Post Hurricane Helene Cooling and Recharging Stations and other resources

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Information courtesy of ALERT PINELLAS

Pinellas County has opened cooling stations in areas where residents remain without power following Hurricane Helene. These stations will provide a place for residents to cool off and charge their phones.
 
They will be open today, Saturday, Sept. 28, until further notice at the following locations/times:

Clearwater:

  • Morningside Recreation Center, 2400 Harn Blvd, Clearwater – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Long Center, 1501 N Belcher Road, Clearwater – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Countryside Rec Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Drive, Clearwater – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • McMullen Tennis Complex, 1000 Edenville Ave., Clearwater – 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Moccasin Lake Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic Center, 900 N Martin Luther King Jr Ave., Clearwater – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • A Mother’s Arms, 714 N Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (limited capacity)
  • All Clearwater libraries will be open Saturday, Sept. 28, except for the Beach Library. 

 St. Petersburg City locations will be open Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.:

  • Azalea Recreation Center (1600 72nd St. N)Enoch D. Davis Center (1111 18th Ave. S)Robert Recreation Center (1246 50th Ave. N)

 St. Petersburg Community locations will be open on Saturday, Sept. 28:

  • City On a Hill Church (4265 13th Ave, N): Saturday, Sept. 28, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Mount Zion AME Church (1045 16th St. S): Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church (955 20th St, S): Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Madeira Beach

  • Madeira Beach City Hall, 14225 Gulf Blvd, Madeira Beach, Saturday, Sept. 28, – 8 a.m. to sunset. 

Seminole

  • Seminole Recreation Center, 9100 113th St, Seminole, Saturday, Sept. 28, – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Closed Sunday, reopening Monday, Sept. 30). 

Largo

  • Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Dr, Largo – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed Sunday, reopening Monday, Sept. 30).

Check with your local municipality for additional cooling station options.

Reporting Damages

  • All residents are encouraged to report damages at: pinellas.gov/reportdamage
  • This survey is for information gathering purposes only and can be used by the County to determine our community’s eligibility for storm recovery funding. You must still report any damage to your insurance company or FEMA if applicable.
  • If you are a business and have experienced storm-related impacts or loss of income, please report damages to floridadisaster.biz/.
  • 9-1-1 is for reporting life-threatening emergencies only – not damages or power outages. Report issues such as downed traffic lights, broken traffic signs or other damage to public infrastructure through SeeClickFix at pinellas.gov/SeeClickFix.
  • Photograph and list all damaged or lost items, including their age and value where possible. Take photos of how high the water was in the house. After photographing, remove any wet contents as soon as possible to prevent mold. 
  • Clean and disinfect everything that got wet.
  • Contact your insurance agent and file your insurance claim as soon as possible. Learn more at pinellas.gov/flood-insurance.
  • Do not do work on your home that is beyond your limitations, especially with large tree branches.
  • Make sure contractors you hire are licensed – unlicensed or fraudulent contractors often target desperate homeowners in the aftermath of hurricanes. Learn more at pinellas.gov/choosing-a-contractor. If you do not have internet access, you can also call the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board at (727) 582-3100 and choose Option 2 for Licensing to check whether a contractor is licensed.

Crisis Cleanup

  • Crisis Cleanup has activated the Hurricane Helene Cleanup Hotline: (844) 965-1386.
  • This is for people who need help cleaning up damage from the Hurricane Helene and connects people with volunteers from local relief organizations, community groups and faith communities who may be able assist with jobs such as mucks outs (cleaning up), trees, tarp, and debris.
  • All services are free, but service is not guaranteed. This hotline will remain open through Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Please note: This hotline cannot assist with social services such as food, clothing, shelter, insurance, or questions about FEMA registration. Volunteers work free of charge and provide the tools and equipment necessary to complete the work.

Water and Sewer

  • Pinellas County Utilities issued a boil water notice Friday, Sept. 27, for all southern barrier island customers from John’s Pass to Fort De Soto Park due to severe impacts from Hurricane Helene. This specifically affects St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Tierra Verde customers. More info: disaster.pinellas.gov. 
  • All residents are encouraged to minimize flushing toilets, washing dishes, laundry, dishwashers etc. to prevent wastewater backing up.
  • If you see water bubbling out of manholes, please report them by calling (727) 464-4000. 

Road and Travel

  • Treat an intersection as a four-way stop sign if traffic lights are not working.
  • Continue to review www.FL511.com for the latest traffic and bridge information. 

Volunteers

  • Individuals interested in volunteering can sign up via Volunteer Connect, a statewide online portal to match volunteers with organizations that are looking for help. Visit volunteerflorida.org/volunteerconnect.

For the latest recovery and resource information, go to disaster.pinellas.gov. The County Information Center remains open, call 727-464-4333 or go to www.bit.ly/PinellasChat for Hurricane Helene recovery questions.

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