ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Coastal communities still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Helene were inundated with another round of devastation from Hurricane Milton not even two weeks later.
Because access to barrier islands in both Pinellas and Sarasota counties was shut down before Milton's arrival, it's still not clear the full extent of the damage the Category 3 hurricane left behind.
Photos released on Thursday gave us a first look at the destruction on St. Pete Beach.
Hurricane Milton aftermath: St. Pete Beach
Mounds of sand washed ashore onto streets and into homes. Power poles, powerlines and palm trees were downed across major roads. Street signs fell, debris scattered and entire homes uprooted.
After Helene, city officials estimated that thousands of homes on St. Pete Beach were in need of some level of repair, so it's not clear what damage was caused by which hurricane.
Regardless, St. Pete Beach will need to rebuild from widespread damage seen across the entire city.