Hurricane Ian: Scenes From St. Petersburg After The Storm

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — There were already signs of life in St. Petersburg the morning after the city dodged the brunt of Hurricane Ian’s wrath — from residents clearing debris from their yards to businesses trying to re-open Thursday.

Though the powerful Category 4 storm was initially forecast to directly hit the Tampa Bay area, it made a last-minute turn and pummeled Southwest Florida, especially the Fort Myers area.

Still, the St. Petersburg area experienced high winds and heavy rains starting Wednesday into Thursday morning. In Pinellas County, nearly 172,000 people — that’s about 30 percent of residents — were without power early Thursday.

• Stay up-to-date by viewing all Hurricane Ian coverage on Patch here.

Along St. Petersburg’s main thoroughfares, 79 traffic signals were out just before 7 a.m., according to a Facebook post by the city. “We are getting generators and stop signs to traffic lights and police officers will be on hand to monitor if needed.”

The city asks residents to stay off the roads as crews clear any downed power lines and trees and until power can be restored to traffic signals.

As of Thursday morning, “St. Petersburg did not appear to have suffered significant damage from Hurricane Ian,” the city wrote in its post.

Still, many neighborhoods saw downed trees and debris, which city crews removed from roadways. And driving through the city, residents and business owners were busy collecting and removing debris from the storm.

• Also Read: Hurricane Ian: St. Pete Dodges Brunt Of Storm; 172K Without Power

Garbage pickup will resume Friday and city crews will continue removing debris through the weekend. All St. Petersburg brush sites, except Lake Maggiore, open Thursday at noon. All five sites will be open Friday with extended hours — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. — through Sunday.

Among the city’s most significant damage, The Dali Museum’s popular Wish Tree, a Ficus tree in the museum’s “Avant-garden,” was uprooted because of Ian’s extreme winds.

Traditionally, Dali guests write their wishes down and tie them to the tree. The Wish Tree also fell during Hurricane Irma five years ago and several other times in its history, according to USA Today.

The museum already planned to remove the Wish Tree permanently for safety reasons, as it plans to expand its footprint on the northeast portion of its property, St. Pete Catalyst reported. It filed plans with the city to build a dome structure on that land called The Dali Dome project, which will feature semi-permanent, traveling exhibits like “Van Gogh Alive.”

Driving down normally bustling Central Avenue before 10 a.m., many people were already out for walks or riding their bikes.

A man who slept under an awning in front of a city-owned building on Central as Hurricane Ian hit called it “a beautiful, powerful” experience.

“I was up all night just watching the storm, all by myself out here,” he told Patch. “Now, I think I’m going to find somewhere to sleep all day today.”

In downtown St. Petersburg, several businesses were open or preparing to open. Mastry’s Bar & Grill at 233 Central Ave. had several patrons sitting at the bar and in outdoor seating just after 10 a.m. and Schakolad Chocolate Factory at 401 Central Ave. was bustling, as people stopped in for coffee and snacks.

Five Bucks Drinkery at 247 Central Ave. opened Thursday morning, as well.

“This is our, what? Like our 15th hurricane in a row,” owner Josh Connell told Patch. “We always order more food than we need, order more alcohol than we need, and we don’t close.”

The sign in front of Five Bucks read, “Open ‘til the cops shut us down.”

Connell said, “It’s just a running joke about hurricanes.”

The Sunday night that Hurricane Irma hit five years ago, the bar was open, and patrons were watching a football game, he said.

“The police showed up and said, ‘You know there’s an evacuation order in place. You have to close,’” Connell said. “I told them, 'But there's a football game.' The cops said, ‘OK, when the football game is over, you close.’”

After Ian’s hit, he said his bar is ideal for those looking to charge their phones and get out of the house.

“It’s a great place to come hang out. If you want power, come to Five Bucks,” he said.