We’re going to go Public Service Stampede for the next little while to try and help get everyone through Hurricane Irma. With the forecast path getting worse and worse for the Tampa area, it seems very possible that more evacuation orders will be handed out on Saturday.
Below you will find evacuation zone maps and lists of shelters for the six coastal counties in Tampa Bay — Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota. Each map shows the evacuation zones, and the locations of shelters you can head to if necessary. Note that not every shelter will be open for every evacuation. Local news will tell you which shelters are open, and there are hotlines for each county on their respective map.
Hernando County Map
Hillsborough County Map
Manatee County Map
Pasco County Map
Pinellas County Map
Sarasota County Map
If you need a better, more interactive map for your county, WUSF has collected them on this page.
The further up the west coast Irma makes landfall, the worse the impacts will be on the Tampa area because that means less chance for the storm to weaken over land before it reaches you. As I’m writing this (overnight Friday/Saturday) it looks like mandatory evacuations that have been issued are only for Zone A residents, or for mobile homes, RVs, and low-lying communities. If more people need to be evacuated on Saturday, there’s not going to be much time to get everyone to safety. You need to be prepared to move quickly.
IMPORTANT: Do not go to a specific shelter unless it has been announced the shelter is open. You probably won’t have a lot of time to evacuate as it is. Don’t waste any of it.
If you are put under a mandatory evacuation, first of all, leave. Seriously. Don’t roll the dice with this storm. Second, don’t try and leave the state or anything crazy like that. Go to the shelter that is easiest for you to reach.
Before you leave, finish preparing your house. If you anticipate flooding, move your valuables up as high off the ground as you can. This checklist gives you some more things to do.
Take as many of your emergency supplies (non-perishable food, water, flashlights, batteries, first aid kit, can opener, etc.) with you to the shelter as you can, along with a pillow and a sleeping bag. You’ll still need them after the storm. Here’s a good list of what you should have in your supply kit.
Don’t forget about your pets! Some shelters in each county are pet-friendly, while others only accept service animals. The maps tell you which ones accept pets, but you’ll need to bring supplies and licenses, and you may have to register them in advance. If the instructions aren’t on the evacuation map, use the hotline to find out more.
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