Pinellas County announces school, office closures through Friday

Yep, it's that time again. Image via AP.

Pinellas County will be closing all district schools and offices starting Tuesday, with the closures continuing through Friday in preparation of Hurricane Ian. The closures also include all meetings, sports and extracurricular activities.

Makeup days will not be announced until after the storm, officials noted. More updates are expected to come throughout today and the remainder of the week.

While the county has not yet issued any mandatory evacuations, officials are urging residents to prepare and get out, especially those in areas prone to flooding.

The county is expected to start mandatory evacuations in the coming days, but for now, officials are allowing residents some flexibility before shutting down.

The areas the county is looking to evacuate include Level A, Level B, and Level C, emergency management director Cathie Perkins said at a Monday news conference. Perkins urged residents to check their evacuation zones, information that can be found here, as the county updated the map this year.

Perkins said that as the storm continues to shift more to the east, Pinellas County will feel more significant winds. At this point in time, she said, the county is planning for a Category 3 storm to hit.

One of the biggest challenges Pinellas County residents could face is flooding. With 10 to 15 inches of rain expected, Perkins advised those in areas prone to flooding to protect their homes, raise belongings and be prepared.

As for shelters, the county will begin to open general population shelters Monday night at 6 p.m., and continue to open additional shelters Tuesday morning. Perkins encouraged those that could stay with friends or family inland to do so.