Pinellas orders evacuation for residents in Zone A hospitals, nursing homes

Pinellas County officials issued a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday for residents in evacuation Zone A who live in health care facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living centers.

Emergency management director Cathie Perkins said during a news conference on Tuesday that the order impacts two hospitals, 14 nursing homes and 10 assisted living facilities.

”We are doing this because it does take them longer to evacuate and we want to make sure that we are protecting everybody,” Perkins said.

In a news release Tuesday evening, the county said it will decide Wednesday morning whether to call for a general evacuation of Zone A residents in Pinellas County based on the latest Tropical Storm Helene forecast, and will also announce additional shelter information at that time. Pinellas County will begin evacuations for residents registered as having special needs at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

With a forecasted hurricane expected to make landfall in the Panhandle on Thursday, passing less than 100 miles offshore of Tampa Bay, the greatest threat to Pinellas County is record storm surge, Perkins said during the Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Officials are predicting 5 to 8 feet of storm surge with flood waters that could linger for 36 hours, Perkins said.

Perkins said residents should know what zone they are in by visiting www.disaster.pinellas.gov and to continue monitoring evacuation updates.

”This is life-threatening storm surge,” Perkins said. “We want people to evacuate when we issue those orders.”

For people outside of areas called for evacuations, Perkins encouraged residents to shelter in place with supplies of food and water and to secure any outdoor items.

”We want to watch this storm surge very closely,” Perkins said. “We want to make sure people are paying attention.”

St. Petersburg

On Tuesday, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch declared a local state of emergency. All city facilities will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, including Sunken Gardens. The St. Pete Pier will close at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Thursday pickups for residential trash and recycling will be collected on Saturday. The city asks that residents secure cans during storm preparations.

The South Core parking garage at 101 1st Ave. S is accepting vehicles looking for a safe place to park. The cost is $20 from Wednesday to Saturday, space permitting.

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