Tampa mayor urges residents to prepare for hurricane season

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane season officially begins on June 1. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor says the city is ready, but she’s urging everyone to come up with their own hurricane preparedness plan.

“We are as prepared as we possibly can be but if we take a direct hit from a hurricane it will not be pretty. We will not be able to clean it up in a day or so,” said Castor.

She notes that since it’s been more than 100 years since Tampa has taken a direct hit from a major storm, some people just don’t take hurricane season seriously.

“There is a great deal of complacency. People feel it’s not going to hit us, it’s going to make a turn at the last moment, but you can’t take that chance,” Castor said.

The mayor said people with special needs should come up with their personal evacuation plan in advance. According to Castor, the best way to do that is to register with the city on its website, Tampagov.net.

Brian Lamarre with the National Weather Service predicts we’ll have a “normal” hurricane season this year, but that doesn’t mean people can let their guard down.

“We forecasted a near normal season last year and we were correct. We also saw Hurricane Ian, a killer hurricane that devastated southwest Florida. It only takes one storm to change your life forever and to change the lives of many in communities,” said Lamarre.

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