Hurricane Ian: If You Don't Evacuate, You're On Your Own: Sheriff

FLORIDA — Visitors in Pinellas County and other Florida west coast counties are being told to get out now as Hurricane Ian approaches the Gulf Coast.

"This could be the storm we hope will never come to our shores," said St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch during a 10 a.m. news conference.

As of 7 a.m., the National Weather Service in Tampa said Hurricane Ian is located 575 miles south of Fort Myers and is moving 14 mph northwest with sustained maximum winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

But it won't remain a minor hurricane, said Pinellas County Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins.

She said the hurricane is forecast to hit Tampa Bay as a Category 3 hurricane and possibly a Category 4 hurricane with hurricane-force winds extending 90 miles from the center of the storm.

"Everyone in Pinellas County will experience some impact from the storm," she said. "If you live in a storm surge area, you need to prepare to evacuate. This is no joke. This is life-threatening."

Related: Hurricane Ian Brings Storm Surge Threat, Hurricane Watch For Tampa Bay

She said levels A, B and C evacuation zones, along with all mobile home residents, are under voluntary evacuation orders with mandatory evacuations to be announced soon.

She urged residents and businesses to double-check their evacuation zones because thousands more have been added to this year's evacuation map.

"I need everyone, businesses and individuals, to check their evacuation zone," Perkins said. "It changed for a significant number of people in the county. If you didn't evacuate in the past, you may have to evacuate now."

And when that announcement for mandatory evacuations is made, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that means "you must evacuate."

"All information tells us this is very serious," he said. "A mandatory evacuation will come and, when it does, our first responders will be taken off the streets. This is the real deal. If you don't evacuate, you're on your own. No one's going to come to rescue you."

The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Watch and a Storm Surge Watch for Pinellas County.

While some uncertainty remains in the forecast track, life-threatening storm surge, major flooding and wind damage are expected in Pinellas County. Storm surge of 10 to 15 feet will occur along the coast and Tampa Bay, according to the National Weather Service.

Hurricane-force winds are possible within the watch area in the next 48 hours.

The Pinellas County Commission declared a State of Local Emergency on Saturday and the Pinellas County Emergency Operations Center has been activated.

Public Works crews have been clearing vegetation and storm drains and pre-positioning heavy equipment for storm response.

In anticipation of 10 to 15 inches of rain, Pinellas County Public Works has lowered Taylor Lake in Largo and will be lowering Lake Seminole. The Southwest Water Management District will lower Lake Tarpon.

He said the sheriff's office has already moved its high-water rescue vehicles into place, anticipating major flooding in the county.

"We're anticipating 10 to 15 inches of rain and the ground is already saturated," Perkins said. "We're hearing that the hurricane is trending to slow down, so it could potentially sit on top of us for 48 hours. This is going to be very scary."

She said there are 99 hospitals and long-term care facilities in Zones A, B and C are already evacuating patients and residents.

More than 4,000 people have signed up for special needs shelters and the county will begin transporting some of those residents Monday evening.

Also Monday at 6 p.m., the county will open four hurricane shelters:

• Ross Norton Recreation Center, 1426 S. MLK Jr. Ave., Clearwater.
• Lealman Exchange, 5175 45th St. N, St. Petersburg.
• And the pet-friendly at Pinellas County Animal Services, 12450 Ulmerton Road, Largo.
• Gibbs High School, also a pet-friendly shelter, at 850 34th St. S., St. Petersburg.

Other shelters will open on Tuesday at 7 a.m. Click here for locations.

A pet-friendly shelter is also located in Palm Harbor. Residents must bring a carrier, supplies, license and immunization records. Click here.

Perkins said the Pinellas Suncoast Transportation Authority will offer free rides to shelters from 5 a.m. to midnight. Pets will be permitted on evacuation buses as long as they are in a pet carrier. For more information, call the PSTA InfoLine at 727-540-1900 or click here.

Those planning to leave the area, should make preparations now and leave early, Perkins said, because "a one-hour drive could become a 10-hour drive."

