TAMPA, Fla. — Two weeks ago Thursday, many people across Tampa Bay were getting a first look at the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, and for school administrators, they worried about their personal homes, and their schools.
Witter Elementary School in Tampa was one of Hillsborough County’s hardest hit schools, with flooding in dozens of classrooms — some had 2-3 feet of water.
Witter Elementary School Principal Ginette Hoze said the flooding caused by Milton was unexpected. But almost as quickly as it came, she said they got it cleaned up.
“With the help of our community supporters, specifically our district staff and all of the leadership, they’ve worked really hard with us to make sure our kids can come back to something that seems familiar, that’s very normal," Hoze said. "Because some of them have experienced a lot of devastation."
Hoze said the third- and fourth-grade buildings had the most flooding. Teachers still haven’t been back in their third-grade classrooms yet, but will be setting back up on Friday.
“We do have new flooring that the district has put in for us," Hoze said. "There was some damage to the lower cabinets, so that has been removed and they are going to replace those as well."
In fourth grade, Tori Bagley, who teaches math and science, said her classroom had several inches of water in it. It took a lot of work cleaning everything up, but she said everyone is like family at Witter, so they all chipped in to help.
“I’ve been here at Witter for 10 years and I love working here because I feel like we are family," Bagley said. "So a lot of the teachers from kindergarten, from pre-k, from fifth grade, they came over and were like, 'How can we help? How can we get the room together?'”
Hoze said she’s proud of how her community came together to support each other. And with many students’ families still displaced, she wants her students to know they can depend on their Witter family.
“When I think of a word that kind of describes my staff and my teachers, it’s resilient, because against the odds they’re still doing what’s in the best interest of kids," she said. "And as a principal, that’s the best I can ask of them for our kids."
All other Hillsborough County Schools reopened last Thursday, but Witter didn’t reopen until Friday because of all the damage. The school is less than a mile from Fowler Avenue, which experienced unprecedented flooding after Milton.