Following a devastating 2024 hurricane season, city officials and fire rescue leaders emphasize early preparation and updated evacuation zones.
TAMPA, Fla. — With hurricane season set to begin Monday, the City of Tampa is adding another tool in its belt. At a hurricane preparedness expo Saturday, city leaders unveiled the first of its kind City of Tampa Hurricane Preparedness Guide, a direct response to the hard lessons learned during the historic impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
The event, which drew at least 400 attendees to Cordelia B. Hunt Community Center, served as a stark reminder of the region’s vulnerability. Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Barbara Tripp noted that the storms two years ago proved that wind speeds and traditional maps don’t tell the whole story.
“We had a lot of homes that were damaged,” Chief Tripp said. “They were not in an evacuation zone, but due to other situations that the community should know about when we have backup of the rivers and stuff, their home or their area may be affected by it.”
The new guides provide residents with essential local phone numbers and recovery resources. However, for some attendees like Riverview resident Ishmell McKithen, the expo provided more than just information. McKithen, a first-time attendee, won a free generator in an unexpected raffle.
“Keep your food fresh while power might go out. So, we’re excited about that,” McKithen said, reflecting on the peace of mind the equipment provides to him and his wife. She was the one who first heard about the expo. “If the power stays off for an extended period of time, we’ll be alright. The food will be alright. Lights will be on, so on and so forth.”
For many in the Tampa Bay area, the memory of the 2024 season remains a source of anxiety. McKithen recalled the chaos of trying to escape the path of Hurricane Milton.
“It was difficult leaving. It was mass exit,” he said. “We ended up looking for a hotel and believe it or not, we didn’t find a hotel until Atlanta.”
First responders emphasize that knowing your specific Hillsborough County evacuation zone is the most critical step in avoiding such “mass exits” and ensuring safety. While McKithen admitted he had not yet checked his updated zone, he noted, “we have the information now, so now we’ll know.”
Zone A is the first zone to be evacuated. This year, there is more red in the Town ‘N Country and Apollo Beach areas. If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, your evacuation zone is always Zone A.
Zone C is expanded in Citrus Park and Palm River. Zone E encompasses a large part of New Tampa that was previously not in an evacuation zone.
The city also used the expo to showcase its tactical readiness, displaying heavy equipment used for water rescues and debris clearance. The goal was to provide a visual assurance of the city’s capabilities while reminding citizens that they share the responsibility of preparation.
“We don’t want people to sit at home and say it won’t happen to me because we’ve learned from the past that it has happened,” Chief Tripp said. “We have a lot of our equipment out here as well to show what the City of Tampa is capable of doing when it comes to rescuing citizens, residents in their home.”