Collier County management gathered in the Emergency Operations Center on Oct. 9, monitoring approaching Hurricane Milton and warning the public about confirmed tornados.
After offering free bus service to area emergency shelters, Collier Area Transit services were suspended Oct. 9, as were garbage and recycling collections. County and city officials warned residents in Zones A and B to leave for a safer area, while Marco Island and Naples leaders warned that driving curfews will begin at 4 p.m.
By 2 p.m. Oct. 8, Marco Island residents had filled all available parking spots off-island at Florida SouthWestern State College and city officials urged residents to leave the island to find shelter with family, friends or other lodging. All Marco gas stations closed by Oct. 9.
“We expect tropical storm-force winds and flooded roads,” Marco Island officials reported in a Marco Island Town Hall Facebook post.
Marco officials asked residents to turn off water, noting that if water lines on a dock break, water will flow freely, causing flooding and lowering water pressure.
The National Hurricane Center reported hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph was about 130 miles west of Fort Myers, moving at about 16 mph. The center warned tornadic supercells were beginning to cross south Florida, and that a storm-surge warning, tropical-storm warning and hurricane watch remain in effect for coastal Collier County, and a tropical-storm warning and hurricane watch are in effect for inland Collier.
Naples City Manager Jay Boodheshwar provided a 10 a.m. update on YouTube and will continue to provide them throughout the day.
“We are expecting and preparing for Ian-like conditions,” Boodheshwar said, adding that peak conditions will start at 3 p.m., with water levels beginning to rise and Hurricane Helene debris already compromising the stormwater system. “Our community is saturated with five days of heavy rainfall. … Remember, Hurricane Helene destroyed our berms. … Mandatory evacuation is underway.”
Once winds reach 45 mph, he said emergency personnel won’t be able to respond.
The city’s Fourth Avenue parking garage is full and Boodheshwar warned residents not to park electric vehicles on the first floor of any parking garage, or they will be towed. “Find a higher location and make sure they are parked at least 50 feet away from buildings,” he said.
All beach ends, including Naples Pier, are closed. www.NaplesPanorama.org will provide a live feed of Naples Pier and water conditions, unless it goes off line.
Everglades City officials told residents to monitor the Everglades City Strong Facebook page for updates and to send code word “Everglades” to 239-522-4455 to receive text updates.
Officials urged residents to watch TV and online news reports, official Facebook pages and to tune in to 1690 AM radio or the following FM stations: 69.9, 89.9, 90.1, 96.1 and 101.1. Residents also are urged to download the FPL and LCEC free apps in case of power outages, or call 1-800-4OUTAGE to report an FPL outage, or 800-599-2356 for LCEC.
Collier Sheriff’s deputies were busy preparing and staging equipment and were working with Naples and Marco Island police, adding extra patrols to monitor roadways and warning drivers to turn around if they encounter flooded roadways.
The Sheriff’s Office warned that if drivers see a flashing red light to treat it like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow light means to proceed with caution and no lights should be treated like a four-way stop sign.
The special-needs shelter, located at Palmetto Ridge High School at 1655 Victory Lane, is open for registered special-needs residents and their caregivers. General population shelters are open at Gulf Coast High School, Immokalee High School and Golden Gate High School.
Registered service animals are allowed in all shelters, while pet-friendly shelters are at Corkscrew Middle School, Golden Gate Middle School, Cypress Palm Middle School, Immokalee Middle School and Oakridge Middle School.
Steve Brooder, CEO of St. Matthew’s House homeless shelters in Naples and Immokalee, provided an update on YouTube on Oct. 9 and urged the homeless to consider a shelter.
“If you are without a home, or living outdoors near Naples or Immokalee, please come to safety in our shelters,” Brooder said. “You’ll find a caring staff, adequate resources, and a path forward. Please come in.”
The food pantry will be closed for a few days and scheduled food distributions in LaBelle and Immokalee are postponed. “But we are ramping up plans to distribute food and resources post-storm,” he added.
