Mayor Jane Castor Media Availability Tropical Storm Ian Storm Preparations News Emergency Management, News General, News Mayor Office, News Tampa Fire Rescue, News Tampa Police[...]

Mayor Jane Castor will be available to speak about the City of Tampa's efforts to ensure the community is prepared for potential severe weather on Sunday, September 25 at 9:15 AM at the MacFarlane Park Sandbag Distribution Site.

In preparation for Tropical Storm Ian, Mayor Castor has remained in constant communication with state and regional partners, Hillsborough County leaders, as well as City of Tampa staff, to make sure all necessary resources are in place.

"Our Emergency Management Team is closely monitoring developments with Tropical Storm Ian," Mayor Castor said. "It takes a whole city approach to ensure the public safety of our residents, and that's why I am so focused on preparing now for whatever path the storm may take. My goal is to continue to provide the up-most level of service to all our residents during times of emergency."

Here are just a few of the actions taken at Mayor Castor's direction to prepare:

• Activate three sandbag locations for residents that will open Sunday at 9:00 AM.
• Top off all generators assigned to City of Tampa buildings, including the Emergency Operations Center, to guarantee a constant supply of power in case of outages.
• Take an inventory of the City's fuel. This ensures the vehicles used by the Tampa Police Department, Tampa Fire Rescue, Solid Waste Department have sufficient access to fuel before, during and after the storm.
• Clear out storm drains, inlets and drainage systems to prevent localized flooding
• Secure all City of Tampa Parks, community centers and buildings, removing or tying down anything that could be flying debris

City of Tampa staff is expected to continue storm preparations throughout Sunday and into early next week.

In the meantime, Mayor Castor continues to encourage residents to prepare now for the potential severe weather by taking the following steps:

• Stay informed with Alert Tampa
• Follow @AlertTampa on Twitter
• Text TAMPAREADY to 888-777
• Text TAMPALISTA to 888-777 for alerts in Spanish
• Register at Tampa.gov/AlertTampa for voicemails and emails
• Have a plan and stay informed
• Create your Disaster Supply Kit

Also remember your evacuation zone may have recently changed. Make sure to find your correct and updated evacuation zone.

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