Update 8/24/12 9:30 AM
Dial 2-1-1 for evacuation and shelter information in Lee County, 3-1-1 in Collier.
The Lee County Emergency Operations Center has ordered a mandatory evacuation for the following areas of the county:
Bonita Beach
Fort Myers Beach
Big & Little Hickory Islands
Black Island
Lovers Key
San Carlos Island
Five hurricane shelters will be opened this morning:
The Red Cross will operate hurricane shelters at Varsity Lakes Middle School and East Lee County High School. Those shelters will open at Noon today.
Lee County will operate hurricane shelters at Island Coast High School, South Fort Myers High School and Dunbar High School. The shelter at South Fort Myers High School will be the ONLY pet friendly shelter. Pets are not allowed at any other public shelters. These shelters will open this morning at 11:00 a.m.
Lee County Health Dept. is also opening a Special-Needs Shelter at Harborside Event Center at 11am.
Collier County has made a recommendation for a voluntary precautionary evacuation of some areas of the county.
- areas West and South of U.S. 41 and the adjacent low lying areas.
- mobile and modular home residents in the unincorporated areas of Collier County.
Collier County Emergency Management will manage the following shelters beginning at 10 a.m.:
· Golden Gate High School, 2925 Titan Way, Naples
· Cypress Palm Middle School, 4255 18th Ave NE, Naples
· (Limited Pet Friendly) North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Rd., Naples
· (Special Needs – pre-registered) Palmetto Ridge High School, 1655 Victory Lane, Naples
(The Red Cross is indirectly supporting these sites)
The Lee County Emergency Operation Center announces that if the projected 5 to 7 foot storm surge is still in the forecast tomorrow morning, it will call for mandatory evacuations for parts of the county. Director John Wilson says EOC will make the call following Sunday’s 5:00 a.m. forecast by the National Hurricane Center. The decision regarding possible mandatory evacuations will be announced by 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning. If mandatory evacuations are enacted, they will affect the following areas of Lee County:
Boca Grande
Sanibel Island
Captiva Island
Fort Myers Beach
Bonita Beach
Lee County Barrier Islands of Cayo Costa, Upper Captiva & Useppa
Low lying areas along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, North Fort Myers and Cape Coral
Low lying areas in Bokeelia, Pineland, St. James City and Matlacha on Pine Island
Director John Wilson says if the mandatory evacuations are enacted, people will have a short period of time to act. He recommends those living in the above areas immediately begin preparing for that possibility.
Collier County emergency management officials recommend a voluntary precautionary evacuation of some areas of the county.
- areas West and South of U.S. 41 and the adjacent low lying areas.
- mobile and modular home residents in the unincorporated areas of Collier County.
The American Red Cross is working with local governments to open several evacuation shelters Sunday.
Collier County
The Red Cross will manage the following evacuation shelters beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday :
· Immokalee High School, 701 Immokalee Rd., Immokalee
· Immokalee Middle School, 401 N. 9th St., Immokalee
Collier County Emergency Management will manage the following shelters beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday:
· Golden Gate High School, 2925 Titan Way, Naples
· Cypress Palm Middle School, 4255 18th Ave NE, Naples
· (Limited Pet Friendly) North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Rd., Naples
· (Special Needs – pre-registered) Palmetto Ridge High School, 1655 Victory Lane, Naples
(The Red Cross is indirectly supporting these sites)
Lee County
The Red Cross will be managing the following evacuation shelters beginning at 12 p.m.
· East Lee High School, 715 Thomas Sherwin Ave, Lehigh Acres
· Varsity Lakes Middle School, 801 Gunnery Rd N., Lehigh Acres
Lee County Emergency Management will manage the following shelters beginning at 12 p.m.
· (Pet Friendly) South Fort Myers High School, 14020 Plantation Rd., Fort Myers
· Island Coast High School, 2125 De Navarra Pkwy, Cape Coral
Hendry County
The Red Cross will open the following evacuation shelters beginning at 12 p.m.
· Labelle Middle 8000 E. Cowboy Way, Labelle
· Clewiston Middle School 601 Pasadena St., Clewiston
Glades County
Glades County Emergency Management will release evacuation shelter information.
The Red Cross has deployed or has put on alert half of the nationwide Red Cross fleet of emergency vehicles to respond in Florida and along the Gulf Coast if needed. More than 1,000 Red Cross disaster workers have been deployed in Florida and 30,000 ready-to-eat meals and two mobile kitchens have been sent to the state.
GET READY Before the storm, people should prepare by taking the following steps:
· Close windows, doors and hurricane shutters. If someone does not have hurricane shutters, they should close and board up their windows and doors with plywood.
· Fill their vehicle’s gas tank.
· Bring in anything that can be picked up by the wind, like outdoor furniture.
· Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and keep closed as much as possible so food will last longer if the power goes out.