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By ANTHONY MacCARTNEY
The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - At 4 p.m., Hillsborough County declared a local state of emergency, but stressed that local evacuations will not be ordered unless Alberto’s path turns closer to the Tampa Bay area.
The decision is primarily an administrative one, allowing county officials to take special action if Alberto’s path changes overnight.
Portions of Hillsborough County could expect to see four to eight inches over the next couple of days as Alberto makes it way toward landfall near Florida’s Big Bend.
Gispert said the area, which has already seen 3 ½ to four inches of rain in the past two days, will benefit from the recent drought-like conditions, said Hillsborough County
Emergency Management Director Larry Gispert.
Much of the rainfall is expected to be soaked up by the parched soil, he said.
However, county officials are concerned about tomorrow’s high tide, which is expected to be at about 3 p.m.
A full moon will increase the tide, threatening to cause some coastal flooding.
People who live in areas that are prone to flooding should prepare and can go to one of four evacuation centers that will open tonight at 7 p.m., Gispert said.
Those areas include along Bayshore and West Shore boulevards in Tampa, Apollo Beach and portions of Town ‘N Country.
Public schools will be closed Tuesday, Gispert said, but government offices will remain open.
The county will also open its Emergency Operations Center at 8 a.m.
Alberto is expected to generate wind gusts of greater than 40 miles per hour, but most county operations will not be greatly impacted, Gispert said.
Some high-profile emergency vehicles will not operate once winds exceed 40 miles per hour, Gispert said, and trash pickup may also be suspended once the winds pick up.
But high winds are not expected to be sustained, he said.
The American Red Cross is opening four shelters at 7 p.m. Those will be located at The First Apostolic Church at 1830 30th Street in Ruskin; The Bible Based Fellowship Church, 8718 N. 46th Street, St. John’s Presbyterian Church at 4120 N. MacDill Ave. and Town ‘N Country Baptist Church, 7601 Jackson Springs Rd., all in Tampa.
Residents with questions about where to pick up sandbags or other precautions can call the county’s InfoLine at (813) 272-5900.
