County Closures In Tampa Bay Ahead Of Tropical Storm Ian
Schools and county offices in the Tampa Bay area have announced early closing and some closures ahead of Hurricane Ian.
Pinellas County:
According to News Channel 8, some Pinellas County schools will have early dismissal on Monday so the county can prepare to open them to the public as special needs shelters ahead of Tropical Storm Ian.
The following Pinellas County schools will release students at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 26:
- Palm Harbor University High School
- Dunedin Highland Middle School
- John Hopkins Middle School
All other Pinellas County Schools and offices will be open for regular hours on Monday, September 26. ALL Pinellas County schools will be closed and offices will be CLOSED Tuesday, Sept. 27 and Wednesday, Sept. 28, and are tentatively scheduled to reopen Thursday, Sept. 29.
WEATHER UPDATE: The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners & Pinellas County Emergency Management will be activating shelters to prep for #TropicalStormIan. Special Needs Shelters will open at 6 pm Monday, Sept. 26 & more shelters will open Tuesday morning. (Cont. 🧵) pic.twitter.com/wCCGqkElWL
— Pinellas County Schools (@my_pcs) September 25, 2022
The special needs shelters will open Monday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. Anyone who needs transportation to those shelters is asked to contact the county information center at 727-464-4333.
Pasco County:
Pasco County Schools and offices will remain open on Monday, September 26. Schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. All after school programs, all athletic events and practices, and all extracurricular events have been canceled.
Due to the current forecast for Tropical Storm Ian, the plan for Pasco County Schools is as follows:
— Pasco County Schools (@pascoschools) September 25, 2022
Schools and offices will be open on Monday.
Schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
As of now, no Pasco County shelters have opened ahead of Tropical Storm Ian. Keep this post saved in your favorites as we will continue to update it as shelters begin to open.
Hillsborough County:
Hillsborough County schools will be closed from Monday, September 26, through Thursday, September 29. All extracurricular activities have been canceled.
HCPS is working closely with the EOC as Tropical Storm Ian continues its trek towards FL. County emergency officials will activate many of our schools as storm shelters beginning Monday. Because of this, our district has no choice but to close schools Sept. 26 - Sept 29. pic.twitter.com/QwTaEp2Bbx
— Hillsborough Schools (@HillsboroughSch) September 25, 2022
Hillsborough County officials are determining if schools will be needed for shelters based on the latest storm track.
The Tampa Lightning have postponed their preseason games on Wednesday, September 28 against Carolina and Thursday, September 29 against Nashville at Amalie Arena.
We have postponed our preseason games on Wednesday, September 28 against Carolina and Thursday, September 29 against Nashville at @AmalieArena due to the potential effects of Hurricane Ian.
— x - Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 26, 2022
Stay safe, Tampa Bay. 💙https://t.co/OL5CKwHKKj
Sarasota County:
Schools in Sarasota County will close Tuesday, Sept. 27, “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a release from school officials.
9/26 11AM UPDATE: ALL TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH.
— Sarasota Schools (@sarasotaschools) September 26, 2022
All traditional public schools will be closed on Tuesday, September 27th, out of an abundance of caution and to prepare schools that serve as emergency evacuation centers.
We will update this post as more information continues to unfold.
Earlier this week, Denis Phillips compiled a list of common sense and some creative life hacks that could be helpful to make Ian’s visit less stressful and damaging.
10 Florida Hurricane Life Hacks from Denis Phillips
Freeze a cup of water and put a coin on top.
If the coin stayed on top after the power went out, your food stayed frozen!
Optobionics/Getty Images
Get the laundry done!
Denis points out that without air conditioning, anything dirty will start to stink your place up! And when the AC goes out, you’ll want clean sheets because you’ll be sweating a lot!
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
Dig that OLD phone out.
When you know the storm’s coming charge up those laptops, and OLD phones… not just the one you use now. Old phones call still call 911!
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Fill up trash cans with water.
Use that water to flush toilets.
R. Viner/Daily Express/Getty Images
Cook meat and perishable foods.
Freeze cooked food too. Denis says he loves a hardboiled egg as a snack on that first day without power.
Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
Backpack it!
Stuff all your important stuff in a backpack so it’s easy to grab in case you need to leave quickly.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Hit the ATM!
If power goes out for a while or systems go down, it’ll be good to have some cash on hand.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Lower your AC in advance!
This is certainly one I wouldn’t have thought of doing… but it makes sense. Higher temps in the room will lower the temp in your fridge to preserve those foods longer.
George Frey/Getty Images
Scrub!
Hit the shower just before the storm’s about to hit.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Unplug!
Unplug your electronics because there will likely be power surges.
Knight/BBGI
