St. Pete Opening Sandbag Locations Early

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — With a tropical disturbance near the Yucatan Peninsula threatening the Tampa Bay area with the potential for severe weather and flooding early next week, the city of St. Petersburg is gearing up to help residents prepare.

The city announced Friday afternoon that it plans to open sandbag locations over the weekend so residents can protect their homes from potential flooding. Residents can report to the sandbag locations to assemble their own bags.

While the initial plan was to make sandbags available starting Sunday, the city announced Saturday morning it had changed the schedule. Since heavy rain is expected to move into the region starting Sunday night, the city now intends to make sandbags available to residents on Saturday and Sunday.

Sandbag operations will open from noon until 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, an email to media from the city said. Materials will be available at the following locations:

• Northeast Park, 875 62nd Ave. N.E., located at the Cardinal Drive entrance to Mangrove Bay Golf Course
• Bartlett Park/Frank W. Pierce Recreation Center, 22nd Avenue South between Sixth and Seventh streets.

“Based on the current forecast the main impact will be heavy rain, possibly exceeding seven inches,” the city warned in a Friday email.

See Also:

• Tropical Cyclone 'Likely,' Tampa Bay Prepares
• Hurricane Season 2016: Where To Find Local Information
• 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast Released
• Hurricane Season: How to Prepare
• Tampa Bay 'Ripe for Disaster,' Hurricane Experts Say

While still days away from being a direct threat to the Tampa Bay area, the area of low pressure near Mexico has been given an 80 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone over the next five days. The system is expected to move over the Tampa Bay area next week, bringing heavy rainfall with it.

Image via Shutterstock

Sign up for the St. Pete Patch newsletter and alerts!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, too!