PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – John Spallino lives in Tampa Bay and says he is watching Hurricane Elsa’s track before doing any major preparations.
“What we’ve seen so far is it’s undecided. Some people say it’s going to peter out. Some say it’s not. We just take it as it comes,” said John. “We bought a little extra water, because that’s usually an issue when a tropical storm or hurricane hits. We bought extra water. That’s about it. “
John’s twin brother Charlie who’s vacationing from Buffalo, New York. isn’t worried. He’s
“Snowstorms. We’re used to snowstorms,” said Charlie. “This is nothing.” We caught up with the brothers and their family in Tarpon Springs on Friday night, in an area that flooded during Tropical Storm Eta.
Pinellas County emergency managers are urging residents to have a plan in place and make sure they are stocked up with hurricane supplies. Josh Boatwright is a spokesman for the county.
“If a storm is coming, and you’re going to have to evacuate or you are going to shelter in place, because you are not in an evacuation zone what would you do?” Asked Boatwright. “Do you have supplies to stay at home for several days?”
The county set up a hotline for people to call in with questions on Friday and one employee told 8 On Your Side, most of the calls coming in were from residents who were new to the area and hadn’t experienced a tropical storm or a hurricane.
The county also sent out crews to clean out storm drains, ditches and culverts to reduce the chance of flooding in low lying areas. The theme here is, be prepared.
You can review your hurricane checklist online.
