As soon as the wind and rain of Hurricane Milton passed Tampa Bay, work crews headed to schools to tackle ripped-up roofs, flooded floors and other damages caused by the storm. Their goal: To get campuses ready for students to resume classes as soon as possible.

As the booming region faces the possibility of a direct hit from a major hurricane, the risks from storm surge are severe.

Area districts had already announced that they won’t hold classes on Monday. Now Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas leaders say they would alert families and employees about Tuesday’s status by noon Monday. That will give them enough time to determine whether they have power at schools, and also to make needed repairs.

First, Hurricane Helene's storm surge totaled Samantha Cipriani's Toyota Corolla and wrecked the homes of her employees. Then, Hurricane Milton flooded the St. Petersburg warehouse where she keeps wax,

Buck Rollings’ phone has rung nonstop after Hurricane Milton carved through Tampa Bay, bending and breaking trees across the region. In the days since, Rollings, a certified arborist, and his crew have worked upward of 16-hour days,