!!WARNING!!

We are in a state of emergency. I am nobody official, however I’m doing my best to compile a list of information for people who are frantically looking for it on dozens of government sites. Trust the links I give as much as you can trust those sources, trust the text which isn’t referenced as much as some random crackpot who just happens to have lived here my whole life. I am making my best effort to ensure all this information is accurate. however I take no responsibility if some information may be wrong. Please contact me and let me know if I should change anything!

MOST IMPORTANT

Step 1: check your zone.
Step 2: check your county’s evacuation Orders
Step 3: check Dennis Phillips for up to the minute details of storm track and expected winds/surge.
Step 4: hide from wind, run from water.
Step 5: determine if you are evacuating and how far. Use Dennis to decide if it’s safe to leave or not. Know that gas is hard to come by state wide and you may run out if you travel too far. Evacuating could mean a shelter or a friend or family members house.
Step 6: secure your building (either way)
Step 7: if you’re leaving, fill up your tank (gasbuddy) before you leave
Step 8. Good luck!

Dennis Philips 24h updates
Sandbag locations
simulated flooding

Florida Know your zone
Evacuations 
School Closures 
Shelters 

Gasbuddy – Find gas stations that still have gas. Can filter by fuel type.

if you are having a hard time making phone calls, try texting. Texting should work for the majority of the storm unless the towers go down. If the towers go down and you have an iPhone 14 or above, you can use the link below to text by satellite.

Iphone text by satellite

DRIVING TIPS

  • First…DO NOT DRIVE! That is the safest tip! 
  • If the storm has passed and your home is not safe to live in, then proceed with extreme caution.
  • If you’re in the eye of the storm it may appear to be over but actually only half way done.
  • DO NOT attempt to cross a flooded road if you do not know how deep it is. 
  • It doesn’t take much to float your car, it’s much better to turn around than get stuck.
  • If your floorboards get wet with storm surge it is immediately totaled.
 
  • If you come to an intersection with no lights, it is legally an all ways (4 way, 5 way) stop. Just like a stop sign. The person on the right who stops first has the right of way. 
  • However most people are idiots. Expect people to break rules and accidents to happen. I would recommend almost always turning right and u turning later when it is safe. That way you only have to deal with half the traffic at a time.
  • If the traffic lights are flashing RED you MUST stop like it was a stop sign. No “California” stops. The cross traffic MAY also have a flashing red light or they may have a flashing yellow light. You don’t know, so be double careful!
  • If the traffic light is flashing YELLOW you should use caution, yield but do not have to come to a complete stop. It should be treated the same as a yield sign.

Check FL511.com for a list of closed roads and bridges.

CELL PHONES

  • You may have slow speeds or unreliable texting and phone calls, both sending and receiving. This is not because your cell phone is broken, it may not even be because of the tower itself. It’s from congestion of everyone calling and texting to check on family members.
  • You may have better luck with text than calls or data. 
  • You can turn on wifi calling if you have power and internet. 
  • If you have an iPhone 14 or higher you can text using satellites! Yes! Really!

STORM ALERTS BY TEXT

  • Tampa- text tampaready to 888777
  • Pinellas- https://member.everbridge.net/453003085614894/new
  • Manatee county- text manateeready to 888777

POWER INFO

IF YOUR POWER IS OUT

  • Do not open your refrigerator unless absolutely necessary. It is working as a cooler. Every time you open the door cold air escapes.
  • You can add bags of ice to keep things cold longer but it may leak water as it melts. Try to find a tray to keep the water contained.
  • If you leave it closed your food will stay cold for several hours. If your food stops being cold, it will go bad at the same rate if you left it on the counter. Not instantly, but everything goes bad at different rates.

GENERATORS

How to use a generator safely

DEBRIS AND CLEANUP ASSISTANCE

Helene cleanup hotline (844) 965-1386

HOUSING

Pinellas County

GENERAL INFO

Pinellas County – After the storm
Pinellas Disaster Assistance
Hillsborough Storm Recovery
Pasco Resources and Recovery

COMMUNITY RESCUE AND SUPPORT (Volunteers/Best Effort)

Hurricane Community Support Group and Task Force (Facebook)
Assistance – https://discord.gg/449pKUkXyA
Volunteer – https://discord.gg/knyRmwYZ7Z