News Summary
Duke Energy Florida is distributing 400 Shelter in Place Kits to assist seniors and their pets in St. Petersburg ahead of the upcoming hurricane season. The kits, containing essential supplies such as food, cleaning products, and pet care items, were distributed at local community centers. This initiative is part of a larger effort to enhance community resilience and preparedness in the face of extreme weather events, especially for vulnerable populations like seniors.
St. Petersburg, FL – In preparation for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, Duke Energy Florida has distributed approximately 400 “Shelter in Place Kits” designed to assist local seniors and their pets during emergencies. The distribution took place at the Enoch Davis Center and Sunshine Center, providing essential resources for residents as storm season approaches.
The comprehensive kits contain vital supplies including a large rolling cooler, collapsible water container, shelf-stable food, and cleaning and hygiene products. Additionally, the pet preparedness bags included travel food bowls, slip leashes, and waste bags, ensuring seniors can safely care for their pets during a storm.
Staffed by Duke Energy Florida volunteers, the distribution event aimed to enhance community preparedness. These initiatives are part of Duke Energy Florida’s ongoing collaboration with the city of St. Petersburg and the Florida Council on Aging (FCOA) in support of older adults facing increasing vulnerabilities during extreme weather events.
Melissa Seixas, the state president of Duke Energy Florida, reported that the significance of preparedness has come into sharper focus following last year’s severe storms, underscoring the importance of community support in ensuring residents are equipped to handle emergencies.
Alongside the distribution of kits, representatives from the Duke Energy customer care team were present at Sunshine Center to offer guidance on energy efficiency and financial assistance. Their efforts highlight Duke Energy Florida’s commitment to providing resources not only for storm preparedness but also for ongoing community well-being.
Duke Energy Florida operates within a service area of 13,000 square miles, catering to approximately 2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers. As a subsidiary of Duke Energy, one of America’s largest energy holding companies, the organization is dedicated to enhancing grid reliability and transitioning towards cleaner energy generation methods, including natural gas, nuclear, and renewable sources.
Furthermore, Duke Energy has been implementing innovative technologies to improve service reliability. The use of self-healing technology has notably reduced the number of extended power outages. In Pinellas County alone, this advanced system has prevented nearly 47,000 extended outages, saving millions of hours of downtime during significant storms.
To further bolster storm preparedness, Duke Energy Florida has committed over $163,000 in grants to various organizations and agencies across the state, with the Duke Energy Foundation contributing more than $1.8 million toward disaster preparedness efforts since 2019. This ongoing investment demonstrates the company’s proactive approach to enhancing community resilience in the face of natural disasters.
The organization encourages residents to prioritize personal preparedness and provides various storm preparation tips through their online platforms, promoting a culture of readiness among the communities they serve.
As the 2025 hurricane season draws closer, Duke Energy Florida’s distribution of shelter kits and ongoing collaboration with local agencies highlights the critical need for residents, particularly seniors, to be equipped with the necessary resources for weathering potential storms.
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Additional Resources
- Duke Energy Supports St. Petersburg Area Seniors
- Hurricane Season 2025: Duke Energy Gives Inside Look
- Duke Energy Florida Prepared for Hurricane Season
- Google Search: Hurricane Preparedness
- Duke Energy Foundation Prepares for Storm Season
- Wikipedia: Hurricane Preparedness
Author: STAFF HERE PETERSBURG WRITER
ST PETERSBURG STAFF WRITER The ST PETERSBURG STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREStPetersburg.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in St Petersburg, Pinellas County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Localtopia, and SHINE Mural Festival. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and St. Pete Downtown Partnership, plus leading businesses in finance, manufacturing, and healthcare that power the local economy such as Raymond James Financial, Jabil, and Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREJacksonville.com, HEREOrlando.com, HERETallahassee.com, and HERETampa.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Florida's dynamic landscape.
