PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Some schools in the Panhandle are opening on Monday following Hurricane Michael, and many of those students will be riding on buses from the Bay area.

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Pasco County is lending a helping hand, sending 20 of its own buses to the Panhandle for Bay County to use. The district hopes it will bring back a little bit of normalcy as people continue to recover. 

"I didn't see any that weren't severely damaged,” Bay County bus driver Jeff Oleck said. 

Roofs were torn apart and windows were shattered, which left Bay County buses inoperable.

But now, there is a glimmer of hope. 

"It's the start of a new beginning," Oleck explained. 

Oleck has driven for Bay County Schools for the last four years.

 

 

"It's kinda overwhelming the generosity that has been shown, you know, across the board," he said. 

The Pasco school district's transportation team even gathered supplies for the drivers to take with them back north. 

"I know how disruptive (a hurricane) is," Pasco County Superintendent Kurt Browning said.

"Who knows? Next year it may be us," he added. 

And before long the Bay County drivers were on their way, eager to reconnect with the students they serve.

"I'll be glad to see their faces and make sure that they all made it through the storm," Oleck said. 

The buses Pasco County sent were going to be surplused. Browning said there will be no impacts for students locally.