Though Pinellas County government has education programs in place to help these citizens prepare and find safe shelter, the responsibility for storm preparation rests with individuals and their families or caregivers. That planning needs to happen early. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE STORM IS RAGING. Emergency personnel may not be able to respond when high winds make road travel hazardous. Plan for safe shelter now.
Help Someone
with Special Needs
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Even if you don’t have special needs, you can help others who do. Look around your workplace, neighborhood or place of worship and offer a hand. Serve as a host home, help to answer questions or pick up a few extra survival kit items for someone else.
Here are some items you can download and distribute to help spread the word:
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Special needs shelters are not open at this time
 Special Needs Shelter Locations:
Dunedin Middle School
70 Patricia Ave.,
Dunedin
Oak Grove Middle School
1370 S. Belcher Rd.,
Clearwater
John Hopkins Middle School
701 16th St. S.,
St. Petersburg
Residents with Special Needs Should Register:
Residents with certain medical conditions can get help during an evacuation. Special needs shelters will open for those requiring MINIMAL medical assistance. Preregistration is strongly recommended.
- Complete this online version and click the "Send Form" button to submit it.
- Download the form in pdf
 to print and mail.
- Call Pinellas County Emergency Management
at (727) 464-3800 to receive a form by mail.
- You can also call your nearest fire department or home health care provider.
- Once registered, you will be contacted for more information. After a medical needs review, your eligibility will be assessed. If you don’t qualify for a special needs shelter, other options will be discussed with you. If you are registered and need transportation to a shelter, your local fire department will contact you before an evacuation.
- If you have your own transportation to a special needs shelter, preregistration is not required but it is strongly recommended.
- You may bring your caregiver and/or family with you to a special needs shelter.
- Service animals may go with you, but other pets need to be cared for by making prior arrangements. If you are registered and eligible to go to a special needs shelter, call Pinellas County Animal Services at (727) 582-2150 to register your pet. Animal Services will make arrangements for your pet to be taken to a host home.
- You are not obligated to go to a special needs shelter once registered, if you have made other safe and secure arrangements.
What to Expect from a Special Needs Shelter:
The Pinellas County Health Department and School Board staff these shelters with nurses and other medical personnel. Oxygen is available, but air conditioning may not be available if power is interrupted.
Before going to a shelter, arrange to bring at least a two-week supply of any medications you need along with any needed portable equipment. If you have special diet requirements, be sure to pack your own special nonperishable snacks. For your own comfort, bring items such as bedding, sheets, pillows and blankets. Cots are available only on a limited basis and are not guaranteed.
Special needs shelters do not have hospital beds and cannot assist those with acute medical problems.
Good Advice for all Residents with Special Needs:
Whether you go to a special needs shelter or not, here’s some good advice to keep in mind when
preparing for hurricane season:
- Start a personal support network of people you can count on during an emergency.
- Create an emergency health information card that is customized to you.
- Complete an emergency contact list with names and phone numbers of family members, friends, doctors, insurance information and hospital preferences.
- Conduct an ability self-assessment. Know what you can and cannot do. Talk with your health care provider about a realistic plan.
- Maintain a current list of medications and at least a two-week supply.
- Keep important equipment and assistive devices in a consistent, convenient and secured place.
Shelter Accommodations:
Assistance at a special needs shelter is limited to basic medical monitoring and back-up electricity for lighting. The shelter will be inside a school and will likely be crowded and noisy. Cots may not be available for everyone. While this is a safe location to ride out a storm, it is not for everyone. Many citizens require more comfortable accommodations as mobility restrictions make it impossible to sleep on the floor or a cot. In these cases, the Host Homes program is an excellent alternative.
On Track With Transportation:
For those who need to evacuate, but don’t have their own transportation, a hurricane can cause anxiety. Pinellas County officials want to make sure that everyone can get to safe shelter.
If you sign up for the special needs registry, you will be asked about your transportation plans. If you need a ride to a shelter, your local fire department will be in contact with you to make arrangements when the time comes to evacuate.
