TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa city leaders are giving away sandbags, answering questions through their call center and encouraging residents to prepare for Tropical Storm Debby.
Mayor Jane Castor was alongside Police Chief Lee Bercaw and Tampa Fire Chief Barbara Tripp advising residents of what they're doing and what they should be doing at a news conference on Saturday afternoon.
Castor made note of the three sandbag locations Tampa has, which are at Al Barnes Park, Al Lopez Park and Himes Avenue Complex. She said the city has provided more than 25,000 sandbags to residents so far using machines they bought last year to fill bags quickly and efficiently with sand without a lot of physical labor.
The mayor said the city has been prepared for the storm.
"We've got our storm drains cleared out. We've got our generators all checked in full. We're doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm," she said.
She encouraged residents to text TAMPAREADY OR TAMPALISTA to 888-777 for updated text messages in English and Spanish to get updated from the city.
Tripp said residents need to make sure they clear out any areas that could be flooded, use sandbags and warned people to not drive their cars or walk into floodwaters in case there are downed power lines.
The number for Tampa's Call Center is 833-TPA-INFO and people can ask weather-related questions from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Bercaw said Tampa police are providing safety and security by being at every sandbag location and will be at the one shelter open at Erwin Technical College. He also warned against not driving into standing water.
"The last storm that we had, we had police officers out there rescuing people in water that actually swept their cars away, so be safe and be prepared," Bercaw said at the conference.