Update #4: City Continues to Prepare for Impacts from Hurricane Milton, Urges Residents to Evacuate

Update #4: City of St. Petersburg Continues to Prepare for Impacts from Hurricane Milton, Urges Residents to Evacuate

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (October 8, 2024) - The City of St. Petersburg is making final preparations for Hurricane Milton and urges residents to evacuate. See below for a full briefing.

Situation Update:

• No major changes, Milton remains a catastrophic storm - currently a Category 5 - and is on track to make landfall on Florida's west coast.

• We are expecting winds over 100 mph, winds we did not receive with Hurricane Helene.

• We are also still expecting to receive up to 10-15 feet of storm surge - nearly twice the level of Hurricane Helene's surge.

Evacuations:

• Pinellas County has issued mandatory evacuations for Zones A, B, and C, and all mobile homes.

• Three shelters are available in St. Pete:

  • Gibbs High, 850 34th St. S (general population & pet friendly) 

  • Melrose Elementary, 1752 13th Ave. S (general population)

  • Campbell Park Elementary, 1051 7th Ave. S (general population)

• The shelters are there for your safety. Please heed those evacuation orders and evacuate as soon as possible, the time to evacuate is shortening.

City Closures:

• City offices will now be closed all week: October 7-11. We will keep residents updated on reopenings. Note, this includes Sunken Gardens.

• Brush sites will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

• Trash and recycling will not be picked up on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

• The City's debris management site, located at 1953 72nd St. N, will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Important Information for Residents:

Sewer Treatment Facilities:

• Anticipated storm surge levels could necessitate the shutdown of the Northeast and Southwest Sewer Treatment Facilities. If the facilities are shut down, residents may be unable to use plumbing, including toilets, showers, and laundry.

• Restoration of these services could take more than 24 hours post-storm, depending on the severity of impacts.

• Note, there is no set time when this might occur. Our teams will be watching the winds and the storm surge closely, which influences our decision to evacuate staff and power down facilities. We will make a call closer to the storm's landfall.

• Check which sewer treatment plant serves your home or business, here: https://csp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d6d372efa98b44df87a2f9be6272a81e

Public Safety Advisory - Tower Cranes in Downtown and Carillon Areas:

The City has issued a safety advisory regarding tower cranes due to anticipated wind gusts exceeding 100 mph from Hurricane Milton. These high winds could potentially exceed the safe operational limits for tower cranes, posing a risk of malfunction.

Please read the full update and determine if you are in the impact area: https://www.stpete.org/news_detail_T30_R1180.php

Information and Guidance for Residents / Businesses:

• In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, you may lose power, water, or sewer services, and these resources may not be available until days after landfall. First responders may not be able to get to you until after the storm passes if you do not evacuate.

• If you evacuate, turn off your power breaker if you're in a low lying area.

• Sign up for Alert Pinellas at stpete.org/hurricane 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 @StPeteFL, X @StPeteFL and IG @StPeteFL. Check for updates at least every 6-12 hours as storm forecasts and guidance can change quickly.

Visit www.stpete.org/hurricane for more.