If you don’t require special needs transport, PSTA buses will run nearly all their routes until it’s no longer safe to travel. During an evacuation, buses will also run from transfer stations to local shelters. All rides are free during an evacuation. Be prepared in advance by locating your nearest bus stop. Some people may not qualify for special needs transport, cannot ride the bus and have no other means of transportation to evacuate. If you are in that situation, contact your local fire department or the Department of Emergency Management, in advance, for special assistance. Take advantage of the help that is there for you. Don’t stay in a dangerous situation just because you don’t have your own ride. (Call the PSTA InfoLine (727) 540-1900. For current route information during a storm go to www.psta.net/hurricanerideralert.htm.)
Helping the Elderly:
Older adults, especially those living alone, have unique concerns that should be addressed before a storm nears Pinellas County. Increased stress and anxiety can be a factor leading to more incidents of illness, particularly for those seniors with heart disease or respiratory troubles.
If you are an older adult who doesn’t require special needs assistance, you don’t have to ride out the storm alone. Many senior communities are in non-evacuation zones, so start a Hurricane Club with other people from your neighborhood, social group or place of worship. Meet to discuss preparations such as who might serve as a host home and make a list to divide up supplies to gather before a storm.
Sign up for the free community notification service to get up-to-date storm information. This news can be passed along through a phone tree to friends and neighbors. If a hurricane warning should be issued, the phone tree would then advise all members to meet at the host home and remind them to bring emergency supplies.
It bears repeating that, regardless of age, if you live in a mobile or manufactured home, you must leave when the evacuation order is given. A clubhouse is likely not a safe place to weather a storm. Get together with others in your neighborhood to find host homes.
If you are an older adult living in a nursing home, assisted living facility or boarding home, contact the administrator to learn about emergency preparations. Let your friends and family members know about the facility’s plans and give them important contact information before a hurricane threatens the area.
If you are homebound, discuss your plan with your caregiver.
Special Needs Supply List:
Some additional items to be considered:
Wheelchairs:
- A patch kit and extra inner tubes
- Gloves in case of broken glass or debris
- An extra battery and/or a converter for charging
Visual impairments:
- Talking or Braille clock
- An extra white cane, magnifier and glasses
- Mark your disaster supplies with fluorescent tape
Hearing or speech impairments:
- Extra batteries for hearing aids
- Pencil and paper for communicating emergency information
- Power converter for your laptop
- Preprinted key phrases you would use in an emergency
Personal supplies:
- Two-week supply of dressing materials, nasal cannulas or suction catheters
- Two-week supply of prescriptions
- Cooler for refrigerated medications
- Special dietary food
Other Things To Know & Do:
- Florida law requires that utility companies offer a “priority reconnection service” for people with disabilities who use power-dependent equipment. Contact your utility company to get placed on the list.
- Wheelchair users need to have more than one exit from their residence that is wheelchair accessible. Practice how to escape from your home.
- Wear medical alert tags. Also write down special instructions for emergency personnel in a brief and direct format, such as, “I am deaf, please write down your instructions” or “Please take my medication from the refrigerator.”
- The National Weather Service has information on its website to help the hearing impaired utilize NOAA Weather Alert Radios for emergency weather notifications. Go to www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/special_need.htm.
- Keep cash on hand in case you need to buy special supplies.
- Be an advocate for yourself! Practice how to quickly explain your condition and your adaptive equipment to someone who is helping you.
- Know how local authorities will warn you of a pending disaster.
- Build a support network of friends, family and neighbors. Let them know your needs in an emergency situation and how they can assist you with your plan.
- Connect with a local neighborhood group such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), neighborhood watch, neighborhood associations or a nearby place of worship.
- Make sure your local fire department knows your needs. Preregister if you need transportation or a spot in a special needs shelter.
- A NOAA Weather Alert Radio can wake you when severe weather is threatening.
- Be ready for local officials to come door-to-door to deliver emergency warnings and follow their instructions.
- If you are going to a public shelter, wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes. Have your “go bag” ready and let an out-of-town contact know where you are going.
- Take at least two-weeks worth of medication with you.
