Updated on: 10/11/24 4:40 pm
Stay off the roadways if possible. Emergency response crews continue to clear roadways, assess damage and restore utilities such as power and water.
If you must be on the roads, proceed with caution. Treat all non-working traffic signals as four-way stops.
Residents with questions about non-urgent matters can call the Emergency Information Hotline. United Way activated the hotline earlier this week. Call United Way 211 by dialing 2-1-1 or (239) 433-3900 with questions related to closures and real-time updates, Call 9-1-1 for urgent or life-threatening matters.
ROADS & BRIDGES
- For updated road closure information visit local Law Enforcement social media.
- County crews continue to assess bridges. Follow the direction of any law enforcement on site.
- Downed power lines, some could be live wires and debris.
- Traffic signals impacted due to lack of power.
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Captiva – Blind Pass Bridge with access to Captiva Drive is open to residents only. Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sanibel Police assisting with traffic control.
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Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach – crews continue clearing over-wash sand.
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Boca Grande – Lee County Public Safety and DOT are coordinating with the bridge authority and Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office to get the bridge open soon to residents.
- DOT clearing bicycle/golf cart path for use by emergency vehicles.
- DOT restoring multiple washed out intersections.
- Some side streets remain unpassable. Working to establish limited access.
- The measures for drainage that Lee DOT put in place last month during Hurricane Helene have proved effective.
FEMA Disaster Assistance
Homeowners and renters who have uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Helene, visit
www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 to determine eligibility for FEMA disaster assistance.
WELFARE CHECKS & SHELTERS
WELFARE CHECKS:
Government and local Fire Rescue Departments have partnered to provide welfare checks to help out-of-area people check in on family and friends in Lee County after Hurricane Milton passes.
The partnership was announced Wednesday night just after the storm made landfall north of Lee County.
People only need to email
WelfareStormChecks@leegov.com with the following information about the people they wish to check on:
Name
Address
Phone number
Watch a video to learn more about the welfare check program.
English |
SpanishSHELTERS:
The following shelters are open to the public.
Please bring your own shelf-stable food and enough up to three days to support you and your family. Refrigeration will not be provided.
Visit the
Public Shelters landing page for more information.
Please note: not all shelters are open; only shelters marked as Open are available.
All shelters are pet-friendly. Pet owners are responsible for pet food, and medications and should have all animals on a leash or in a crate.
HURRICANE DEBRIS CLEANUP:
Storm debris pickup will begin at sunrise Monday October 14th
Debris must be placed in the right of way for collection - collection crews will not enter your private property to remove debris.
Crews ask that you separate materials into different piles: normal household trash, vegetation, construction and demolition, appliances and electronics. Do not place storm debris into bags.
Please do not place material next to mailboxes, power poles, or fire hydrants.
Do not set hazardous waste at the curb – please take it to the Household Chemical and Electronic Waste Facility, 6441 Topaz Court, Fort Myers.
Remember, all work done to repair a structure requires a permit from our Department of Community Development (email; FIRMinfo@leegov.com) OPERATIONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Lee County Government offices will open Monday for regular hours.
Go to
www.leegov.com/departments for specific office or operational information, as some may have slight adjustments in the wake of the storm.
Any unincorporated Lee County Residents or Businesses within the Special Flood Hazard Area with any damage to their homes or businesses, including water intrusion,
must obtain a permit for all repairs. Please email
FIRMinfo@leegov.com for assistance with permit requirements and resources, and be sure to include the following information:
• Contact Information
• Property Address
• Type of Damage
• Height of the water that entered the home
Residents also can find more information
here.
- If you’re in a municipality, contact the appropriate entity for permit assistance.
- County staff will be in neighborhoods this weekend.
Residential Collections
- Residential garbage collection will resume on Monday, October 14.
- Recycling and yard waste collection are suspended until further notice due to the expected high volume of household garbage. Reinstatement of recycling and yard waste collection TBD.
Storm Debris Collection
- Storm debris pickup will begin at sunrise Monday
The most important task is to put Hurricane Milton debris to the curb for collection crews.
Do not use black plastic bags for Hurricane Milton debris. This is a strict FEMA regulation. Following it will ensure the county can be reimbursed for debris removal, which saves local taxpayer dollars.
The county’s debris-management sites are being cleared of Helene debris and mobilized for Milton.
Be patient. The county will conduct multiple passes until all debris is collected.
- Storm debris is collected separately from household garbage. Storm debris collections will begin Monday, October 14. The County will complete multiple phases to ensure all debris is collected.
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Place storm debris at the curb in five separate piles: garbage, yard waste, construction debris, appliances, and electronics. Federal Emergency Management Agency rules require documentation of the volume and type of debris collected to reimburse the county for storm cleanup.
