Florida city shuts off water ahead of Milton landfall

By Miranda Willson | 10/07/2024 01:18 PM EDT

Shutting off waterlines could help safeguard infrastructure and comes as Hurricane Helene water struggles persist in North Carolina.

ST PETE BEACH, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 26: Callie Padgett runs from a wave crashing ashore from the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Helene passes offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Later today, Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Callie Padgett runs from a wave crashing ashore from the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Helene passes offshore in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Sept. 26, 2024. The city has preemptively turned off water supplies ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall after its water system was affected by Helene. Getty Images

Water providers in Florida are preparing for Hurricane Milton’s landfall this week, with at least one city shutting off access to drinking water and plumbing altogether.

St. Pete Beach, Florida, is deactivating water lines starting tomorrow and “until further notice,” according to a notice posted Monday morning, as Milton was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane.

The announcement comes as some communities in southern Appalachia and the Southeast are still struggling to repair drinking water systems damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene.

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Shutting off waterlines will help safeguard the city’s water infrastructure as Milton approaches, according to Monday’s notice. St. Pete Beach residents are advised to prepare by storing water for drinking, cooking and sanitation and “making alternative arrangements for toilet facilities” as needed, the notice continued.

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