“BE PREPARED!” for another VERY ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON Pinellas County Emergency Action Center during category 5 Hurricane Dorian event late August 2019
Story by STEVE TRAIMAN Photos courtesy of Pinellas County Emergency Management ith the new hurricane season fast approaching its official June 1 opening, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri observes. “Floridians know as well as anyone how unpredictable hurricanes can be and how abruptly their paths can shift. If there is one thing Hurricane Irma taught us, it is to be prepared.” For this year, NOAA forecasts 22 named storms, nine storms of hurricane strength, and five severe hurricanes – Category 3: 111 mph and above. It will be another very active Atlantic Basin hurricane season including the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
zones have changed. Enter your address and you will be provided information on your evacuation level, the closest hotel accommodations, the closest shelter, and the closest special needs shelter. Note: Not all shelter and hotel accommodations will be available in all storm levels. You can check on the app as the storm gets closer.
Readiness Checklists: Blue Sky Checklist: well in advance of any hurricanes, this list provides guidance about pre-storm preparations … 5-Day Cone Checklist: meaning that a hurricane is on a probable path to reach our area in five days – the Pinellas County residents and checklist includes tasks that are business owners can get the best more immediate … 3-Day Cone preparedness information from Checklist: the chance that the the Emergency Management hurricane will affect our area Preparedness site at is greater – the checklist will www.pinellascounty.org/ change again to reflect those emergencymanagement. late-stage items that need to get done ... Get a Plan: Enter Local towns are hosting their Pinellas County Emergency Action Center Monitoring Tropical Storm Elsa information about the location own hurricane prep events, of homes and businesses, family members, pets and family starting with Madeira Beach this past April 9. Upcoming are contact information. St. Pete Beach, Saturday, May 21, in Horan Park, with free parking at 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, from 10am-1pm.; Treasure Introducing the Ready Pinellas mobile app.“Ready Pinellas” was Island, Wednesday, May 25, from 6:30-8:30pm, at City Hall, designed to help residents prepare themselves and their families 120 108th Ave.; and Gulfport, Thursday, May 26, from 5-7pm before a storm and as a storm approaches. Use all of the tools to (doors open at 5pm) inside the Catherine A. Hickman Theater stay safe and take the information with you as you finalize your of Gulfport, 5501 27th Ave. S (enter on 26th Ave. S). preparations. Download the free app “Ready Pinellas” on your Among the valuable tips, by topic: Know Your Zone: Look up your evacuation zone at www.pinellascounty.org/knowyourzone. Remember, even if you already checked your zone, you must re-check it as some 22
MAY 2022 | ParadiseNewsFL.com
mobile device by searching the Apple App Store or Google Play. Special Needs: Register for special needs shelters intended for those who need transportation or require minimal medical assistance while seeking public shelter.
