Residents of St. Petersburg prepare for Hurricane Helene

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – As Hurricane Helene moves closer to Tampa Bay, many people in evacuation zones are packing up and leaving the area.

One of those areas is the Shore Acres neighborhood, where residents like John Rummel are preparing their homes for possible flooding and making sure their belongings are in safe places.

“The predictions have been pretty consistent, so I just want to play it safe,” he said.

Rummel said flooding has been common in the three years he and his family have lived in the area.

He said that’s why he is doing everything he can to protect his home before leaving the area.

“I’m not worried about the wind,” he said. “The wind is somewhat manageable, but storm surge has always been a problem in this area.”

Mitchell Palmer is another person preparing to leave his neighborhood.

He works for Park Electric and said he expects to have to repair a lot of storm damage in the coming days. But first, Palmer said, he’s making sure his house is safe.

“Pick up everything in the garage that could get wet and that shouldn’t get wet,” he said. “Pick it up and get it out of the way.”

There are six shelters in Pinellas County, two of which are in St. Petersburg at Gibbs High School and John Hopkins Middle School.