Bay Area moving, storage companies see increased demand ahead of tropical system

Families prepare for possible flooding

Jennifer Kveglis reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tampa Bay area moving and storage companies are helping residents prepare for the tropical system this week. They said the areas seeing most demand are in Pinellas County, including Shore Acres, South St. Pete and Largo.

Melisia Diamond, the owner of All About Moving Tampa Bay, said things have been busy. On Monday, her employees worked to reschedule Thursday appointments while she called in extra crews to be on standby.

Though she only received a few calls and inquiries for their services, Diamond anticipates demand to increase in the coming days.

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"Before the storm, we have a lot of customers out of state that will call and need us to move furniture around, whether that be patio furniture or furniture inside the house, lifting things up," she said.

The company also offers their moving trucks to residents looking to relocate valuables to a safe location ahead of a storm.

"If they're on the water, and they want certain items removed from their house, we will pick them up and take them into storage," she said.

Meanwhile, The Moving Box Company that offers moving and storage cubes was on Clearwater Beach Monday evening, helping a construction crew working on the roof of a condo to safely secure their tools inside a container.

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"These things are all steel construction, so they will take a lot of abuse. They won't take a Category 5 too well, but a Category 2,3," Company President Shane Shields said.

Like Diamond, Shields is also preparing for increased demand over the next couple of days.

"Some people require them [the storage containers] to stay on their property, because they keep things close at hand," he said.

Shields said the containers give residents peace of mind during a storm.

"In the case of Shore Acres last year, there were a lot of people who evacuated," he said. "You're able to lock this container up and know that your possessions aren't going anywhere."'