Public hurricane advisements are generally delivered through commercial media outlets. Whereas some have trained meteorologists to report on weather, others use broadcast personalities to deliver reports provided by contracted services. Entertainment is also a factor, including stalwart bodies who brave the elements by standing on a beach as a storm develops. Rarely are hurricane storm surge advisories provided by individuals who are trained in ocean physics, and because of this, misconceptions abound. For instance, hurricane storm surges are neither a wall of water, nor are they a mound of water beneath the low pressure center that is dragged ashore by the storm, and the Saffir–Simpson 1–5 category scale of storm intensity (1 being a minimal hurricane, with sustained winds of 74–95 mph, or 64–82 kts, and 5 being a very pronounced hurricane, with winds in excess of 157 mph, or 137 kts) is not a reliable determinant of how large a storm surge may be at any given location. Additionally, flooding by storm surge is not the primary public safety factor; instead, the waves that may accompany the storm surge are what destroys structures and takes lives. This chapter will endeavor to explain what a storm surge is and (by using Hurricane Katrina as an example) provide specifics on how damage and loss of life may ensue. It will then explore the potential vulnerability of the Tampa Bay region to landfall by a major hurricane.