Hurricane Wilma
Hopefully, it doesnt hit us..
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From TBO.com:
Residents on Pinellas County's skinny slice of land have few places to hide and few ways to escape from a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.
Trapped between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, half of Pinellas County will vanish under water if a worst-case hurricane plows into Tampa Bay. Destruction, especially of low areas and the necklace of barrier islands, will rival Hurricane Katrina's savaging of the Mississippi coast.
Knowledge that the storm surge will leave little of Pinellas above water will force many to abandon the county in search of refuge.
There are more than 610,000 people in evacuation zones and in mobile homes and only 71,000 designated shelter spaces. Emergency Management Director Gary Vickers figures he can jam 7,000 more people into the shelters, but that still leaves more than a half-million to find shelter.
Mobile home residents are required to evacuate for all hurricanes and tropical storms.
There are few roads to safety. If evacuees don't leave early enough, they will run out of time as highways clog with people fleeing surrounding counties. Mandatory evacuation orders will come only 24 to 48 hours before the storm hits, aggravating the time crunch.
The storm surge will engulf about 140 square miles, submerging low-lying areas in 20 feet of water. Areas flooded by 5 feet or more will be devastated.
"It would probably destroy most buildings," Vickers said.
The flood will turn St. Petersburg into an island. Another area, running from Dunedin south through Clearwater and Belleair, also will remain above water. The rest of the county -- a strip across the central portion and most of Tarpon Springs -- will be awash.
Bridges over Tampa Bay will close when winds top 40 mph, cutting off the main evacuation routes hours before the eye of the storm hits.
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From TBO.com:
Residents on Pinellas County's skinny slice of land have few places to hide and few ways to escape from a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.
Trapped between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, half of Pinellas County will vanish under water if a worst-case hurricane plows into Tampa Bay. Destruction, especially of low areas and the necklace of barrier islands, will rival Hurricane Katrina's savaging of the Mississippi coast.
Knowledge that the storm surge will leave little of Pinellas above water will force many to abandon the county in search of refuge.
There are more than 610,000 people in evacuation zones and in mobile homes and only 71,000 designated shelter spaces. Emergency Management Director Gary Vickers figures he can jam 7,000 more people into the shelters, but that still leaves more than a half-million to find shelter.
Mobile home residents are required to evacuate for all hurricanes and tropical storms.
There are few roads to safety. If evacuees don't leave early enough, they will run out of time as highways clog with people fleeing surrounding counties. Mandatory evacuation orders will come only 24 to 48 hours before the storm hits, aggravating the time crunch.
The storm surge will engulf about 140 square miles, submerging low-lying areas in 20 feet of water. Areas flooded by 5 feet or more will be devastated.
"It would probably destroy most buildings," Vickers said.
The flood will turn St. Petersburg into an island. Another area, running from Dunedin south through Clearwater and Belleair, also will remain above water. The rest of the county -- a strip across the central portion and most of Tarpon Springs -- will be awash.
Bridges over Tampa Bay will close when winds top 40 mph, cutting off the main evacuation routes hours before the eye of the storm hits.