Helene has formed. It will pass west of the Tampa Bay area on Thursday as a hurricane and bring impacts to the area.

Several counties are hosting sandbag fill up locations ahead of the storm.

Pinellas County

In anticipation of potential impacts, sandbags are available at the 49th Street Neighborhood Center, located at 1617 49th Street South, on Monday, September 23, from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and Tuesday, September 24, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. There is a 10-bag limit and proof of residency may be required.

Self-serve Sandbag Site

Residents of unincorporated Pinellas County can pick up free, pre-filled sandbags at our self-serve site next to the Household Hazardous Waste facility at 2855 109th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (limit 10 sandbags per household). Municipal residents should check with their city government for availability.

Availability: Sandbags are restocked on Fridays, typically between 7-9 a.m.

For Information: Call Pinellas County Public Works at (727) 464-8900.

Note: Sandbags are only recommended for residents who may experience flooding less than 15 inches from rain or tides. Sandbags won’t stop water completely, but they can reduce the amount of water entering your home. They will not protect against waves or storm surge associated with larger storms.

In Dunedin, pre-filled sandbags (filled to optimum level for stacking and sealing in proper locations) will be available at the City of Dunedin Highlander Park parking lot, 903 Michigan Blvd, Tuesday, September 24, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. until supplies last. Once pre-filled are gone, sand and bags will be
available.The sandbag site is available to City of Dunedin residents and business owners with proof of residency: driver's license or recent utility bill. There is a limit of 15 bags per resident or business owner. Sand, sandbags and shovels are available at the site. Assistance will be provided for those with special
needs.

In St. Petersburg, sandbag locations are:

Full-Service Locations - Hours of Operation: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Stormwater Pavement & Traffic Operations Building, 1744 9th Ave. N
- Lake Maggiore Park Shelter Area - 3601 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. S
- Northeast Park East Baseball Field Parking Lot - 955 62nd Ave. NE
- Northwest Swimming Pool Parking Lot Park - 2331 60th St. N

Self-Service Locations - Hours of Operation: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Dell Homes Park - 2741 22nd St. S
- Fossil Park Northern Most Parking Lot - 6875 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. N
- Walter Fuller Soccer Field Parking Lot - 2800 75th St. N

The City of Pinellas Park will open two sandbag sites for Pinellas Park residents only. Residents can get up to 10 sandbags each. Residents must show a water bill and/or valid driver's license indicating they are a resident of Pinellas Park in order to receive their sandbags. Pick up location and times are below:

Where:
Pre made Sandbag site in parking lot - 6151 78th Ave N. Pinellas Park, FL -
Tuesday (9/24) hours 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Wednesday (9/25) hours 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (weather permitting)

Self serve Sandbag locations include:
Helen Howarth Park - 6301 94th Avenue Pinellas Park, FL
Broderick Park - 6101 66th Ave N. Pinellas Park, FL
Pinebrook Park - 7202 118th Ave N. Pinellas Park, FL
Tuesday (9/24) hours 8:00 am - 7:00 pm (Broderick and Pinebrook open at 10 am)
Wednesday (9/25) hours 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (weather permitting)

Citrus County

The County has four sandbag sites available for citizens in advance of anticipated severe weather later this week. Sites are set up at the following locations:

Homosassa Recreation Park
4210 S Grandmarch Ave, Homosassa

Bicentennial Park
501 N Baseball Point, Crystal River

Floral Park
9530 S Parkside Ave, Floral City

Old Hernando Elementary School
2435 N Florida Ave, Hernando

Staff will be on-site to provide assistance during the following hours:

Monday, Sept. 23 – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday – 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday – 7:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
All sites will remain open for self-service (sand and bags provided) 24/7.

Please visit the Citrus County government Facebook page for additional updates. Contact the Citrus County Road Maintenance Division with any questions, at (352) 527-7610.

Hernando

In preparation for potential storm impacts from Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, Hernando County Government will be opening Sandbag Stations from 2pm-5pm on Monday, September 23, 2024 at Linda Pedersen Park and Anderson Snow Park. Please see the list below for hours of operation for Sandbag Stations throughout the week.

