As Hurricane Milton approaches, here’s where USF students can evacuate to

*The National Hurricane Center’s 4 p.m. Monday advisory shows a storm surge forecast. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER*

As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast, USF has shut down all campuses and on-campus residence halls.

Though campus residents can evacuate to Jennings Middle School, this shelter is closed to non-residential students.

This means students who do not live in an on-campus dorm should consider different evacuation plans.

Dean of Students Danielle McDonald advised students who live off campus to look for other shelters in the area in a university wide email sent Monday evening.

McDonald suggested evacuating to Pizzo K-8 School, 11701 USF Bull Run Drive, which is located on the Tampa campus. The shelter is not pet-friendly or special needs equipped.

Here’s a list of other Hillsborough County shelters you can evacuate to if needed.

Pet-friendly shelters:

Burnett Middle School, 1010 N. Kingsway Road, Seffner, FL 33584
Durant High School, 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City, FL 33567
Middleton High School, 4801 N. 22nd St., Tampa, FL 33610
Shields Middle School, 15732 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin, FL 33573
Sickles High School, 7950 Gunn Highway, Tampa, FL 33626

Those bringing animals to one of the pet-friendly shelters must bring a carrier that allows room for the pet to stand up and move around, a collar with a leash and supplies to last seven days.

Special needs, pet-friendly shelters:

Erwin Technical College, 2010 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, FL 33610
Sumner High School, 10650 County Road 672, Riverview, FL 33579
Strawberry Crest High School, 4691 Gallagher Road, Dover, FL 33527

The special needs shelters are only for those with medical issues who require electricity assistance or have cognitive issues that would not be supported in a general population shelter, Hillsborough County’s website states.

If you need to move to a county evacuation shelter, bring your disaster kit with bedding, medications and hygiene items.

However, try not to overpack since each resident may only have space the size of approximately one sleeping bag or 20 square feet.

Alcohol, illegal drugs and weapons are not permitted in shelters.

USF St. Pete students can find shelters closer to their campus on the Pinellas County website. The closest shelter to campus is Gibbs High School, 850 34th St. S., St. Petersburg.

USF Sarasota-Manatee students can find closer shelters on the Sarasota or Manatee County websites. The closest shelter to campus is Booker High School, 3201 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota.

USF St. Pete campus and USF Sarasota-Manatee campus are both in mandatory evacuation zones. USF Tampa Campus isn’t located in an evacuation zone.

Hillsborough County’s website says residents should first try to evacuate with friends, family or to a hotel/motel outside evacuation zones.

Shelters are a last resort and should be used only if you have no other options for evacuation, the website states.

However, sheltering is recommended if you live in a structure built before 2002 and in a flood-prone area.

HART buses will run free evacuation services and extend emergency operations until 8 p.m. on Tuesday for those who need transportation to shelters, according to HART’s website.

USF parking garages are open while the campuses are closed and are available to those with a parking pass, according to USF’s FAQ page.

The City of Tampa is also offering free garage parking to all residents in low-lying flood-prone areas, according to the Tampa government website.

Students will receive updated information through USF’s official social media channels, the FAQ list, MyUSF and email.