One way or another, she said residents need to prepare to evacuate, not to hunker down.

"There will be 6 to 8 feet of storm surge that could push houses off their foundations, significant debris and roads could be washed away," she said.

"I've lived here all my life, and we've had scares before. I know it's easy to take these storms for granted," said Pinellas County Commission Chairman Charlie Justice. "But now is not the time to take anything for granted. There is no scenario where we will not feel the impacts."

During an 11 a.m. news conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he's activated 5,000 Florida National Guardsmen and another 2,000 National Guard members are on their way to Florida from Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana to assist.

"Even if the eye of the storm doesn't hit the region, you're going to have significant wind impacts," DeSantis said.

He told residents to be ready to take care of their families and pets, and leave their homes behind.

"We can fix property damage. We can help rebuild," he said. "You have to take care of yourself."

DeSantis said the state has been in touch with grocery store chains to make sure there is plenty of water and other supplies available to residents.

The state has also made arrangements to resupply gas stations, although gas shortages will be inevitable with the closure of Port Tampa Bay, which is being completely shut down in anticipation of the hurricane, the only port in Florida to close.

"We've contacted folks to bring fuel in if necessary, but gas stations are now getting resupplied," he said. "But there is likely to be some interruption of fuel at some point, so people just have to be prepared."

Pinellas County updated evacuation zones for the 2022 hurricane season can be checked using one of these ways:

• Click here.
• Download the new Ready Pinellas app.
• If your property has a landline, call 727-453-3150 and enter your 10-digit home phone number.
• Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the County Information Center via online chat at www.bit.ly/PinellasChat\.

Hurricane Closures

• Pinellas County government offices will be closed to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 27, and Wednesday, Sept. 28.
• The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office closed at noon Monday and will reopen to the public at noon on Monday, Oct. 3. The poll worker classes have been canceled for the remainder of this week. To reschedule your class, call 727-464-6110.
• PSTA will suspend service on Wednesday, Sept. 28, until further notice.
• Pinellas County Solid Waste will close the following recycling collection centers beginning Tuesday, Sept. 27, at noon to prevent littler and illegal dumping related to the storm: Chesnut, Dunn, Curlew, North County, Fort DeSoto campground, Fort DeSoto boat ramp, Walmart, Extension and Bank of America.
• To prepare sites designated as special needs shelters, Palm Harbor University High School, Dunedin Highland Middle School and John Hopkins Middle School released students at 12:30 p.m. on Monday.
• All other schools and offices will be open on Monday with regular operating hours. All Pinellas County Schools and offices will be closed Tuesday through Friday. All after-school programs, sports and extracurricular activities will be canceled Tuesday through Friday.
• These sites are located in parks and will close when the parks close: Anderson, Hamlin, Lake Seminole, Brooker Creek and Sand Key.
• The Pinellas County Information Center is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday. Call 727-464-4333.

Advice For Residents

• Shelters can be noisy and uncomfortable. If possible, stay at a hotel or with family orriends in a non-evacuation zone.
• Look out for the elderly and other vulnerable neighbors. If you are not in an evacuation zone, invite friends or family who are to stay with you.

Before leaving home:

• Gather valuables and important papers.
• Take pictures of each room inside your house and of any valuable items. This will help with an insurance claim if your house suffers damage.
• Turn off all utilities (water, electricity, gas) at main switches.
• Lock windows and doors, use protective coverings if available.
• Bring in outdoor items that may become projectiles in high winds.
• Fill gas tanks.
• Monitor the travel time to your destination to leave plenty of time to arrive before the storm impacts the area.
• Protect yourself and others from COVID-19 by wearing a mask, carrying cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer when practical, and avoiding crowded locations when possible.
• Register for emergency alerts at here and download the new Ready Pinellas app in the App Store or Google Play store for real-time storm updates.
• Emergency responders will stay off the roads and not be able to respond to most calls once sustained winds have reached 40 mph.