Officials Brace for Isaac's Impact, Possible Evacuations

Dunedin’s fire chief told city officials to prepare for the worst case scenario Friday morning. 

He anticipates coastal flooding, heavy rains and dangerous tides as Tropical Storm Isaac invades the Gulf of Mexico.

“The storm is so large,” Bud Meyer said during a briefing at City Hall, “that no matter where it goes, we'll be affected to some degree.”

At 11 a.m. Friday, the put the unorganized storm a little closer to Tampa Bay than Thursday’s forecast. It is expected to reach the Tampa Bay area as tropical storm on Monday morning, on the verge of becoming a hurricane.

Meyer said he expects the county’s first storm bulletin late Friday.

Isaac's Potential Impact

The coastal areas will initially see low tides, Meyer said, because the storm is sucking up water as it approaches.

“As it goes back out, it’ll be pushing all the water back at us,” he said. “That’s when we could have some coastal flooding. … and beach erosion.”

The city at the on Thursday afternoon. So far, one official said, 500 sand bags have been distributed and delivered to 30 homes. He said they monitoring if a second sandbag station needs to be opened.

Meyer told officials he anticipates a decision on whether to evacuate from Pinellas County emergency officials roughly 72 to 48 hours before the storm’s arrival.

Whatever the impact, Meyer said, Dunedin officials should still expect to come back to work Saturday or Sunday and to be ready for two scenarios:

Isaac Becomes a Hurricane

Depending on how closely the storm hugs the coast, the city in lower-lying coastal areas and mobile home parks, Meyer said. The city has two school buses on standby ready to transport people to shelters.

Dunedin has two shelters that could be used in the event of a hurricane: and , but the county determines what locations will be open. 

Isaac Remains a Tropical Storm

If Isaac remains a tropical storm or is far enough away from the coast, residents could expect Tropical Storm Debby-like conditions.

Flooding and heavy rains could cause road closures, and Pinellas County would decide if it needed to open Dunedin Community Center as a .

Government offices will remain open on Monday until further notice, he said. City Hall will remain open with the use of a generator. The city began backing up its computers and servers Friday. The website will remain updated throughout the storm. 

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