New county signs will warn of storm surge depth danger

It's one thing to hear emergency officials warn about a hurricane's storm surge covering parts of Hillsborough County with 13 feet of water and another to look up and see just how far above your head the water will be.

By the end of the month, 30 signs will be posted in parks and along county roads to graphically portray the height water could rise if a major hurricane hits.

A Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricane roaring up the mouth of Tampa Bay could push a wall of water 13 to 17 feet high that would wash ashore and up rivers. The water could reach three miles inland in some parts of Hillsborough.

That wall of water, called a storm surge, is the reason evacuations are ordered when storms approach. Surge is the main killer in hurricanes.

The signs, paid for by a $30,000 Department of Homeland Security grant, are intended to drive home the threat.

They will say that in a major hurricane water will rise to the level indicated by an arrow pointing to the bottom of the sign, which will be set at the surge height.

"The principal reason is to remind people that storm surge is serious. We wanted to reinforce it," said Eugene Henry, Hillsborough County hazard mitigation manager.

Eight signs will be in county parks, with the first unveiled Thursday in Williams Park, 8749 U.S. 41, Riverview. All will be in place by the end of April, Henry said.

In south Hillsborough, the signs will be placed along roads from Ruskin to Progress Village. More will go up from Odessa to Town 'N Country.

Although the signs drive home how high the storm surge would be, they may not persuade huge segments of the population to evacuate, said Larry Gispert, director of Hillsborough County Emergency Management.

"My expectation is low, based on my experience. It's virtually impossible to convince people to evacuate," he said.

"But if one of those signs wakes up one person, it's worth it," Gispert said.