Hurricane Dorian: Hillsborough County Announces Closings

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Hillsborough County Emergency Management officials are urging continued vigilance as Hurricane Dorian approaches Florida's East Coast.

With the forecast still uncertain, it is important that residents be prepared in case the track brings it close to Tampa Bay.

Hillsborough County Closings

After being briefed by Hillsborough County Emergency Management, Hillsborough County Public Schools has made the decision to cancel school on Tuesday due to Hurricane Dorian.

This decision is based on a number of factors:

• The likelihood of schools being called upon to serve as shelters, both for people from the area and other Floridians coming over from the east coast
• The potential for dangerous weather conditions and heavy rain in the area Tuesday
• The likelihood of high winds Tuesday, which would prevent our school buses from operating and impact students traveling to and from school

School officials will continue to work with emergency officials and will provide updates on the status of school for Wednesday when the path of the storm becomes clearer.

Hillsborough County's conservation parks and preserves are closed through Labor Day. The closure frees up about 150 county employees to help with sandbagging efforts.

The Pet Resource Center is closed through Labor Day.

Hillsborough County's Customer Call Center has extended hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents can call (813) 272-5900.

Many libraries in Hillsborough County will be closed on Saturday, Aug. 31, and all locations will be closed on Sunday, Sept. 1.

These libraries will be open regular hours on Saturday:

• Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico
• Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa
• Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa
• New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa.

The remaining Tampa-Hillsborough County libraries will be closed Saturday. All libraries will be closed on Sunday. Library staff have been called to assist the county's Customer Call Center Hurricane Dorian operations.

Preparing For The Storm

• Have an emergency plan.
• Know your evacuation zone. This is not the same as a flood zone. Hillsborough County's Hurricane Evacuation Assessment Tool (HEAT) provides valuable information.
• Prepare a seven-day supply of nonperishables and water for you and your family
• Inventory your hurricane supplies and make final purchases of provisions that can last through a prolonged power outage. Each family should have food, water and medicine for seven days. This includes one gallon of water per person per day.
• Restock prescriptions if needed.
• Each hurricane kit should include flashlights or battery-powered lanterns, manual can openers and a first aid kit.
• Secure your home. Remove or securely anchor outdoor items that could become projectiles.
• Make an emergency supply kit for your pets.
• Organize important documents such as passports, insurance information, bank and credit card information, prescriptions and medical records into a portable container that is waterproof.
• Sign up for emergency notification from HCFL Alert.

Sandbags Available

To help residents prepare for potential flooding from the pending storm, Hillsborough County will continue making sandbags available to the public at three county parks.

Sandbags will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday at the following locations:

• Edward Medard Conservation Park, 6140 Turkey Creek Road, Plant City
• E.G. Simmons Conservation Park, 2401 19th Ave. NW, Ruskin
• Ed Radice Park, 14720 Ed Radice Drive, Tampa

Hillsborough County residents are eligible for a one-time maximum of 10 sandbags per family. Residents must show ID verifying they live in the county; a drivers license or utility bill will serve as proper identification.

Public Meeting Signs

In anticipation of high winds, Hillsborough County is removing temporary road signs which provide information about upcoming public meetings. This does not mean these meetings are canceled. The signs will be reposted after the storm is over.