PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla.- Pinellas County will open nine additional shelters at 7 a.m. Tuesday for residents who are evacuating for Tropical Storm Idalia.
These shelters are in addition to a special needs shelter opening Monday night at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg.
Pinellas is under Hurricane and Storm Surge Warnings for Idalia, which is forecast to become a major hurricane and make landfall between Tampa Bay and the Big Bend area of Florida late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Higher than normal full moon tides, heavy rainfall, and 4-7 feet of storm surge from Tropical Storm Idalia are expected to cause flooding in low lying and coastal areas.
In the news: City of Pinellas Park Building Closures, Idalia-Related Information
The county is under a mandatory evacuation order for Zone A and mobile home residents, effective at 7 p.m. Monday. Whether evacuating or staying home, residents should be situated in a safe place by Tuesday evening. Shelter tips can be found here: https:// pinellas.gov/emergency-information/public-shelters/. Evacuation zones can be found at https:// disaster.pinellas.gov.
Evacuees are encouraged to stay with nearby family, friends or at a hotel outside the evacuation zone if possible. But for those who do need sheltering, shelters will be open throughout the county. Three can accommodate special needs persons and three are pet friendly: See the list below for more info.
Shelter Transportation
Special needs residents who have pre-registered are being contacted by Pinellas County Emergency Management. Those who have not yet registered can call the County Information Center for assistance at (727) 464-4333.
For those who do not need special transportation, PSTA buses will run for free until tropical storm-force winds reach the area.
In the news: Florida Gov. DeSantis: Be ‘Vigilant’ As Idalia Threatens
Shelters open as of 7 a.m. Tuesday
- Campbell Park Elementary School, 1051 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg
- Carwise Middle School, 3301 Bentley Dr, Palm Harbor
- Dunedin Middle School (special needs), 70 Patricia Ave, Dunedin (special needs)
- Gibbs High School (pets), 850 34th St S, St. Petersburg
- John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg (special needs), 701 16th St S, St. Petersburg
- Largo High School, 410 Missouri Ave, Largo (pets)
- Lealman Innovation Academy, 4900 28th St N, Lealman
- New Heights Elementary School, 3901 37th St N, St. Petersburg
- Palm Harbor Middle School, 1800 Tampa Rd, Palm Harbor
- Palm Harbor University High School, 1900 Omaha St, Palm Harbor (special needs and pets)
General
Additional emergency information will be announced via Alert Pinellas, Ready Pinellas, disaster.pinellas.gov, County social media and local news media.
County Information Center is open today until 8 p.m. Call (727) 464-4333.
Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the County Information Center via online chat at www. bit.ly/PinellasChat
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