There are public resources being mobilized in the Tampa Bay area to help people evacuate. I want this thread to be a place to collect information to help people weathering the storm. Further down in the body of this post I will link some of the resources I have already found.
There was another thread, which I won't be linking here, in which a lot of users were saying that no resources are available to help the poor, disabled, etc. evacuate as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida's Tampa Bay area.
Short rant regarding the doomposting I saw:
I don't want to downplay the many failures of the people have to live in, but doomposting about there being no help available at all when that is not the case risks getting people killed.
When these systems fail, criticism is fully warranted. But no one was posting about how they or someone they know had tried to use these resources unsuccessfully. Instead, it seems like there was a collective assumption made about no services being available at all, and without investigation! This is incredibly irresponsible. Double-check yourself before making claims, especially about important matters.
General information on the storm for some of the counties near where the storm will likely have the greatest storm surge
The current estimate (as of 5PM EDT from the National Hurricane Center) is 10-15 feet of storm surge in these counties
- Pinellas County: http://www.disaster.pinellas.gov/
- Hillsborough County: https://hcfl.gov/residents/stay-safe
- Manatee County: https://extreme-weather-dashboard-manateegis.hub.arcgis.com/
- Sarasota County: https://www.scgov.net/government/emergency-services/storm
Information for those in the above counties in need of transportation assistance to get to shelters
- Pinellas County: https://pinellas.gov/news/pinellas-county-issues-mandatory-evacuation-orders-for-zones-a-b-c-and-mobile-homes/
- "PSTA is offering free rides to the shelters 24/7, effective from now until conditions become unsafe for buses to be on the road. Pets are allowed on the bus: dogs and cats in a crate, large dogs on a muzzle leash. For the latest information on PSTA bus service, call the InfoLine at (727) 540-1900."
- For the barrier islands in particular: "The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office will be patrolling the barrier islands from Sand Key south to Pass-a-Grille and announcing the mandatory evacuation. PSTA will provide free transportation on regular bus routes or for anyone who is able to signal a passing bus or trolley."
- Hillsborough County: https://www.gohart.org/Pages/maps-emergency-evac.aspx
- The busses are on routes to help people evacuate, but for those unable to get to those locations "On-demand zone service is available by calling at (813) 254-4278 for transportation to the nearest transit center, where you can transfer to a route that connects to a meeting point if needed."
- Manatee County: https://extreme-weather-dashboard-manateegis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/emergency-evacuations-and-shelters
- "Please contact 311 for shelter transportation needs."
- Sarasota County: https://www.scgov.net/government/emergency-services/emergency-management/evacuation-centers
- They are transporting people from rally points to evacuation centers.
- "Bring a face mask and be prepared to wear it on the bus."
- "If you cannot drive to a rally point: Please call 941-861-8856 or 941-861-8857."
- They are transporting people from rally points to evacuation centers.
