TARPON SPRINGS, FL – “I am extremely happy to say that there are no casualties and no injuries that I know of, and that is the most important thing” regarding Hurricane Irma’s storming through Tarpon Springs on September 10, Mayor Chris Alahouzos told The National Herald.
Elected in March, 2016 as the first Greek-born mayor of Tarpon Springs, FL, the city with the highest Greek population per capita in the United States, Alahouzos has used not only his political skills – he previously had been Tarpon’s vice mayor – but also his business acumen – he managed a Fortune 500 company for over 40 years – to govern. Unlike other elected officials who live in the present but do not plan for the future, “I focused on balancing the budget and not spending the surplus,” Alahouzos said, so that the funds would be available in case of an emergency, such as Irma’s barreling through the Gulf Coast town. Even though Tarpon’s growing tax base, about which the local Tarpon paper the Beacon recently reported, generates greater revenue, Alahouzos remains focused on not overspending, which in hindsight, regarding Irma, turned out to be very beneficial. Literally, he “saved for a rainy day.”
Alahouzos described the process, which lasted several days, and counting, regarding the preparation for Irma’s pending arrival, measures to secure public safety during the actual storm, and how to best handle the aftermath so as to restore the community – which is not only residential but also enjoys year-round tourism – back to normal, pre-Irma conditions.
PREPARATION
From four days before the storm began, the mayor and other city officials participated in daily conference calls with Florida Governor Rick Scott, “who demonstrated excellent, excellent leadership. He offered to us guidance, support, and any assistance we needed,” Alahouzos told TNH. “Locally, we evacuated Zone A (people living near the water). It was mandatory evacuation for them. We asked them to leave and go to our shelters” or to other places in the country outside of Irma’s path. “We moved the elderly and persons with disabilities to different centers.” That process took two days.
The day before the storm, when the forecast indicated that Irma would target Florida’s Gulf Coast rather than Miami and head up Eastern Florida, as originally predicted, “we evacuated Zone B,” which were areas not quite near the water but still potentially at risk for significant damage.
“Our shelter (the Tarpon Springs Middle School) was so big” that they accepted everyone who sought refuge “and still had room for 500 more people.” Alahouzos and his team secured the services of two other shelters in the area, East Lake and Palm Harbor High Schools, which are in elevated areas unlikely to be ravaged by Irma.
IRMA’S CRASH LANDING
“On the night of the storm, we had every employee in City Hall working – it was all hands on deck,” Alahouzos said. We had an Emergency Control Center established. Every director and manager in the city was there, answering calls and providing information.” Police officers and firefighters were on the streets and in the neighborhoods, helping to take people out of harm’s way, until the winds became too intense and even they were pulled into shelter, for their own safety. Once the winds subsided, out they went again.
THE AFTERMATH
The morning following the storm, Alahouzos and the team went out to assess the damage Irma had caused. While Alahouzos is extremely grateful that there were no known casualties or injuries, it is not as if Irma left Tarpon completely unscathed. At the time of the interview (September 11, mid-afternoon), power had yet to be restored and there was considerable debris scattered around by the high winds. Emergency generators are being used to provide power to where it is needed the most.
THANKING THE CITY’S EMPLOYEES
“The main thing is we stuck to the plan that we had, from guidance from Gov. Scott to the preparedness by our city, and I want to emphasize the great work all of our employees did, every one of them. They deserve the credit,” Alahouzos said.
“Today, we are opening the city’s main streets, and then we will go to the subdivisions (side streets). They are doing a very good job. I am so proud of them.”
SOLIDARITY FROM GREECE
Alahouzos was grateful for the words of support he received from various Greek officials, not least of which Prokopis Pavlopoulos, President of the Hellenic Republic. “The man called me every day to find out what was going on. He was very concerned about the Greek-Americans in Tarpon. He was giving me not only advice, but also encouragement. Every day,” Alahouzos said. He also was in frequent touch with Ioannis Galouzis and Michalis Patros – Mayors of the Greek islands of Kalymnos and Chalki, respectively, whose capitals are Sister Cities of Tarpon Springs – among others.
ST. NICHOLAS THANKSGIVING
Fr. Athanasios Haros, presiding priest of Tarpon’s main Greek Orthodox church, the St. Nicholas Cathedral, continued to keep the parishioners abreast of Irma’s path. His emails were filled with hope, included prayers, and a promise of thanksgiving to the city’s patron saint and to God. His email the morning after the storm was a message by Fr. Haros, Fr. Sampson Hasapakis, and Parish Council President Nikitas Manias which, among other things, stated: “We made it past the rough part of the storm because of our preparation, our prayers, St. Nicholas’ intercession, and our strength given by God. This morning we entered the Cathedral and prayed a doxology of thanks for our entire community. Now that the storm is making its way north, it will be time to clean up and restore our homes and community back to their original condition, if not better.”
BUSINESS AS USUAL? SOON
So, for those who have traveled away from the area and are anxious to return, as well as for tourists around the nation and the world – Greek and non-Greek alike – who are ready to travel to Tarpon for some sunshine, seaside, and Greek culture, when will the city be back to normal? Although Alahouzos could not give an exact time and date, he indicated that “days” rather than “weeks” seemed most likely. How about in late September or early October, is it okay for tourists to visit there then? “Oh yes,” Alahouzos said.
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