Pinellas Sheriff Warns: “Everyone Just Needs to Get Out”

CLEAR WATER – Hurricane Helene's storm surge could reach 5 to 8 feet in Pinellas County, where Sheriff Bob Gualtieri had strong words for residents along the coast.

“I'm just going to get to the point and put it in really clear language,” the sheriff said Thursday morning. “Everyone just has to get out.”

The sheriff's comments came during a meeting as county officials urged residents of Evacuation Zone A – which includes both coasts and other low-lying areas – to evacuate. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued on Wednesday.

“That doesn’t mean they have to go to Georgia. That doesn’t mean they have to go to North Carolina,” Gualtieri continued. “Go to US 19. Just get out of the area you can't get out of this afternoon and early evening.”

Forecast of the rise of Hurricane Helene

Helene is expected to make landfall in the Big Bend this evening and make landfall near Tallahassee as a strong Category 3 or 4 hurricane. But the storm's wide wind field creates huge waves and pushes huge amounts of water in front of it – water that washes ashore as the storm passes.

The National Hurricane Center warned that storm surge could reach 8 feet along the Pinellas coast and around Tampa Bay. Minor coastal flooding was already a problem Thursday morning, with the worst flooding expected Thursday evening.

RELATED: Hurricane Helene Pinellas County updates and information

Gualtieri said there were still “far too many people” who had not left Zone A and warned that rescue workers may not be able to carry out rescue operations in worse conditions.

“It will reach a point where you are on your own. We will not have our people killed because they don’t want to listen to what we say,” he warned.

“We’ve all heard the saying: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” Gualtieri added. “Someone’s going to win a stupid prize because we don’t come.”