Pinellas County urging residents in mandatory evacuation zone to get out by Thursday morning

Pinellas County preparing for Hurricane Helene

FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Officials in Pinellas County say residents in Zone A or in a mobile home anywhere in the county should be evacuated before Thursday morning. They’re in mandatory evacuation zones.

County leaders said they’re expecting an unprecedented storm surge. During Idalia last year, the county saw four feet of storm surge with more than 1,500 homes were flooded. Now, they’re bracing for five to eight feet of storm surge with Helene.

"The issue really is the storm surge and the impacts could be real," Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton said. "I don't want to downplay that, because that will cause people to stay where they're at and if conditions worsen, we won't be able to help them. So, please take it seriously. This is a significant storm, and we know, and we've seen before, how quickly conditions can change."

READ: Hurricane Helene: Flooding prone Shore Acres prepares with home hardening expert

Crews have been out across the area all week clearing out ditches and drains, pumping down lakes and other bodies of water and getting ready for the storm. However, local leaders said there’s only so much they can do with the amount of water expected.

When water and conditions get to a certain point, first responders said they may not be able to get to people who stay. Local leaders said the time to leave is now.

The county has opened six shelters across Pinellas. PSTA is offering free rides to shelters until the end of its scheduled service on Wednesday around midnight. You can bring your pets onboard, just make sure they’re in crates.

You can also use the promo code HeleneRelief for a free Uber ride to shelters.

Deputies were out on the beaches in Pinellas County on Wednesday letting people know about the mandatory evacuations. Some people filling up last minute sandbags in Madeira Beach said they won’t be sticking around for the storm.

"I just like to be safe with it," Kayla Caoili, a Madeira Beach resident, said. "I have friends in the area, so it's not a big deal just to head to their house."

MORE: Where does Helene go after hitting Florida? Southeast, mid-Atlantic could see 'catastrophic' flooding

Others said they haven’t made up their minds on whether they’ll leave yet.

"I’m hoping this is not going to be that," Tim Hawkins, a Madeira Beach resident for 30 years, said about the forecast. "I don't like that high water, six to eight feet thing. That would kind of be a disaster."

County leaders said if you flooded during previous storms, expect to flood again. This time around, it could be at a much higher level too.

READ: Tampa General Hospital protected by ‘AquaFence’ during Hurricane Helene: ‘We can’t evacuate’

"The challenge we’re going to have with this system is because the waters are going to be elevated for such a long period of time, that’s going to block our normal storm drain system from being able to move any rain water out," Cathie Perkins, the director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, said.

"We’re going to go through a series of high tides. So, areas that have high tide flooding this is going to be exacerbated and this is going to be much higher than it was before," she said.

According to Perkins, elevated waters are predicted to stick around for 24-36 hours.

MORE: Crystal River braces for storm surge from Hurricane Helene

Following guidance from the U.S. Coast Guard, Pinellas County plans to lock its three movable bridges in the closed position at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Dunedin Causeway bridges, Beckett Bridge in Tarpon Springs and Park Boulevard Bridge in Seminole will remain open to vehicle traffic, but will not open for boat traffic until conditions are clear following the storm.

They urge owners of high clearance boats to move them to a more secure location before 8 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Department of Transportation will close the Sunshine Skyway Bridge when wind speeds reach about 45 mph. The Gandy Bridge, Howard Frankland Bridge and/or Courtney will close if waves make traveling unsafe.

READ: Tampa International Airport suspending operations ahead of Hurricane Helene

The saturated ground is a big concern too, local leaders said. High winds could knock down trees and powerlines, so county leaders said they expect power outages.

Before evacuating, local leaders said turn off your power to prevent electrical fires, and move electric vehicles, e-bikes and golf carts out of garages and areas where there’s storm surge. They could start fires too if mixed with saltwater.

Pinellas County’s 24/7 information center is also available to take any questions at 727-464-4333.

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