County issues evacuation orders for health care facilities in zones A, B, C

County issues evacuation orders for health care facilities in zones A, B, C

Pinellas County has issued mandatory evacuation orders for long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities and hospitals in evacuation zones A, B and C due to the threat posed by Hurricane Milton. This impacts six hospitals, 25 nursing homes and 44 assisted living facilities, totaling about 6,600 patients.

Pinellas County is in the potential path of the storm and could experience life-threatening storm surge, localized flooding and hurricane force winds, depends on where the storm makes landfall on Wednesday. Many coastal areas have barely begun to recover from Hurricane Helene.

The mandatory orders are only for these facilities, but Pinellas County is encouraging voluntary evacuation for residents in Zone A, B and C and mobile homes in advance of possible mandatory orders Monday. At-risk residents can evacuate only a few miles to higher ground and safe structures outside of Zone C. If evacuations are ordered, the County will open emergency shelters.

Latest storm/incident developments

• All Pinellas County Government offices, including the Clerk of the Courts, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector, will be closed Monday through Wednesday. All County parks and preserves will also be closed Monday through Wednesday.
• Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections will be open to the public on Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voter registration. They will be closed to the public on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• The opening of a Disaster Recovery Center scheduled for Monday at the Florida Botanical Gardens, Magnolia Room, has been postponed due to the storm threat.

Pinellas County response/action

• The County Information Center (CIC) is open for preparedness questions. Call (727) 464-4333. Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the CIC via online chat at bit.ly/PinellasChat
• Effective Sunday afternoon, the Florida Department of Emergency Management announced that anyone can take storm debris to the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Facility via the 34th Street Gate. There is no charge for storm debris disposal and that gate will be open 24/7 until operations are shut down by Hurricane Milton.
• Additional debris collection information is available here.
• Sandbag distribution sites remain open for the unincorporated county:
  • John Chesnut Park, 2200 East Lake Road S, Palm Harbor (Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
  • Walsingham Park, 12615 102^nd Ave., Seminole (Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
  • Note: Municipal residents should check with their cities for sandbag availability
• Updates will be posted at disaster.pinellas.gov, sent out via Alert Pinellas and Ready Pinellas, and on Facebook @PinellasGov and X @PinellasGov; search hashtag #PCMilton
• Now is the time to finalize your household's preparedness plan. Find all the latest info at https://disaster.pinellas.gov.

Advice & Information for Residents

• Stay informed:
  • Sign up for Alert Pinellas at disaster.pinellas.gov and download the Ready Pinellas app in the App Store or Google Play store for real-time storm updates.
  • Monitor local news media, National Weather Service, disaster.pinellas.gov, Facebook @PinellasGov and X @PinellasGov.
  • Tools at disaster.pinellas.gov.
• Check your Evacuation Zone one of three ways.
  • Visit disaster.pinellas.gov
  • Download the Ready Pinellas app.
  • Call (727) 464-3800
  • Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the County Information Center via online chat at www.bit.ly/PinellasChat
• Move your electrical vehicle to higher ground now. Anything with a lithium-ion battery, including golf carts, bikes and scooters can erupt in fire after contact with flood water.
• Make your plan:

• Purchase necessary items to complete your emergency kit, include everyone in your family including your pet(s).
• Prepare your home/business and gather important papers.
• If you have medical needs or require transportation assistance and are not already registered for the Special Needs Evacuation Program, call Emergency Management at (727) 464-3800.
• Know if you can shelter in place or if you may have to evacuate. Know what you will need, where you will go, and how long it will take.

For more information on how to make your plan visit disaster.pinellas.gov.