Stay Informed - Pinellas County (2024)

During an emergency

During an emergency, Pinellas County provides up-to-the-minute information to help you protect yourself, your loved ones and your property. During an emergency, check the Emergency Information page frequently for the latest official information. Pinellas County activates the County Information Center to answer your questions. You can reach the information center by calling (727) 464-4333. Hours of operation will be announced through alerts, social media and the Pinellas County website.

Alerts

Alert Pinellas

Sign up for Alert Pinellas to receive messages about emergencies and other important community news. Alert Pinellas is an emergency notification service for Pinellas County, local municipalities and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. This service is free to our residents and delivers urgent messages on a variety of situations, such as severe weather, boil water notices, missing persons or evacuations.

NOAA Weather Alert Radio

NOAA Weather Alert Radios deliver automatic alerts from the National Weather Service. We recommend that you configure the radio to receive alerts only for Pinellas County using the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME). Each model of the radio has different instructions for setting it up, so check your owner’s manual. For Pinellas County, use SAME code 012103.

Free Mobile Apps

Ready Pinellas

Ready Pinellas is a mobile app designed to help residents prepare themselves and their families. It is also invaluable in the case of an emergency, with up-to-date information and notifications that are pushed through to your device. There is information that can be uploaded to your phone so that it will be available to you in the case of power outages and loss of cell service. It is available for free download on theApple App StoreandGoogle Play.

Florida 511

The Florida 511 mobile app provides real-time traffic conditions and incident information for the state of Florida. It is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can alternatively receive Florida 511 information via text message or social media.

Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a social network where you can see news and updates local to your neighborhood or city. Pinellas County and other official agencies use Nextdoor to disseminate important information during emergencies. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play You can also access the network by using the Nextdoor website, which has options for email and text messages.

Social Media

Pinellas County Government

Facebook for Pinellas County Government: @PinellasGov
Twitter for Pinellas County Government: @PinellasGov
Twitter for Pinellas County Emergency Management: @PinellasEM
YouTube for Pinellas County Government: PinellasGov

Resources

Pinellas County 2023 Hurricane Guide

In Pinellas County, it is important to Know Your Risk, Make a Plan, Stay Informed and Get Involved. The Hurricane Guide can help you navigate the ways to prepare and stay safe. It is available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The printed guides are available at:

Pinellas County Libraries
Municipal buildings
Pinellas County offices

Individuals and organizations can also pick them at the following locations:

Lealman Exchange, 5175 45 St. N., St. Petersburg (Lealman area, right off of 54^th). Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Centre, 1500 16 St., Palm Harbor. Open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Pinellas County Connection Television (PCC-TV)

PCC-TV offers information on county programs, services and live coverage of press conferences during emergencies. Watch online or on your television by tuning to Spectrum 637, WOW 18 or Frontier 44.

News Media

Pinellas County provides frequent updates to local news media during emergencies. Be sure that you are getting your information from trusted media outlets. You can confirm important information through official government platforms like this website, Pinellas County social media, the County Information Center and Live Chat.

Live Chat

Operators are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to answer your questions. Live Chat becomes part of the County Information Center during emergencies and may be preferable for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. It can be found on any page on thePinellas County website.

Videos

Pinellas County maintains a collection ofeducational videos and animationsabout how to prepare for different kinds of emergencies.

Ready-Set-Protect Webinar Series

In the Ready-Set-Protect Webinar Series, Pinellas County Emergency Management and affiliated community partners discuss preparation, evacuation zones, emergency shelter options, special needs, and insurance considerations, providing information and resources to assist the community in best preparing for hurricane season.

General Hurricane Preparedness

LINK TO RECORDIN G (1 hour) English

LINK TO RECORDING (1 hour) Spanish

Videos for Disaster Preparedness

FAQs

What is Alert Pinellas? ›

Receive alerts about emergencies and other important Oldsmar news by signing up for Alert Pinellas. This service is FREE to our residents and businesses to sign up to receive urgent messages on a variety of situations, such as: • Mandatory Evacuations. • Boil Water Notices. • Severe Weather.

Is there a tsunami warning in Pinellas County? ›

There is No Tsunami Warning, Advisory, Watch, or Threat in effect.

Know More ›

Are there sinkholes in Pinellas County? ›

To some extent, yes, anywhere in Florida has some risk of sinkholes. On the west coast in the Tampa area Pasco County and towns in Pinellas like Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor have a lot more sinkhole activity than further South in Pinellas County. If you want to be sure, us a call or check with your insurance company.

What is a Purple Alert in Pinellas County? ›

The Florida Purple Alert is used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from a mental or cognitive disability that is not Alzheimer's disease or a dementia-related disorder; an intellectual disability or a developmental disability; a brain injury; other physical, mental or emotional disabilities that are ...

Read The Full Story ›

What is the alert program? ›

The Alert Program® is a practical approach to help all team members choose strategies to change or maintain appropriate states of alertness at home, school, or other settings. The Alert Program® is based on how the body processes sensory information.

Find Out More ›

Is Pinellas County, Florida under evacuation? ›

Pinellas County is currently not under an Evacuation Order

Use this tool to search for your address to identify your evacuation zone.

Discover More ›

How far inland can a tsunami go in Florida? ›

Here's the Gist: Florida's Tsunami Risk - Not Exactly Godzilla, But Still Something to Keep in Mind. Most likely culprits: Earthquakes in the Caribbean or Puerto Rico Trench. Distance traveled: Anywhere from a few hundred feet to a a nail-biting mile or more.

Where is sinkhole Alley in Florida? ›

There are three counties surrounding Tampa in Florida's central swath that compose Sinkhole Alley: Hernando, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties. The state's sinkhole problem is largely due to the soluble limestone base that lies beneath the ground's surface.

Explore More ›

What does the emergency alert do? ›

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Other authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial alerting authorities may also use the system to deliver important emergency information such as weather information, imminent threats, AMBER alerts and local incident information targeted to specific areas.

Discover More ›

What is the alert services? ›

What is an alert? Alerting services are an excellent way to keep informed of the latest information on your area of research or interest. Alerting services are available from subscription databases, LibrarySearch, publisher's web pages and other web resources.

See Details ›

What is Community Alert Pinellas County? ›

Receive free alerts about emergencies and other important community news by signing up for Alert Pinellas, an emergency notification service for Pinellas County, Local Municipalities and the Sheriff's Office that allows you to receive urgent messages on a variety of situations, such as severe weather, boil water ...

Get More Info Here ›

What does state of alert mean? ›

An alert state or state of alert is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a state against natural disasters, terrorism or military attack.