TAMPA, Fla. — Congresswoman Kathy Castor is recognizing “Hurricane Heroes” — people nominated by their community who went above and beyond to help their neighbors in their time of need after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

What You Need To Know

  • U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is recognizing “Hurricane Heroes” — people nominated by their community who went above and beyond to help their neighbors in their time of need after Hurricanes Helene and Milton

  • Lanier Elementary School students, and siblings, Gabriel, Natalia, and Isabella Poveda, were the first Hurricane Heroes to be honored

  • Castor said she was overwhelmed by the number of nominations for Hurricane Hero awards, and will be honoring each of the recipients

Castor kicked it off the program at Lanier Elementary School in Tampa, honoring the first “Hurricane Heroes” and, quite possibly, the youngest.

It wasn’t like the usual audience, like in the capitol, but she said her meeting at Lanier Elementary School was just as important. 

“This month, I’m going to recognize some of those heroes, some of the people who helped lift others up, and this is the first Hurricane Hero announcement,” said Castor.

The three students being honored, siblings Gabriel, Natalia, and Isabella Poveda, were nominated by their neighbor, Tamatha Manley, for their help after Hurricane Milton.

“I was in one of my rooms and I was cleaning the dirt and the water off of my floor, as much as I could, and my door was open outside, and all of a sudden Isabella, Natalia, Gabe, came up to the door and said, ‘Can we help you? We want to help clean your yard,’” Manley said.

She said the three siblings didn’t want anything in return, they just wanted to help.

“I said, ‘Thank you,’” Manley said. “I said, ‘Every day I was looking for something to be grateful for, and that day these children were my grateful. Thank you so much. I love you.’”

Castor said the siblings are the perfect example of Hurricane Heroes, and she hopes their generosity continues, and inspires others for months to come.

“It’s not easy getting through the hurricanes, grappling with your insurance company, and government,” Castor said. “(You) can’t do it all, either. It’s really neighbor-to-neighbor helping lift each other up, look out for each other, and I hope that spirit continues throughout the coming year.”

Manley said it was their neighborly spirit that got her through a tough time.

“They’re my heroes, all three of them,” she said. “I love them to death. They were my grateful for that day, I appreciate it.”

And that’s what Gabriel, Natalia, and Isabella say keeps them going — the feeling they get knowing they’re making a difference. 

Castor said she was overwhelmed by the number of nominations for Hurricane Hero awards, but she will be honoring each of the recipients.