, where I get to indulge my curiosity in people and explore the endlessly fascinating stories that connect this community.
As the executive producer of WUSF's Florida Matters, I aim to create a show and podcast that makes all Floridians feel seen and heard. That's also my assignment as a producer for The Florida Roundup. In any role, my goal is always to amplify the voices often overlooked.