St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch says if you’ve been asked to evacuate, please do.
He says the current forecast for Hurricane Helene calls for higher storm surge than Tampa Bay has experienced in recent history and this is for your safety.
“Remember, you can evacuate tens of miles. Not hundreds of miles," Welch said.
He suggests going to the home of friends or family.
On Wednesday, Pinellas County issued an order saying residents living in Zone A or any mobile home park must evacuate ahead of Helene.
Welch said if you are going, be sure to shut off the main circuit breaker of your home before you evacuate, to avoid a power surge, which can set off a fire when the power comes back on.
St. Petersburg is home to two of Pinellas County’s shelters. John Hopkins Middle School can accommodate those with special needs and Gibbs High is pet-friendly. And if you need transport or help, you should call the Pinellas County Information Center at 727-464-4333.
Welch also said if you need to run the dishwasher or the washing machine, today is the day to do that. And you should refrain from using those appliances Thursday.
City Emergency Manager Amber Boulding said storm surge could rise higher than it was with Hurricane Idalia.
“Hurricane Idalia, we saw just under 4 feet of storm surge. We're expecting 5-8," Boulding said. "So just to put it into perspective for you. If you flooded under Idalia, you have to watch this storm. Everyone in a Level A is being ordered to evacuate. Everyone should go. But especially if you flooded during those other times, you must take this serious."
Boulding says last year with Idalia, first responders had to conduct 70 water rescues. But they don’t want to repeat it, because it’s dangerous for everyone involved.
