St. Pete Opens More Sandbag Locations Ahead Of Hurricane Irma

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Hoping to give residents plenty of time to prepare for the potential impacts Hurricane Irma may have on the Tampa Bay area, the city of St. Petersburg has opened six sandbag locations. That number was up on Wednesday from the three initially opened on Tuesday.

All six locations will be open for resident access from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. over the next several days. The limit is 10 bags per resident. Proof of residency is required, the city said in an email to media. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from St. Pete Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

St. Petersburg city residents may pick up sandbags at the following locations:

• Northeast Park, 875 62nd Ave. N.E. Residents are asked to use the Cardinal Drive entrance to the Mangrove Bay Golf Course.
• Bartlett Park, 2000 Seventh St. S. The park is located off 22nd Avenue South between Sixth and Seventh streets south.
• Northwest Pool parking lot, 2331 60th St. N.
• Lake Visa Recreation Center, 1401 62nd Ave. S.
• Azalea Park, 7200 16th Ave. N.
• The Main Library, 3745 Ninth Ave. N., west parking lot

Watch: Another Powerful Hurricane Is Taking Aim At The US

As of Wednesday morning, forecasters said Category 5 Hurricane Irma was showing increasing chances of impacting Florida. Whether she’ll pose a major threat to the Tampa Bay area remains unknown. Even so, the National Weather Service says anticipated daily storms this week may exacerbate already soggy conditions across the region. That agency is warning residents who live along rivers and fast-moving streams to be mindful of the potential for flooding.

• See also: Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued For Tampa Bay Area

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As of the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. Sept. 6 update, Irma was located 15 miles west of St. Martin and was moving west-northwest at 16 mph. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph with a projected path that could bring her to Florida by early next week.

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