CLEARWATER, Fla. — The city of Clearwater will be pairing with Pinellas County and other organizations to host a hurricane preparedness expo this weekend.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, June 15, at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex, according to a news release from the Clearwater Police and Fire Department.
Multiple resources will be on hand to teach residents what they can do to prepare for this year's hurricane season, which is projected to be extremely active, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
After seeing record-warm ocean surface temperatures, a high probability of La Niña during peak hurricane season and other factors, NOAA forecasters predicted the following activity for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season:
- 17-25 named storms (average is 14)
- 8-13 hurricanes (average is 7)
- 4-7 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) (average is 3)
"Now is the time to make sure you are fully prepared for hurricane season when the weather is not threatening," Jevon Graham, the division chief of emergency management for Clearwater Fire & Rescue, said in a statement. "At this event, we will equip you with tools to be better prepared."
At the expo, officials will help people look up their evacuation and flood zones and sign up for Alert Pinellas — a way for people to get important emergency information, organizers said in the release. Free hurricane kits will also be provided, as well as a free lunch from the Salvation Army.
In addition, officials said pre-filled sandbags, with a limit of 10 per vehicle, will be available.
Other resources helping at the expo reportedly include the Civil Air Patrol, Red Cross, Humane Society of Pinellas and Suncoast Animal League.
"We are expecting this to be an extremely busy hurricane season," Graham said in a statement. "The city wants to partner with our residents to make sure we're all fully prepared."