A limited supply of sand and sandbags will be at the following locations listed below. Please bring your own shovel. These self-serve sandbag sites will remain open until weather conditions begin to deteriorate.

Linda Pedersen Park
6300 Shoal Line Blvd., Spring Hill, FL 34609

Monday, September 23 from 2pm-5pm

Tuesday, September 24 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Wednesday, September 25 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Anderson Snow Park
1360 Anderson Snow Rd., Spring Hill, FL 34609

(Enter through the service road between the park and the gymnastics place, the sand is located at the end)

Monday, September 23 from 2pm-5pm

Tuesday, September 24 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Wednesday, September 25 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Ridge Manor Community Center
34240 Cortez Blvd., Ridge Manor, FL 33523

Tuesday, September 24 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Wednesday, September 25 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Spring Lake Methodist Church
4191 Spring Lake Hwy., Brooksville, FL 34601

Tuesday, September 24 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Wednesday, September 25 from 8am-5pm, weather permitting

Tips on how to properly fill and stack your sandbags

Fill bags one-half to two-thirds of the way full

Over-filled bags will result in a leaky sandbag wall

Stack sandbags so that the seams between the bags are staggered

Tuck the top of each bag under to ensure that that bag is sealed by its own weight

Hernando County Government's Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor and inform our community about storm impacts. Visit the following web and social media sites for more information.

For the latest local conditions and a complete list of news alerts go to www.HernandoCounty.us/EM

Sign up to receive weather alerts at www.AlertHernando.org

Follow us on Facebook:

@HernandoCountyEM

@HernandoCoGov

@HernandoCountyFire

Hillsborough

In Temple Terrace, the city will open a sandbag distribution location for residents , Tuesday, September 25th, from noon to 7 p.m. and Wednesday, September 26th, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sports Complex: 10369 US Highway 301.

Residents have a maximum of 10 sandbags per person. Identification is required to verify residency.

Pasco

Pasco County Emergency Management is closely monitoring the potential development of tropical weather and is encouraging residents to be prepared for
localized flooding in the next few days as the system makes its way toward Florida.

Sandbags can be picked up at:

* Pasco County Public Works (C-Barn), 30908 Warder Road, San Antonio
* Magnolia Valley Golf Course, 7223 Massachusetts Ave., New Port Richey
* Veterans Memorial Park: 14333 Hicks Road, Hudson
* Pasco Fire Rescue Station #29: 6907 Dairy Rd, Zephyrhills

All sandbag locations are self-serve and open to Pasco County residents. Sand and sandbags will be restocked daily, weather permitting. Please bring a
shovel and be prepared to fill your own sandbags.

To watch a Pasco County video explaining how to properly fill and place sandbags, please visit: mypas.co/PascoSandbags

Polk County

Polk County is making sandbags available throughout the county on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Locations listed below will be open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sandbag site locations are:

Mulberry/South Lakeland – Loyce E. Harpe Park, 500 W. Carter Road, Mulberry

Lakeland – 8970 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland

Fort Meade – 1061 NE 9th St., Fort Meade

Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof

Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale

Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee

Poinciana Park – 5109 Allegheny Road, Kissimmee 34759

A maximum of 10 sandbags will be provided to each household address to help prevent water intrusion into the home. You will need to bring a driver’s license to show your local address.

Manatee County

Manatee County is preparing for what could be another drenching rain event this week.

Manatee County staff has completed maintenance work on the Lake Manatee Dam. All three mechanical gates are operational, and the earthen gates have been restored to pre-Debby levels. Staff continues to monitor and will make decisions about any further reduction in the lake elevation leading up to the potential storm later this week based on NOAA forecasts. 

Residents are encouraged to take any necessary precautions now to protect their property against possible flooding. Sandbag locations which have been open are being augmented with additional sites in at-risk areas. Open locations can be found at mymanatee.org/sandbags.

In Bradenton, sandbags are being made available to city residents at the Public Works Annex Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, September 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Residents are instructed to use 9th St. W. to access the distribution area behind the Annex, located at 1411 9th St. W. Signage will be in place. Sandbag distribution is limited to 10 bags per car, and a valid ID demonstrating City residency is required.

Sarasota County

No active sandbag operations at this time.