Collier County is waiving fares on Collier Area Transit buses and will open nine shelters Oct. 8, including special needs and pet-friendly options, but officials warned they should be a last resort during Hurricane Milton.
The county and cities of Naples, Marco Island and Everglades City have all declared a state of emergency. A mandatory countywide evacuation order for Evacuation Zones A and B, which experience the highest storm surges, went into effect at 6 a.m. and includes Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City, Goodland and Chokoloskee. County officials urge residents to prepare and to stay with family or friends in a safer, higher area and closed all public services at noon Oct. 8, two hours after closing all beaches and boat ramps.
National Hurricane Center is warning there will be life-threatening storm surge and the Florida Division of Emergency Management has partnered with Uber to offer free rides to and from emergency shelters. Residents can open the Uber app, tap “account” on the bottom right, then “wallet” and add promo code MILTONRELIEF.
The special-needs shelter at Palmetto Ridge High School, 1655 Victory Lane, will open at 2 p.m. for special needs residents who registered, in addition to their caregivers. Officials ask residents to bring toiletries, clothing and battery chargers.
Residents must abide by all shelter rules and cannot bring weapons, alcohol or drugs and smoking is prohibited, except in designated areas outside.
At 4 p.m., general population shelters will open at Gulf Coast High School, Immokalee High School and Golden Gate High School. Registered service animals are allowed in all shelters. Pet-friendly shelters will be at Corkscrew Middle School, Golden Gate Middle School, Cypress Palm Middle School, Immokalee Middle School and Oakridge Middle School.
Residents must provide written proof of rabies and distemper vaccines and abide by all shelter pet rules. Exotic pets aren’t allowed and pets must remain in cages, not in common areas; there are no exceptions for emotional-support animals.
The county ran out of sandbags the evening of Oct. 7 at three distribution centers, and the remaining sand in Immokalee was gone by the morning of Oct. 8, officially ending the county’s sandbag operations after about 500 tons.
Hurricane Milton is maintaining its Category 4 status, with winds at 150 mph, and is moving 9 mph east-northeast, about 480 miles west-southwest of Naples, the National Hurricane Center reported in an 11:15 a.m. advisory, which warned it’s expected to reintensify into a Category 5 storm Oct. 8 and downgrade to Category 3 by Oct. 9 due to wind shear.
A storm-surge warning, tropical-storm warning and hurricane watch are in effect for coastal Collier County, and a tropical-storm warning and hurricane watch are in effect for inland portions of the county. National Hurricane Center is reporting an increasing risk of dangerous storm surge, 4 to 7 feet over portions of coastal Collier County, with sustained hurricane- and tropical-storm-force winds.
Residents are urged to prepare for wind, flooding, storm surge and possible tornadoes and those in mobile homes and in flood-prone areas are urged to move elsewhere.
Marco Island is providing updates on its webpage and city hall Facebook page, including store closings and gas availability. Residents can park their vehicles off-island at Florida SouthWestern State College, 7505 Lely Drive. To stay up-to-date, city officials urge residents to register for CodeRED public-safety updates by texting MICODERED to 99411.
Naples city officials are posting updates on its webpage and city Facebook page.
County officials are asking residents to register for AlertCollier and to download the free Collier 311 app. Residents are asked to call 911 only in emergencies and to report problems by calling 311 or by using the free app.
Naples Police are asking residents to call 239-213-3000 to request assistance, such as for roadway obstructions and downed power lines, and to call 911 if there’s an emergency.
Collier County sheriff’s deputies will work jointly with Marco Island and Naples police, adding extra patrols as part of a joint coastal-security plan.
