Pinellas County workers training to run hurricane shelters ahead of 2025 season

Evacuation shelter training

Briona Arradondo reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - One of the most important things to know is where you’ll go when a storm hits, and Pinellas County workers are going through their final training on how to run shelters as hurricane season begins on Sunday.

"We had around 1,700 people for Hurricane Helene and close to 14,000 for Hurricane Milton," said Adam Pedzich, the response and recovery manager for Pinellas County government.

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Those Pinellas County residents came to shelters when they needed a safe place to stay during the storm for themselves and their pets. This hurricane season, county workers are training staff to make sure they’re ready to do it again.

"We do 10 trainings so far this year where we bring in the staff, and it’s everything from the administrative paperwork to how to set up a shelter to how to register someone," said Pedzich.

Pedzich presented information on what workers need to know, especially having activated four times in three years, from Ian to Idalia, Helene and Milton.

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"It’s stressful for our staff. It’s stressful for the residents. That’s one of the things we teach is just kind of that mental health component," said Pedzich. "We can help deescalate situations, so we don’t have to get law enforcement. Sometimes people just need somebody to talk to."

Dig deeper:

About 100 county staff members work with county school staff, police, fire and cafeteria workers to keep the evacuation shelters running at local schools.

"Even after those shelters close, especially last year, people still need a place to go. Maybe their house was damaged. So then, we may move to a recreation center or a church in collaboration with some of our other partners to keep that shelter ongoing after we’re out of the schools," Pedzich said.

Hopefully, Pinellas won’t have to issue any evacuations and open shelters. But if the time comes, county workers are ready.

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"Sometimes, even if you’re not in an evacuation order, it may be a good idea for you to come to a shelter. Just have your plan in place and know where you’re going to go," said Pedzich.

What you can do:

Pinellas County officials said they always have a general population, pet-friendly and special needs shelters available for residents. They have a free hurricane expo on Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Willis S. Johns Recreation Center in St. Petersburg.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Briona Arradondo.

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