ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pinellas County officials are urging residents to shelter in place as Hurricane Helene passes by the Tampa Bay area.
Officials said the worst impacts from the Category 4 hurricane are expected Thursday night into Friday morning. The storm is expected to bring storm surge flooding, tropical storm force winds, rain, fallen trees and power lines.
"Conditions have already rapidly deteriorated in the barrier islands and soon
will expand to the rest of Zone A," officials stated in the release. "Based on these conditions, please plan to shelter in place to keep yourself and your family as safe as possible."
Pinellas County leaders said if water begins to enter your home, shut off all electricity and gas and climb to the highest point possible.
Residents living outside Evacuation Zone A should also stay indoors, Pinellas County leaders cautioned. In addition, they say the storm surge is expected to reach its highest peak Thursday night with levels between 5-8 feet.
As of the latest advisory, Hurricane Helene is now a Category 4 storm as it is expected to bring damaging hurricane winds and storm surge Thursday evening to the Florida Big Bend.
As Hurricane Helene tracks toward Florida's Gulf coast, it's expected to bring "catastrophic" winds and storm surge to parts of the region, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Leaders want Pinellas County residents to follow these precautions as the storm passes:
If water is rising in your home
- Stay inside
- Before you lose power, report your location to an emergency contact who is
out of the area so they can help first responders locate you after the storm. - Shut off water, gas service and electricity if possible
- Move to the second floor or higher if needed
- Stand on top of a counter or substantial piece of furniture to stay above
the rising water
Conserve water during the storm
- Limit running dishwashers and washing machines
- Fill up your bathtub with water in case you need it to flush your toilets
manually - Limit your amount of toilet flushing. Overuse of flushing, or water going
down drains, could potentially cause overflow and backup to come out of your
drains - If you need to flush, use the water saved from filling up your tub because it
won't pull water directly from the pipe
For more updates on Pinellas County as Hurricane Helene passes Tampa Bay, click here.