Tropical Storm Eta information: Hillsborough County

Ongoing updates from Hillsborough County as Tropical Storm Eta impacts Florida.

SCHOOLS:

Hillsborough public school campuses will be closed on Thursday, November 12 and Friday, November 13 so that school buildings can be utilized as shelters. All students will transition to remote learning on Thursday and Friday.

The University of South Florida closed its campuses at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11. They will remain closed Thursday, Nov. 12, and are expected to reopen on Friday, Nov. 13. All classes will be delivered remotely on Thursday, Nov. 12 and all USF employees who can work remotely should continue to do so.

Keiser University's Tampa campus will be closed Thursday, Nov. 12.

SANDBAGS:

No information yet.

EVACUATIONS:

No evacuations ordered.

CLOSINGS:

• City of Tampa parks, facilities and restrooms will close at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11. 
• ZooTampa will close at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 11 and remain closed Thursday, Nov. 12.
• Metropolitan Ministries will close Holiday Tents and Family Support Centers at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11.

TRANSPORTATION:

• The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is closed.
• The eastbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway were closed Wednesday night. On Thursday, the city said all lanes were back open, but later retracted that statement. The eastbound lanes remain closed as of Thursday morning.
• HART suspended its services starting on Wednesday, November 11, but will resume services at noon Thursday, November 12. This includes the HART Smart AV and Tampa streetcar.
• Tampa International Airport suspended all operations on Wednesday, November 11, resumed them Thursday morning. Airport officials say they found no issues or damage throughout their facilities.  There won’t be COVID-19 passenger testing services at TPA on Thursday, Nov. 12. Testing will resume Friday, Nov. 13.
• Airport officials say they found no issues or damage throughout their facilities. 
• There won’t be COVID-19 passenger testing services at TPA on Thursday, Nov. 12. Testing will resume Friday, Nov. 13.
• Cross Bay Ferry services have been canceled for Wednesday, Nov. 11.

SHELTERS:

The county opened five emergency storm shelters at 1 p.m. Wednesday for residents who are concerned for their safety, but two of them have since closed because of low demand.

The following shelters have no guests and are closed for the evening:

• Steinbrenner High School, 5575 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road
• Reddick Elementary School, 325 West Lake Drive

The following shelters are still accepting residents who need the shelter as a last resort:

• Burnett Middle School (pet-friendly), 1010 N. Kingsway Road
• Middleton High School, 4801 N. 22nd Street
• Sickles High School (pet-friendly) and Family Shelter, 7950 Gunn Highway

Because of COVID-19, health screenings and temperature checks will be conducted at the door. Face coverings will be required to be worn while inside. In addition to face coverings and hand sanitizer, residents should bring only essential items including the following:

• Bedding
• Clothing
• Toiletries
• Medications
• Special dietary foods
• Baby supplies
• Important paperwork
• Cards, books, and games can help pass the time, especially for young children.

Residents bringing pets to a pet-friendly shelter must bring a sturdy carrier for each pet that allows room for the pet to stand up and move around, proof of current rabies vaccination and license for dogs and cats, and pet supplies including: food, water, litter, treats, cleaning supplies, and medications, etc. The pet must arrive on a leash or in a carrier.

Public transportation to a shelter should be a last resort option. If residents need transportation to a Hillsborough County shelter, please call (813) 272-5900 and arrangements will be made.

TRASH:

All Tampa solid waste facilities are closed Thursday, Nov. 12. Residential customers normally scheduled to receive service on Thursday will receive collection on their next regularly scheduled service day. Commercial customers normally receiving collection service on Thursday will be serviced on the following day, Friday, November 13. Trash collection will continue to run one-day behind through Saturday, November 14. Regular collection service schedules will resume Monday, November 16.

MORE INFORMATION:

You can get information directly from the Hillsborough County EOC: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/residents/public-safety/emergency-management