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Pinellas commissioners to decide on local state of emergency ahead of Potential Tropical Cyclone 9

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Published  September 23, 2024 8:07pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Flooding concerns in Pinellas County

Kailey Tracy reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pinellas County commissioners are holding an emergency meeting Tuesday morning to decide whether they’ll declare a State of Local Emergency for Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine.

It comes as crews across the county started preparing Monday for the storm’s potential impacts.

"This is a typical storm approach for us where, as soon as we get notice that there's a potential impact, we'll start sending our street sweepers to get loose debris off the streets," said Marshall Hampton, the City of St. Petersburg's director of the Stormwater, Pavement and Traffic Operations Department.

RELATED: Gov. Ron DeSantis declares state of emergency ahead of Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine

"We'll send out our line clearing teams that help remove debris from our systems as reported or reset catch basin lids if they become dislodged or really wanting people to let us know what they have concerns about. So, we're responsive to requests. We also look at ditches to see if there's anything blocking the ditch itself. We pump down lakes and other water bodies that contain stormwater just to get us extra capacity before a rainfall event happens," he said.

Hampton said crews are also putting pumps in areas that normally flood in St. Pete. Crews handed out sandbags at 1744 9th Avenue North on Monday, too until 7 p.m. Starting Tuesday, six sandbag locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across St. Pete. Wednesday, those locations will be open 7 a.m. until noon.

Pinellas County crews also started checking flooding hotspots and clearing out storm drains on Monday ahead of Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine. 

"As with any emergency response, you have a plan until it happens, and then you have to change your plan. So, we're trying to be responsive to the citizens while also ensuring safety, because we also live here," Hampton said. "We're here to help. We're wanting to be responsive. We want to make sure our system operates as intended and also looking to upgrade to handle future rainfall events."

Your guide to hurricane season 2024

The City of St. Pete has invested nearly $1 billion in stormwater and wastewater systems in the last eight years. They recently held a meeting with city leaders about resiliency options and discussed ways to mitigate flooding. New data from the University of South Florida showed that St. Pete is expected to see 10 times the amount of flooding currently by the year 2033. 

Michael Junior and several of his neighbors’ homes near Fourth Avenue North and 58th Street North in St. Pete have to be gutted after water inundated their homes during record rainfall during a storm on Sept. 4. Nearly five inches of rain fell in an hour. 

Monday was moving day for Junior. He’s going to live with a friend nearby for now after living in the same home for 11 years. 

"Mother Nature is fickle, and she'll wreck your life and keep moving to the next," Junior said. "We never thought that would happen here. Nobody did. Nobody here is required to have flood insurance, because they never flood here."

City leaders said the water system is only designed to handle 7.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, not the four to five inches that fell in parts of the city in just one hour on Sept. 4. It also fell on top of an already more than saturated ground. 

READ: 'The Great Storm': The major hurricane that brought changes to the Tampa Bay area still seen today

Junior’s water-logged belongings still sat on his curb on Monday as city crews started prepping for Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine’s expected impacts. 

"If I thought there was somewhere I could move where I could maybe take my job with me and not have to worry about natural disasters, then sure, that'd be perfect," Junior said about whether the weather makes him think about moving. "But no such utopia exists. Because, you know, if you move up north, you've got to worry about nor'easters. If you move to the Midwest, you are going to worry about cyclones and tornadoes. You know, California, you're going to worry about earthquakes. So, there's really no where you're going to go where you're going to be completely in the clear."

Officials said the storm earlier this month that dumped nearly five inches of rain on parts of the area in just an hour reiterated the need to be ready for anything. It’s a plan that Junior said needs to be our new normal.

"Whether it's a hurricane or, as you know, two weeks ago, what we thought was a routine afternoon with thunder shower, you know, your life could be turned upside down, and you need to be ready," Junior said.

Sandbag sites open in Pinellas Park on Tuesday. The city will open two locations. Residents can get up to 10 sandbags each, but they have to show a water bill and/or a valid driver’s license, indicating they’re a resident of Pinellas Park, in order to get the sandbags.

Pre-made sandbags will be available at 6151 78th Ave North in Pinellas Park on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Wednesday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. The self-serve sandbag site at Helen Howarth Park, 6301 94th Avenue Pinellas Park, will be open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting.  

MORE: Tampa and Hillsborough officials monitor pumping stations ahead of expecting storm

Dunedin will offer pre-filled sandbags at Highlander Park located at 903 Michigan Blvd. on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until supplies last. The sandbag site is available to City of Dunedin residents and business owners with proof of residency including a driver's license or recent utility bill. 

Pinellas County is also offering sandbags. They’ll be at John Chesnut Park at 2200 East Lake Road South on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to noon. Sandbags will also be available at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex located at 2450 Drew Street in Clearwater from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.

These locations are only for residents who live in the City of Clearwater or unincorporated parts of Pinellas County.

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