Tampa Bay starts recovery after Tropical Storm Eta leaves behind flooding, thousands without power

TAMPA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Eta is moving out of the Tampa Bay area Thursday morning, but the storm left flooding and thousands without power in its wake.

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→ The latest from the National Hurricane Center on Eta, all watches and warnings

6:05 p.m.

Pass-A-Grille Beach saw major flooding in its area after Tropical Storm Eta moved over Tampa Bay

6:03 p.m.

Shore Acres is now recovering after Tropical Storm Eta left behind major flooding

5:30 p.m.

Businesses in John's Pass are preparing themselves to witness the full impact Tropical Storm Eta had on the sand encroachment problem they've already been struggling to deal with.

Low tide on Thursday was very revealing and showed just how much sand now extends into the pass.

Through some parts of the channel, the sand reaches nearly halfway into John's Pass.

5:03 p.m.

Tropical Storm Eta leaves behind damage at Merry Pier in St. Pete

5 p.m.

Gulfport begins its recovery after Tropical Storm Eta left behind major flooding

1:59 p.m.

Clean up of debris on the eastbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway is complete. All lanes are now open.

1:00 p.m.

St Pete Pier reopens.

9:05 a.m.

All lanes of Bayshore are open following serious flooding from Eta.

8:42 a.m.

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) will resume service at 12 p.m. on Thursday.

8:23 a.m.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is open.

8:16 a.m.

The Florida Aquarium is open Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

8:05 a.m.

MacDill Air Force Base asks residents to avoid the following areas during storm recovery:

• FZ1: Bayshore Blvd., from Zemke Ave. to Florida Keys Ave.
• FZ2: Bayshore Blvd., from Hangar Loop Dr. to Tampa Point Blvd.
• FZ3: Bayshore Blvd., from McClelland Ave. to The Bay Palms Golf Course Parking Lot
• FZ4: Marina Bay Dr. (entire road, adjacent to FAM CAMP)

7:24 a.m.

The City of Clearwater mistakenly said all lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway reopened earlier Thursday morning. Eastbound lanes remain closed at this time.

Clearwater Police say the roadway is covered in debris and will likely be closed for several hours.

7:11 a.m.

Tampa International Airport resumes normal operations. Passengers should check their flight status with their airline.

7 a.m.

Eta moves across north Florida. All watches and warnings discontinued in Tampa Bay area.

6:20 a.m.

Sarasota-Bradenton International reopens.

6 a.m.

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) will resume service at 12 p.m. Thursday. That includes service on all bus routes, the TECO Line Streetcar and HART SMART AV service.

5:37 a.m.

Eastbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway are shut down.

5:35 a.m.

Firefighters say they rescued at least a dozen people from Bayshore Boulevard who got stuck in flooding. Thursday morning, a few vehicles remain abandoned in the roadway which is still flooded.

You can check this map from the City of Tampa for reported and confirmed street flooding.

5:33 a.m.

The flooding is receding some Thursday morning at the Twin Cities Mobile Home Park in St. Pete. Residents were forced to evacuate Wednesday night due to the rain and flooding.

5:30 a.m.

Power Outages

• Duke Energy
  • 34,388 customers without power in Florida
    • A majority of the outages are in Pinellas County
• TECO
  • 3,110 customers without power

5:20 a.m.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge remains closed.

5 a.m.

A couple in Tampa is hopeful for assistance from the Red Cross on Thursday after strong winds dropped a massive tree on their home Wednesday night. Tampa Fire Rescue told them the home is no longer structurally safe.

4:30 a.m.

Meteorologist Greg Dee says by Thursday night, Eta will weaken to a tropical depression. Eta is moving out of our area, across the state and toward the Georgia coast.

4 a.m

Eta made its second landfall in Florida near Cedar Key with 50 mph winds.

3 a.m.

Eta is being blamed for at least one death in the Tampa Bay area. A person in Manatee County was killed after they were electrocuted inside a home while standing in water on Wednesday, according to officials.

Shelter Information

• Pinellas County
  • Ross Norton Recreation Complex (1426 S. Martin Luther King Jr Ave. Clearwater, FL 33756)
  • Lealman Exchange (5175 45th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33714)

• Hillsborough County
  • Steinbrenner High School (pet-friendly), 5575 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road
  • Burnett Middle School (pet-friendly), 1010 N. Kingsway Road
  • Middleton High School, 4801 N. 22nd St.
  • Reddick Elementary School, 325 West Lake Drive
  • Sickles High School (pet-friendly) and Family Shelter, 7950 Gunn Highway