ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The Shore Acres neighborhood was majorly impacted by flooding from Hurricane Idalia.

Now the city of St. Petersburg is offering weekend camps in the heart of the neighborhood at no cost to residents.

One step at a time Eric Plage walked through his home flooded with several inches of water.

“They’re talking about 3-6 months until everything is rebuilt,” he said.

He dropped off his 7-year-old daughter Avery at camp Sunday morning, a free camp being offered by the city of St. Petersburg for families impacted by Hurricane Idalia.

Avery tells 8 On Your Side she was excited to take part in the camp.

“Probably play on the Xbox and Nintendo because they have that here,” she said.

It allowed her dad to get some much-needed work done around the house.

“Pack up everything that didn’t get water damage at the house, take it to the storage unit, anything that can be saved,” Plage explained what he planned to get done while Avery was at camp.

The weekend camps are being offered free of cost for kids in Kindergarten up to 8th grade.

“This is a real visible indication the city is part of this recovery, and we’re concerned about our citizens,” Community Enrichment Administrator Mike Jefferis said. “We’re going to do everything. We can to remove any hurdles and help our citizens recover.”

“The response has been fantastic,” he said. “Even folks who haven’t utilized the facility, just having the peace of mind knowing it’s availability has really helped people recover.”

The camps will be open Sept. 9 and Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
     
Parents will need to register their children in person at the center and bring a non-refrigerated lunch.