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Pinellas County Emergency Management shares three key steps as hurricane season begins

The 2026 hurricane season starts today, June 1, and Pinellas County Emergency Management encourages people to take three actions: Know your risk, make a plan and stay informed.

Know your risk

  • Evacuations are ordered to protect people from storm surge, which is the most life-threatening part of a hurricane. To know your storm surge risk, look up your evacuation zone one of the following ways:
  • Even if you don’t live in an evacuation zone, you could be at risk from rain and winds. To determine your risk from flooding, visit floodmaps.pinellas.gov.
  • People who live in a mobile or manufactured home must always evacuate when an evacuation is ordered.
  • People who are dependent on electricity for medical equipment are also at risk and should plan to evacuate.

Make a plan

  • Keep your family safe by creating or updating your hurricane kit. Some key disaster preparedness items are exempt from sales tax in Florida. Tax-free items include batteries, tarps, gas containers, portable generators and more. Find a list of recommended items at disaster.pinellas.gov.
  • To help you prepare your home and plan for all of your family members, including children, people with special needs and pets, review the Pinellas County 2026 Hurricane Guide, available online and at the following locations:
    • Lealman Exchange, 5175 45 St. N., St. Petersburg
    • The Centre, 1500 16th St., Palm Harbor
    • Pinellas County libraries
    • Municipal buildings
    • Pinellas County Government offices
  • Residents of all ages who have medical needs or require transportation assistance may be eligible for the Special Needs Evacuation Program. Learn more and register at disaster.pinellas.gov or call (727) 464-3800.
  • If you own a boat, learn how to prepare it for hurricanes at Pinellas.gov/BoatPrep.
  • Businesses, community associations and other organizations can partner with Pinellas County to share important emergency preparedness information with our communities. Sign up for the Partners in Preparedness program at Pinellas.gov/EMpartners.

Stay informed

  • Use only trusted sources for timely, consistent and reliable local information. Listen to, follow and like Pinellas County Government (Facebook: @PinellasGov,  Instagram: @PinellasGov, X: @PinellasEM and @PinellasGov); your favorite local news station; and the National Weather Service Tampa Bay forecast office on social media.
  • Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the County via online chat at pinellas.gov/chat.
  • Sign up for Alert Pinellas to receive timely notifications.
  • Download the Ready Pinellas app in the App Store or Google Play.
  • Have a NOAA weather radio – battery-operated or hand crank.

For more information on emergency planning as well as real-time updates during emergencies, visit disaster.pinellas.gov.