City prepares vulnerable downtown residents for storm

Local mandatory evacuation orders encompass the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, several areas frequented by homeless residents and downtown high-rises. City officials have prepared accordingly ahead of Hurricane Helene’s impending impacts.

Helene, now with 80 mph sustained winds, will continue rapidly strengthening as it passes offshore of the Pinellas County coast Thursday. A five-to-eight-foot storm surge remains the primary local concern.

Mayor Ken Welch and his administration provided updates Wednesday at the Emergency Operations Center. He stressed that residents in Zone A should heed evacuation orders, and those who experienced flooding during previous storms will likely see higher water levels.

“The current forecast calls for higher storm surge than Tampa Bay has experienced in our recent history,” Welch said. “So, please evacuate. This is for your own safety, and I can’t emphasize that enough.”

The municipal marina

In August, Brian Clough was one of several boaters who attempted to ride out Hurricane Debby on the water in nearby Gulfport. He was later found dead on his partially sunk sailboat. Over a dozen vessels littered the adjacent beach in the storm’s aftermath.

St. Petersburg city development administrator James Corbett said officials will notify all municipal marina residents of their evacuation orders. They will also cut power to the facility as a safety precaution.

“It is obviously in their best interest, for their safety and the safety of our first responders, that they evacuate,” Corbett said. “But we do not forcibly require anyone to remove themselves from the marina.”

In August, unidentified vessels were blown onto Gulfport’s Municipal Beach during Hurricane Debby. Photo by Bill DeYoung.

Homeless residents

A sizable contingent of unsheltered residents gathered underneath an awning at Williams Park to escape a light rain Tuesday afternoon. Many discussed where they would go during Hurricane Helene.

Welch noted that Amy Foster, housing development administrator, was likely “in the field working” during Wednesday’s meeting. Foster previously served as CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas and often leads related initiatives for the city.

City Administrator Rob Gerdes said social service teams and the St. Petersburg Police Department’s PATH (Police Assisting the Homeless) Unit have notified the homeless of available shelter space. He said transportation officials have also worked with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to ensure “safe and free rides” to facilities.

“We’re working on that aggressively,” Gerdes added. “We don’t want anybody to be left out in this storm.”

Construction cranes

While storm surge flooding is the primary local concern, emergency management director Amber Boulding noted that tropical-storm-force winds extend over 200 miles from Helene’s center. Meteorologists expect the city to see 50 mph to 70 mph gusts.

High-rise construction cranes dot the downtown skyline. Despite appearances during storms, contractors must secure the towering machinery.

“Our building inspectors are going around to all of our sites to ensure there are no wind-blown debris issues, as well as ensuring cranes are placed in weathervane mode,” Corbett said. “That allows the crane to move with the wind rather than resist the wind.

“So, if you see a crane spinning in the wind, it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.”

A graphic showing storm surge levels. Image: National Hurricane Center.

Sandbag distribution

The City of St. Petersburg distributed roughly 68,000 sandbags as of 11 a.m. Three full-service and three self-serve locations will remain open, weather permitting, until 7 p.m.

However, Claude Tankersley, public works administrator, said sandbags alone “are not that effective.” He noted that residents must cover the area they hope to protect with a sheet of plastic before putting the sandbags in place.

“It’s the combination of the plastic and sandbags that’s really effective,” Tankersley said. “Unfortunately, I think most people don’t realize that.”

Storm Surge

Boulding explained that Helene would push water from the Gulf of Mexico into coastal communities and Tampa Bay. She said the fast-moving storm would create a “wall of water.”

Boulding implored residents to “take this storm seriously” and ignore the distance between Helene’s eye and the Pinellas coast – or its expected landfall in the Panhandle. She also reiterated that first responders would not conduct rescues during tropical storm-force winds.

“Learn from what we’ve seen in the past,” Boulding said. “If you’re ordered to evacuate, please go.”