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Safety Harbor fire officials urge residents to prepare as hurricane season begins
Summary
Fire/public-safety staff used the June 1 commission meeting to outline hurricane-season priorities—know your evacuation zone, register for Ready Pinellas alerts, review flood risk and pet/special-needs sheltering—and caution that sandbags have limited effectiveness.
At the June 1 meeting Chief-level fire staff briefed the commission on hurricane-season preparedness, noting that the official season began that day and emphasizing mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery priorities.
The presenter told residents to know their evacuation zone, check flood maps and sign up for Ready Pinellas alerts or the ReadyPinellas app for official updates. Special‑needs residents should pre-register for transportation and shelter services, the presenter said; shelters should be a last resort and hotels or friends/family can be alternatives if feasible.
Staff cautioned that sandbags are not a universal solution—proper barriers require far more than the 10 sandbags the city distributes—and reminded residents that sandbags exposed to floodwaters must be disposed of at Pinellas County Solid Waste. The presenter also noted the city is planning to reimplement the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program and encouraged residents to prepare household plans and review insurance coverage.
