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Post-Hurricane Milton overview, warnings and recovery tips

Although Pinellas County avoided the catastrophic storm surge that occurred south of Tampa Bay, Hurricane Milton brought hurricane-force winds and record rainfall overnight. The storm took down power lines and trees, damaged homes and caused severe localized flooding – only two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated our coastal communities.

Today (Thursday, Oct. 10), responders are still conducting search and rescue missions, and county and utility crews are clearing roads, repairing infrastructure and working to restore services. At noon, about 75 percent of the County was without power, more than 140 pump stations were damaged, and only three of the County’s 14 hospitals were accepting new patients due to various impacts to the others. City of St. Petersburg and City of Gulfport residents were under a boil water notice.

Residents should limit unnecessary travel for the next several days so crews can remove hazards, restore power to traffic signals and repair infrastructure. Tampa Bay Water, the overall provider of water to the region, asks all customers to conserve water as crews work to assess and repair water systems.

Preliminary impact reports

  • Law enforcement conducted several rescue missions, including a major water rescue at The Standard Apartments in Clearwater on Thursday morning. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Clearwater Police Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and other partners pulled 430 residents from flooding that reached the second-floor balconies.
  • Inland communities that flooded during Tropical Storm Debby this summer flooded again and may continue to see flooding over the next few days.
  • More than 11,000 people took advantage of the county’s public shelters, as most residents followed the County’s mandatory evacuation order of zones A, B and C and all mobile homes. Lives were saved and dangerous rescue missions were averted.
  • The roof of Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays’ home, was torn off by high winds.
  • Due to various storm impacts, the only Pinellas hospitals that are accepting patients as of Thursday afternoon are Clearwater Morton Plant, Mease Dunedin and Mease Countryside. New trauma patients must be transferred out of county.

County offices and parks are closed through Friday, Oct. 11.

Advice & Information for Residents

  • Avoid downed power lines. Report downed lines to the power company if you can.
  • Avoid flooded areas and standing water. Do not wade through floodwaters, which could have live power lines, sewage, wildlife and dangerous objects.
  • Try to stay off of the roads as much as possible. If you must drive, treat an intersection as a four-way stop sign if traffic lights are not working. Do not drive through standing water.
  • 9-1-1 is for reporting life-threatening emergencies only – not damages or power outages.  Report issues such as downed traffic lights, broken traffic signs or other damage to public infrastructure through SeeClickFix at pinellas.gov/SeeClickFix
  • Report damage to your home or business at disaster.pinellas.gov
  • Use a generator safely. Keep generators in well-ventilated locations outside, away from all doors, windows and vent openings. Never use a generator in a garage, even with the door open.
  • Water-damaged power outlets can cause fires. Keep your power off after home flooding until an electrician can take a look.
  • Photograph and list all damaged or lost items, including their age and value where possible. Take photos of how high the water was in the house. After photographing, remove any wet contents as soon as possible to prevent mold. Clean and disinfect everything that got wet.
  • Contact your insurance agent and file your insurance claim as soon as possible. Learn more at pinellas.gov/flood-insurance
  • Do not do work on your home that is beyond your limitations. Make sure contractors you hire are licensed. Learn more at pinellas.gov/choosing-a-contractor. If you do not have internet access, you can also call the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board at (727) 582-3100 beginning Monday, Oct. 14, and choose Option 2 for Licensing to check whether a contractor is licensed.
  • County Information Center closes at 8 p.m. and will reopen at 8 a.m. Friday. Residents can call (727) 464-4333. Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the County Information Center via online chat at www.bit.ly/PinellasChat
  • Get updates about Hurricane Milton recovery efforts by visiting disaster.pinellas.gov, Facebook @PinellasGov and X @PinellasGov; search hashtag #PCMilton