- Garbage must be placed in a 40-gallon can or heavy-duty plastic bag, each weighing no more than 50 pounds. If you have a larger county-provided container for automated garbage collection, you may use that as well.
- All household hazardous waste can be delivered to the County’s Household Chemical Waste facility located at 6441 Topaz Ct. Fort Myers, 33966, free at no cost to all Lee County residents.
- Yard waste must be placed in a container (50 pounds or less), or securely tied into bundles not heavier than 50 pounds and no longer than 6 feet in length. Please do not place yard waste in a plastic bag.
To expedite collection, do not place anything beneath low-hanging obstacles like trees or power lines or near anything like fire hydrants or mailboxes.
Food must be removed from any appliance set at the curb. Inedible food should be placed in the garbage with your weekly regular garbage collection.
Private & Gated Communities
FEMA regulations require that private or gated communities have a current Right of Entry and Indemnification form on file with Lee County before any disaster debris recovery crews are allowed to enter the community. Lee County has an easy online process for submitting the necessary paperwork.
Forms are available for communities located within unincorporated Lee County. If you are unsure if your community has a current Right of Entry form on file, please have your community association manager or homeowners association president call 239-533-8000.
What do residents of gated communities need to do?
Remember, all work done to repair a structure requires a permit from our Department of Community Development (email:
FIRMinfo@leegov.com).
- Libraries are all closed.
- Item due dates and hold pick up dates for physical materials will be extended.
- Electronic resources are available online at www.leelibrary.net/online.
- Staff continues to evaluate sites.
- All Parks sites remain closed today, including parks, recreation centers, sports complexes, beach sites, pools and boat ramps.
- Monitor the
Parks website for openeings – some sites will reopen this weekend.
- The start of the popular Fall Festival at Lakes Park has been delayed. This includes the Halloween Express, Pumpkin Patch and Scarecrows in the Park. Monitor the parks website for updates on when it will begin.
- Water is continuing to recede as normal.
High tide has already occurred today.
No anticipated sheet flow from the north in the coming days
Despite the surge, Milton was not a heavy rainfall event for Lee County.
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Lee County Utilities has turned water back on for Fort Myers Beach at noon Wednesday 10/10/24
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Assesing Facilities and running off generators when needed
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No anticipated boil water notices except for Fort Myers Beach
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All other Lee County Utilities operations continue as normal
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Animal Services has resumed field operations and will be making emergency calls a priority.
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Animal Services anticipates opening our Lost and Found department Friday, Oct. 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. so residents can locate missing pets or bring in found pets so they can be reunited with their owners.
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Lee County residents who currently have a Milton foster can bring them back to the shelter as early as Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., but would appreciate anyone able to foster through the weekend.
- LeeTran will assist with the shelter consolidation operations today and anticipating normal bus service on Saturday.
Paratransit services are operating to assist with emergency response.
ULTRA Mobility On Demand services in Bonita Springs and Lehigh Acres are still temporarily suspended.
Buses can be tracked in real time through the transit app or LeeFare app while emergency services are completed, and regular fixed routes are not running on their normal published schedules.
FOLLOW LEE COUNTY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Lee County Government on social media for up-to-date information.
EMERGENCY ALERT TOOLS
Lee County Preparation
Teams throughout Lee County Government worked to ensure the county was as prepared as possible for impacts from Hurricane Helene. Examples include:
Department of Transportation
Staff scheduled extra on-call personnel within Operations and Traffic divisions to work overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday to monitor road conditions.
DOT Operations inspected drainage structures in lower-lying areas to make sure they are flowing freely and coordinating with Department of Natural Resources on weir gate operations to provide space for water to stage, where appropriate.
Natural Resources
Staff monitored and evaluated hydrologic conditions from the network of sensors and gauges including groundwater levels, stream level and rainfall to assist in determining areas most vulnerable to flooding;
Staff worked with South Florida Water Management District to clean creeks and streams of exotic and obstructing vegetation, recognizing in many cases they serve as the major watercourses for flood relief and documenting pre-storm conditions along our critically eroded beaches.
Human & Veteran Services
In partnership with Human & Veteran Services and law enforcement, the Salvation Army opened an additional 40 beds at the Center of Hope LIFNAV Center, 2400 Edison Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901 for people experiencing homelessness.
The department’s HVS Reach app, which is available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, was also updated. Persons experiencing homelessness can sign up to receive push alerts from the app.
News Releases
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Municipalities & Partners
Municipalities
Constitutionals
National Weather Service provides active weather alerts, current conditions, and weather forecasts.
STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY
A State of Local Emergency is something municipalities and counties declare to help them prepare for and respond to situations such as hurricanes. A SOLE helps with governmental procurement processes, helps the community receive funds for recovery, and enables the ability of government to make decisions in response to the emergency that can be subsequently ratified.