Tampa, Florida, is no stranger to hurricanes, but 2024 brought an exceptional challenge as the city faced back-to-back storms—Hurricanes Milton and Helene. The devastation was widespread, with prolonged power outages, severe flooding, and extensive property damage.
 Leading Tampa’s response was John Antapasis, the city’s Emergency Management Director, who has been instrumental in coordinating disaster preparedness and response efforts. With a focus on resilience and efficiency, his team turned to Crisis Track, a disaster management platform designed to streamline damage assessment and recovery operations.
The following is an interview with John Antapasis, Tampa Emergency Management Director, regarding the response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene in 2024 and the role of Crisis Track in managing the crisis.
Can you walk us through the challenges Tampa Bay faced during Hurricanes Milton and Helene in 2024?
Prolong power outages, significant residential and public damages from storm surge, inland flooding, and wind damage. Resource management needs and overall situational assessment of impacts to back-to-back storms.
What were some of the biggest lessons learned from these storms?
Overall need for more redundant power sources.
How did Crisis Track support your team in preparing for and responding to these hurricanes?
Crisis Track allowed a streamlined platform to train employees on how to complete windshield assessments, public damages, and private damages post storms. The information was in one common operating picture for operations and leadership to view damages with photos and tracks of the push teams and damage assessors.Â
How did Crisis Track improve coordination with FEMA and state agencies for disaster declarations?
It allowed us to quickly complete our damage assessment and generate a report to be submitted up to the State and FEMA very quickly.
What specific Crisis Track features stood out to you during the response efforts?
Damage Assessment Forms and live tracking of teams. Self Reporting tool for residents also provided very valuable information on damages.
How did Crisis Track help with real-time decision-making during the hurricanes?
“After completing damage assessment in CT we were able to prioritize recovery resources in hard to hit areas.”
How does Crisis Track compare to previous methods Tampa Bay has used for disaster management?
It greatly enhances awareness of departments to have access to CT. More users can view than before and allows us to live track where teams are located in the field, which was a capability we didn’t have.
What role do you see technology playing in the future of emergency management?
Technology has been a key tool in the toolbox for emergency management and I expect it will continue to be used as it evolves.
How did Crisis Track assist in communicating with local government officials, first responders, and community members?
After completing damage assessment in CT we were able to prioritize recovery resources in hard to hit areas.
Hurricanes Milton and Helene tested Tampa’s emergency management capabilities, but with Crisis Track, John Antapasis and his team were able to efficiently assess damages, coordinate response efforts, and accelerate recovery processes. As extreme weather events become more frequent, tools like Crisis Track are proving to be invaluable assets for emergency managers nationwide.
Juvare is incredibly proud to support KDEM and the people of Kansas in their mission to enhance emergency preparedness and response. We extend our sincere gratitude to Troy Caulkins for sharing his valuable insights and for his dedication to keeping communities safe. KDEM’s commitment to innovation and collaboration sets a high standard in emergency management, and we look forward to continuing to support their efforts with WebEOC.
