TAMPA, Fla. — Three years of hard work was destroyed during just three hours of flooding. That’s how the South Tampa Honey Farm described their losses due to Hurricane Helene.
Before the hurricane, they were thriving. Over 200 hives producing 18 barrels of honey every season, but all of that was wiped out due to Helene, according to owner Blue Ayala. She says it could take three years to get back to where they were.
As Blue walked through what’s left of the South Tampa Honey Farm, one word came to mind.
“Sadness,” said Blue.
The farm has been in her family for more than 50 years.
“My father worked really hard on this place, I did and my kids do. I mean they are young, but it’s a generational thing,” said Blue.
The flood waters sent 200 hives floating away in every direction, killing the majority of the bees.
“It’s like a million dollar loss in like a three year process if you think about how you build because you can’t just go to Target and buy packages of bees, you have to wait until spring time, you have to get them strong,” said Blue.
Blue was also preparing to open up a honey house where they could educate the community on the beekeeping process.
“Financial now this has been put on hold until we can get back on our feet,” said Blue.
Despite all the destruction, there is hope, the community has already raised more than $9,000 dollars to help Blue rebuild, and in return, Blue has started her own donation drive.
“Everybody has helped us over this past week, cleaning up the farm, I mean it looked like post apocalyptic and now we are at a point where today we started a donation drive so we can give items to our local community here and then we connected with some folks in North Carolina about taking some stuff up there,” said Blue.
She says most importantly, the farm will continue on.
“I mean this is a huge hit but if anyone has ever met me, I mean, I’m super optimistic and I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep going— push forward and with my farm family here, my employees, my community— we’re going to keep going,” said Blue
For more information on helping the farm, click here.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