- Be sure to get your prescriptions refilled.
- Have a list of contact numbers and a copy of your personal medical information.
- If you stay home, never use candles when the electricity goes out. Stick to flashlights and lanterns.
- Help your friends and neighbors by sharing this information!
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Frequently
Asked Questions:
What
is this program?
The Pinellas County Special Needs/Evacuation
Assistance Program is for individuals who have
no other evacuation plan and need government
sheltering and/or transportation assistance
during an emergency. The program provides transportation
to general shelters, special needs shelters
or a healthcare facility. It also can provide
special needs sheltering for those that meet
the criteria and are unable to make any other
arrangements for shelter during an emergency.
How do I register?
You can fill out the form on-line and it will
go to Emergency Management. The form will then
be sent to the appropriate fire department.
They will contact you for more information
and to confirm that you are entered into the
program. Forms are also available from your
home healthcare provider or by calling your
local fire department, Emergency Management
(464-3800) or the Pinellas County Health Department
(820-4155). For transportation, your local
fire department will contact you prior to any
evacuations. You do not need to be registered
to go to a special needs shelter if you have
your own transportation, but we strongly encourage
it. You must be registered if you need transportation
to a shelter. Do not wait until there is a
threat of an evacuation, you may be too late. Register
now!
How do I know
if I am eligible?
For transportation, if you have no other way
to get to a shelter you can register for transportation
assistance. For special needs shelters, if
you have no other options for sheltering and
you require limited medical assistance such
as oxygen, assistance with routine care and
medications, or you are dependent on electricity
you may qualify for the special needs shelters.
Shelters do not have hospital beds, and cannot
assist those with acute medical problems. When
you fill out a registration form, the Pinellas
County Health Department will determine if
you are eligible for a special needs shelter
and advise you directly or through your local
fire department.
Can this program
help me at other times?
This program is activated only when we have
a declared county emergency, an evacuation
is ordered and shelters are opened. However,
if you are registered as a special needs person,
the local fire department will have that information
in the event of a localized situation that
may require your notification or evacuation.
What is available
at the Special Needs Shelters?
The Department of Health and the Pinellas County
School Board staff these shelters with nurses
and other medical personnel. Oxygen is available
at the special needs shelters. You will be
provided normal meals only; you will need to
bring any special dietary foods you may require.
Hospital beds are not available at the shelters;
you must bring comfort items such as bedding,
pillows, sheets, and blankets. Air conditioning
will be available as long as power is available.
While the special needs shelters may have generators
for essential electrical devices, none will
have air conditioning if power is lost. You
must bring any medications you require (at
least a seven day supply), as well as special
equipment you may need such as your oxygen
concentrator, canulas, tubing, etc.
What about
my pet?
Service animals may go with you, but other
pets need to be cared for by making prior arrangements.
If you are registered and eligible to go to
a special needs shelter, call Pinellas County
Animal Services at (727) 582-2600 to register
your pet. Animal Services will make arrangements
for your pet to be taken to a host home. If
you are going to a pet-friendly shelter you
are responsible for your own transportation.
What if I am
in a non-evacuation zone?
If you are in a non-evacuation zone and you
are not in a manufactured or mobile home, you should
stay home unless told otherwise. Stock up on
supplies and take steps to make your home safe.
Your home will be the most comfortable place
during a hurricane. If you are electrically
dependent, talk to your home healthcare provider
or your physician about what you should do
in the event of loss of power to your home.
If you are on liquid oxygen you will not need
electricity. If you are on gaseous oxygen, talk
to your supplier about what to do during an
emergency.
What if I register
and do not qualify for a special needs
shelter?
If you do not qualify for a special needs shelter
you will be advised by the Dept. of Health or
your local fire department. Depending on your
situation, you will be directed to go to a
general population shelter or we will work
with you to find an appropriate medical facility
where you can shelter during an emergency.
Pinellas County
Emergency Operations Center
Department of Emergency Management
Citizens Information Center
(727) 464-3800
(during an emergency activation call (727)
464-4333)
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