More than 90,000 Pinellas County students face an uncertain future as district officials work to address the widespread impacts of Hurricane Milton.

At least 80 of the 128 Pinellas County Schools (PCS) are without power as storm gusts reaching speeds of over 100 miles per hour knocked out the local power grid. Five suffered roof and structural damage.

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said Friday afternoon he had not yet set a possible reopening date. He also pointed out that the district is unable to feed students.

“We are really looking forward to getting back to school so the kids can see their friends and teachers and bring a sense of normalcy back to the community,” Hendrick said. “We’re definitely looking forward to offering more school days than shelter days in October, but we’re not off to a good start.”

District officials rely on schools to provide shelter for vulnerable residents during storms. They opened 13 during Milton, with several reaching capacity.

Hendrick said five schools continue to house displaced residents, many with special needs. He noted that the district – using generators – has operated shelters for eight of the last 13 days and provided education to children in the area for five days. “That’s usually not the most important thing we do.”

Crews have been conducting preliminary damage assessments. Hendrick said countless fallen trees littered the school grounds and many facilities had relatively minor damage to roofs and windows.

Five schools require major repairs. Pinellas Park High School was most impacted by the Milton winds and subsequent water intrusion.

“But of course the big variable is power,” Hendrick said. “As soon as power is available again, we will be ready to address critical infrastructure systems. One of the challenges is food.”

Over 60% of Pinellas County students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Due to the lack of electricity, most of the food in the district spoiled. “So we need to replenish that,” Hendrick said.

Broken electricity pylons line streets across St. Petersburg. Photo by Mark Parker.

The district management tried to open two comfort stations for affected employees on Friday morning. Those plans were put on hold as additional facilities lost power and area roads remained unsafe for traffic.

Hendrick said a widespread fuel shortage has also hampered recovery efforts. However, like many local officials, he expressed gratitude that a catastrophic storm surge did not hit Pinellas again.

Flooding from Hurricane Helene inundated Madeira Beach Fundamental and Gulf Beaches Elementary School. Hendrick said these facilities suffered no additional damage during Milton.

The district already faces an estimated $15 million to $20 million reconstruction bill from Helene. Hendrick said it is too early to estimate possible recovery costs from Milton.

“Everyone wishes us well and says, 'When the power comes back, we'll help,'” Hendrick added. “We're all keeping our fingers crossed that a lot of things will sort themselves out in 24 hours. And then go back to normal. But other than the information you saw, we received no further information.”

Duke Energy said Friday that most Pinellas customers should receive power by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. Around 370,000 remain without electricity.

Local officials have issued a boil water notice for St. Petersburg, Gulfport, South Pasadena and Lealman through Monday. Hendrick said PCS is working on stocking bottled water.

He noted that offering virtual classes is illegal in Florida and “not an option” without an executive order. “So we’re waiting to get back face to face,” Hendrick said.