To aid our residents as the storm approaches, Alachua County has activated the 311 Emergency Information Line (352-264-6557 if 311 is unavailable in your area). This is for questions and rumor control.

With hurricane watches in effect, Florida opens sandbag stations, urging residents in flood prone areas to prepare as a potential major hurricane approaches.

Complete coverage of important local, regional, state and national news events that affect the Tampa area are provided by the News Channel 8 morning news team.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 could hit Florida as Hurricane Helene later this week and several Bay Area municipalities have set up sandbag sites.

As forecasters watch a tropical disturbance that could become a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, some local governments in the Tampa Bay area started offering sandbags Monday. Officials note that while sandbags can be an effective tool to prevent minor water intrusion,

Helene is now a tropical storm, and it's expected to be a major hurricane when it impacts the Florida Gulf Coast this week. People in Tampa are racing to get ready, with huge lines of cars waiting for sandbags.