Hillsborough County Issues Mandatory Evacuation Ahead Of Irma

TAMPA, FL — As Hurricane Irma barrels on a course toward Florida, the threat to Hillsborough County has grown. With that in mind, the county issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents living in low-lying areas and mobile homes. The order went into place Saturday morning.

The mandatory order includes all residents who live in the county’s Zone A evacuation area. “The county has opened 16 shelters for residents in Evacuation Zone A, and whose homes are vulnerable to storm surge and flooding, and for manufactured homes that are susceptible to wind damage,” a Saturday morning email from the county said. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from B Brandon Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

By 5 a.m. Saturday, Irma, the beast that tore through the Caribbean, leaving at least 20 people dead in its wake, was packing maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. Irma was located about 245 miles south-southeast of Miami, moving west-northwest at 12 mph.

Analysis: There's No Way Around Irma's Wrath For Florida

• See also: Hurricane Irma ‘Extreme' Threat To Tampa Bay Area: Forecasters

Hurricane and storm surge warnings were up Saturday morning along the west coast from the very tip of the peninsula through Chassahowitzka in Citrus County. Hurricane and storm surge warnings mean those conditions are anticipated within the warning area over the next 36 hours.

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Hillsborough County has opened the following shelters to serve residents:

• Middleton High School, 4801 N 22nd Street in Tampa
• Simmons Career Center, 1202 W Grant Street in Plant City
• Shields Middle School, 15732 Beth Shields Ways in Ruskin (Pet-Friendly)
• Pizzo Elementary School, 11701 Bull Run in Tampa
• Cypress Creek Elementary School, 400 19th Ave NE in Ruskin
• Hammond Elementary School, 8008 N Mobley Road in Odessa
• Sessums Elementary School, 11525 Ramble Creek Drive in Tampa
• Bartels Middle School, 9020 Imperial Oak Blvd in Tampa (Pet-Friendly)
• Brandon High School, 1101 Victoria Street in Brandon
• Smith, Sgt. Paul Middle School, 14303 Citrus Pointe Drive in Tampa (Pet-Friendly)
• Burnett Middle School, 1010 N Kingsway Road in Seffner (Pet-Friendly)
• Valrico Elementary School, 609 South Miller Road in Valrico
• Summerfield Crossings Elementary School, 11050 Fairway Meadow Road in Valrico
• Greco Middle School, 6925 East Fowler Ave in Temple Terrace
• Strawberry Crest High School, 4691 Gallagher Road in Dover (Special Needs Only)
• SunDome at USF, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa (Special Needs Only)

“The special-needs shelters are only for residents with medical issues that require electricity assistance or cognitive issues that would not be supported in a general population shelter,” the county’s email said.

People who plan to bring pets to one of the pet-friendly shelters are asked to bring along a sturdy carrier that allows enough room for the pet to stand up and move around. A collar, leash and supplies for each pet to last for seven days is also required.

Residents who are not sure if their homes are in the evacuation zone may check on the county’s website.

Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center