Last year, on September 27 2024, I lost my home and everything I own to the deadly tidal surge that Hurricane Helene brought to Pinellas County. My neighbors did not evacuate until it was too late. Kathy two doors down had to be cut out of her house and almost died. I know my neighbors will never ignore an evacuation order again.
These are the reasons I survived.
1. I pre-registered with Pinellas County Emergency Management Special Needs Evacuation Program. They called me and reviewed my application, and accepted me into the program because I am blind and in evacuation zone A.
As Hurricane Helene approached, a very nice fireman called as the shelters were opening for the storm to offer me a ride to a shelter. He gave me good information on the storm, my evacuation zone, and the timeline for a ride to my nearest shelter.
To register online, go to https://forms.juvare.com/PINELLASCO-Special_Needs and do it now, before storm season. They have shelters for pets and medical assistance. Full information is here:
https://pinellas.gov/special-needs/
For more information, call Pinellas County Emergency Management at 727-464-3800.
2. I knew my evacuation zone. Find yours here: https://kyz.pinellas.gov/
3. I had the Alert Pinellas app on my iPhone with my address and was receiving real time evacuation notices for my location. Sign up here: https://member.everbridge.net/453003085614894/new
Or here: https://pinellas.gov/ready-pinellas/
4. I was familiar with everything in here:
For preparedness tips and information, visit www.disaster.pinellas.gov.
5. I made certain that Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts were enabled on my phone. These can be found under Settings -> Notifications, all the way at the bottom under Government Alerts.
6. I had the MaxTracker app on my phone so I could watch the hurricane approach and make decisions based on realtime data.
7. I watched the tidal surge maps that NOAA provides on https://www.noaa.gov/ This is how I knew we were in trouble, and I evacuated when I saw the tidal surge map indicate over 6 feet surge. My house was at 11 feet of elevation, and ended up with three feet of water and white caps in the living room. They also have wind speed, rainfall, everything you need to know to make good informed decisions.
8. I watched Dennis Philips on ABC Action News, and had the app on my phone. I did not freak out until he freaked out. And when he freaked out, I had a friend come get me and we went to her house in Clearwater and cooked the bacon that was in my freezer while my SimpliSafe water alarms went off like crazy and then were silent.
9. I signed up for the Intuitive Painting course at Dunedin Fine Art Center taught by Linda Feinstein and did some artwork during and after the storms to help process the trauma.
10. I wandered the Caribbean for the winter while I waited for insurance and FEMA.
11. Still waiting but safely on high land as the 2025 hurricane season looms.
Be safe!
WW Rocks 
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