Pinellas Launches App For Hurricane Season

CLEARWATER, FL – With the 2017 Hurricane Season underway, Pinellas County has a few new tools for its residents to use before, during and after severe storms.

The new hurricane preparedness tools comes on the heels of changes to the evacuation zones of nearly 90,000 Pinellas County properties. Approximately 20,000 of those properties are in an evacuation zone for the first time.

These changes were the results of newly-released storm surge data produced by the National Hurricane Center and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.

To keep residents informed about these changes, the county announced the launch of its new Ready Pinellas mobile app, designed to help residents with preparedness and decision-making ahead of storm events. The app is available for free download from the Apple Store and Google Play.

The county also sent out phone, text and e-mail notifications through its Alert Pinellas notification system. Pinellas County residents can sign up for this service at www.pinellascounty.org/alertpinellas.

Pinellas County residents also can review their evacuation zones by using one or more of the following resources:

• Know Your Zone online application
• Storm Surge Protector online application
• Interactive Voice Response System, (727) 453-3105
• Property Appraiser online property website
• Pinellas County Utilities bill issued after June 1
• Doing Things Mobile App

“We encourage residents to follow three key preparedness steps: Connect to emergency information by signing up for Alert Pinellas, address your risk by checking your evacuation zone and plan to prepare for during and after the storm by downloading the Ready Pinellas app,” said Sally Bishop, the director of Pinellas County Emergency Management.

Copies of the 2017 All Hazards Preparedness Guide are available at county government facilities, public libraries, city locations and online at www.pinellascounty.org/emergency. The guide provides residents important tips on a variety of emergency and hurricane-related topics, as well as a basic, fillable template for an emergency plan.

Pinellas County Emergency Management also recommends its residents to review their emergency kits and take advantage of a three-day sales tax holiday for hurricane supplies starting Friday, June 2. During the hurricane supply sales tax holiday, residents will be able to purchase items such as flashlights, batteries, weather radios and other essential items tax-free.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency or call Pinellas County Emergency Management at (727) 464-3800.

Photography provided courtesy of Pinellas County Communications Department