Pinellas officials have issued their first evacuation orders ahead of Idalia, the tropical storm swirling south of Florida that’s expected to hit the state as a powerful hurricane later this week.
County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for those living in evacuation Zone A and for all mobile home residents.
The release noted the threat of “life-threatening storm surge” in the county once the hurricane hits. The evacuation order goes into effect at 7 p.m. Monday.
Residential health care facilities are also included in the order, the release said. Get updates at www.tampabay.com.