City of St. Petersburg, FL

09/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2024 17:53

Update #10: St. Petersburg Beginning to Feel Impacts of Hurricane Helene

Update #10: St. Petersburg Beginning to Feel Impacts of Hurricane Helene

September 26, 2024 - The City of St. Petersburg is feeling the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Mayor Welch provided a media briefing at 5:30 p.m. Below is a recap:

Latest Storm/Incident Developments

  • Hurricane Helene is currently passing the Tampa Bay area as a Category 4 storm. Throughout the evening, we'll continue to see the storm's intensity and its impacts as it moves past our area.

  • The City is still anticipating unprecedented levels of storm surge between 5' - 8' feet.

  • Right now, we're expecting the highest level of storm surge to peak around midnight.

  • We've also begun to receive calls about high-water rescues. Please remember, first responders will conduct search and rescue missions as conditions permit.

What Residents Need to Know

  • Shelter in place: If you live in Zone A and have not evacuated, you need to shelter in place. Overnight, the storm conditions will continue to worsen.

  • Stay off the road: Do not drive through flooded streets.

  • Limited water usage: Please reduce your water usage on Thursday and Friday.

  • Electric Vehicles: Do not drive through flooded waters in an EV vehicle or attempt to charge an EV vehicle if it has been exposed to water. There is a high-risk of battery fire.

Water Usage Update for those Located in Northeast St. Pete

This impacts residents that live north of 30th Avenue N and east of Haines Road. (See below map for reference).

  • There is a possibility our Northeast Water Reclamation Facility may have to go offline.

  • If this occurs, some residents will not be able to take showers, do laundry, or flush toilets, etc.

  • If it looks certain that the storm surge will reach 7' feet at the plant, which is an unprecedented amount of storm surge, we'll have to make a decision to turn the plant off to ensure we can resume water service after the storm.

  • It could take a minimum of 48 hours to resume plant operations after it's turned off due to the need to carefully inspect the plant and make any repairs before restarting.

  • This is the only facility we anticipate being impacted by storm surge.

If the Sewer Plant is Closed, What Do You Do if You're Impacted?

  • DO NOT panic. We have not made this decision to shut down the sewer treatment plant yet. We wanted to prepare residents in case this happens.

  • DO NOT drain your water. You WILL have running water, but DO NOT let it go down the drain - it will back up your sewer system. Fill up water bottles and brush your teeth outside or over a container.

  • DO NOT flush toilets.

  • DO NOT use your shower or bathtub.

  • DO NOT run the dishwasher.

  • DO NOT use your washing machine to wash your clothes.

Stay Informed

  • Sign up for Alert St. Pete at pinellas.gov/alert. View the latest storm information from the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov.

  • Follow @StPeteFL on social media channels for storm updates specific to St. Pete.