PCSO urges barrier island residents to get emergency access permits [Video]

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is urging people and business owners to prepare for potential hurricanes now. That includes emergency access permits for people who live on the barrier islands. It allows people to visit their homes after a mandatory evacuation initiated by a hurricane.

“It was really scary, especially for my parents, like I said, it was when they just moved here. My parents were petrified,” said Jessica Gilley who lives at Madeira Beach.

Gilley and her parents moved from Kansas and said when Hurricane Idalia came through, they didn’t know what to expect.

“We were used to going to the basement, not a long term, days and days of is our house going to be wiped out today?” said Gilley.

They were under a mandatory evacuation, and when they got back after the storm, the priority was to check on their belongings.

“It is …