TAMPA, Fla. — From local governments to the people they serve, everyone is in full preparation mode for whatever Hurricane Ian may bring into Tampa Bay.
Sandbag locations are now open throughout Tampa Bay. Gina Snyder made the trip to a Pinellas Park location Sunday to prepare.
"I've been here since 2004. Irma was the first real hurricane, and I rode that one out actually with one of my best friends," she said.
This time, Snyder said she'll wait out Ian with friends who have never experienced a storm before.
"They're going a little crazy. 'What does this mean? What does that mean? What do I do now? Oh my god, they said this.' I just don't keep it real. So at this point now, I believe maybe three, four are coming to my house. Yeah, a couple dogs. I'm in a non-evac zone. So we're just gonna we're gonna ride it out and hunker down," she added.
Moments later, Alberto Maisonet and his family showed up to fill up sandbags as well.
"I've been here since Hurricane Elena back in '85. But Irma was pretty, pretty strong, you know, so knocked the power out and stuff like that," he said.
Both say they're not taking Ian lightly.
"Battening down the hatches, getting the house ready, getting the animals secured and the family," he said.
"Just doing the normal preparations; water, you know, basic things you can eat that you don't have to cook. Lots of tuna. Sandbags not only for myself but picking up for others that can't get them at the moment," said Snyder.
In one day, the county wore down three mounds of sands.
Meantime, county leaders say they spent the weekend focused on their own preparations.
Tim Dudley is Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director. He said the county is working hard to prepare.
"We always hope for the best, but we will need to do everything we can to be ready in the event we are impacted by this intensifying storm," he said.
Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, as well as Tampa and St. Pete, are under local states of emergency. That's in addition to the statewide emergency declaration.
"The county has 5,000 employees and we work throughout the year to make sure they know their role. When activated for an emergency like tropical storm Ian," said Bonnie Wise, the Hillsborough County Administrator.
Both Hillsborough and Pinellas have cleaned storm drains, ditches, and culverts.
Pinellas County will open special needs shelters and two general population shelters Monday evening.
Hillsborough County Schools is closing Monday to prepare all 49 shelters for any evacuees throughout the state.
While an evacuation order isn't in place, Sheriff Chad Chronister said you should be prepared just in case.
"During a storm like this, the number one killer is flooding. Our area, our community, our county is already saturated with a lot of water. It's not going to take a lot to cause that flooding. So I say that because if an evacuation order is given, please heed that warning," he said.
Wise said Hillsborough could see 15 to 20 feet from Ian.
Bad news for downtown Tampa where flooding is possible at 11 feet. An area Mayor Jane Castor tells Good Morning America's Rob Marciano is home to important locations, such as Tampa General Hospital.
"It worries me, I mean, that keeps me up at night without a doubt. But we have, we have gone through our preparations, our exercises. I like to say that we don't mind rehearsing. We do that over and over and over. We just don't want to be on the big stage," said Mayor Castor.
County leaders also stress the importance of knowing your evacuation zones ahead of the storm. It’s recommended you evacuate at least 20 miles away from your home.
