Downtown Gulfport, Florida has flooded with storm surge from Idalia. The Gabber Newspaper/007 Computer Services
Downtown Gulfport, Florida has what Pinellas County Emergency Management officials expect will be “long-duration” flooding.
At 12:30 a.m. Aug. 30, the storm surge started breaching G. Gordon McFly, Gulfport’s iconic Gecko statue west of the Gulfport Casino.
By 7 a.m., the flooding looked much like the photo you see above, captured from The Gabber Newspaper’s web cam.
Although Idalia has passed Tampa Bay, the area is still getting gusts up to 60 mph, Pinellas County Emergency Management reports.
With significant flooding reported along all Tampa Bay Beaches, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has closed access to all the barrier island communities.
Some traffic signals are not operational. Motorists who cannot avoid being on the road should treat any intersection with a inoperable traffic light as a four-way stop. However, PCEM implores people to remain sheltered and off the roads.
Officials expect the storm surge in Tampa Bay to outlast Idalia’s gusts.
Read all The Gabber Newspaper’s Idalia updates.
Both Pinellas County and The Gabber Newspaper encourage residents and visitors to get their forecast updates at the National Hurricane Center. The NHC releases updated forecasts and advisories at 2 a.m., 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11 p.m. We strongly discourage readers from taking weather advice from any other models.
Timely Holiday
Florida’s annual “Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday” will run through Friday, Sept. 8. That means Floridians can buy things such as generators, dish soap, and batteries without paying the state sales tax. Here’s the list of items included in the Disastar Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
