No matter what the predictions are leading into hurricane season, Lee County officials prep year-round on plans and actions to take should yet another major storm impact Southwest Florida. 

While experts are predicting a below-average Atlantic Hurricane season for the first time in seven years, Emergency Management officials, and local residents, know it can only take one to make the year a significant one. Just look at last year. 

“There’s a lot of emphasis put on these long-term forecasts for what the season will yield,” said Lee County Director of Public Safety Ben Abes. “For us, it’s Ian. There was one storm that had a dramatic impact. Regardless of what the potential is… all it takes is one storm to impact you and your community. So, the emphasis for us is making sure, to the greatest extent possible, everyone in the community has a plan, is ready to put that plan in action, and is prepared for when we make the call to evacuate.” 

Last year’s season brought Florida’s most costly hurricane ever, and without question the most devastating storm to hit the Southwest Florida area. County officials want residents to keep in mind what occurred last year when it comes to preparing for the 2023 season. 

“I think what’s most important for the community, especially in the wake of Hurricane Ian, is to keep in mind those core principles that we reinforce each and every year,” Abes said. “We really want the community to remember they need to first have a plan, which means that they’re preparing for not only their family, but their home, their pets, and that they’re considering all the different aspects of planning.”

He said a major factor during Ian was residents needing time to prep for evacuation when the call already went out, instead of being able to leave right away. 

“One of the things we’ve taken away from Hurricane Ian is that individuals need to have (planning and prep) done and be ready to execute that plan when we call for an evacuation,” Abes said. “We heard from a lot of members in the community that they waited for word that it was time to evacuate to put their plan in place, which for them meant they were waiting to put up storm shutters, waiting to put trash cans away in their garage, and other personal preparation, until the actual evacuation order was issued. We want people when we’re two or three days out to really start thinking about what are the things they can do proactively so that when we call for that evacuation, that they are ready to take the steps necessary to get on the road and get to a safe place.”

Abes said all of these prep guidelines are also useful in any natural and manmade disaster situation such as tornados, floods, or hazardous materials being released. 

So, how does one prepare best for a hurricane?

The necessities 

When it comes to creating a hurricane kit for your home and family, it’s never too early to begin to create your supply of basic needs.   

Whenever an impending storm is announced, residents flock to the grocery stores and empty shelves. Lines down the road to fill up the gas tank become a regular sight. Residents can avoid that commotion and chaos by being prepared. Despite what past years have brought and what previous storms have behaved, Mother Nature is not to be taken lightly.  It’s important to treat every storm seriously and not compare it to other storms, and every potential impact should be treated with respect. Don’t base decision making on past events, or the category of the storm. 

 Steps for success  

1. Create a plan —  Lee County has a checklist and evacuation plan sheet on their website to print and fill out.  

2. Get your kit together — What items do you need to have on hand? Food and water for a three- to five-day period. Non-perishable food. Cash. Medication. Solar-powered items.   

3. Stay informed — county social media and alert services   

4. Prepare your home — Do you have culverts or ditches near your home? Are their blockages impeding the flow of water? Have a plan to remove things outside.  
If people are forced to evacuate due to mandatory instruction, county officials said relying on shelters should be a last resort.  

5. Shelters will be open for as long as needed and will be stocked with personal protective equipment such as masks and hand sanitizer. Those who come to a shelter should bring a three-day supply of whatever medications or specific food items they need (there will be food at the shelter). Individuals that bring pets (all shelters pet-friendly) need to bring a crate or leash, as well as food for the animal.   

Abes said compared to Hurricane Irma, not nearly as many residents utilized public shelters during evacuations. He expects that could change if a similar circumstance should present itself this season. 

“We fully expect that the behavior of the community, now that they’ve experienced Hurricane Ian, may be influenced if we have another storm,” Abes said. “We sheltered less than 10,000 during Ian; we may potentially see larger numbers of people going to public shelters (if another storm arrives). We have to be prepared for that.”

Abes added for the island communities that were most-heavily impacted, evacuations could be called for lower-level storms due to potentially compromised structures. 

“We may have to make some additional considerations for that,” Abes said. 

There are a total of 19 shelters in the county, and openings and evacuations are based mostly on storm surge and storm surge risk. 
It’s also vital for homeowners, especially those that have relocated, to know exactly what their insurance covers before a potential storm rolls in.  

Abes said all of these prep guidelines are also useful in any natural and manmade disaster situation such as tornados, floods, or hazardous materials being released. 

“Having a personal family preparedness plan and being ready to activate and execute that plan when an emergency happens is a benefit year-round,” he said.

Staying up to date

Spreading the word on hurricane season awareness and how to prep and stay up to do on the latest alerts is part of the county’s preparation.  
Via the app “Lee Prepares,” residents can find their evacuation zone, what shelters will open in their area, guidelines on how to prep for a storm and more. There is also “AlertLee,” a mass notification system that sends out rapid emergency notifications via phone, text, email and social media (www.AlertLee.com).  
The county has also released its annual “All Hazards Guide” that provides a plethora of emergency management information regarding hurricanes, flood zones, shelters, prep tips, and more (www.leegov.com/hurricane). 

Interlocal connections 

The county’s Emergency Operations Center staff works with emergency management teams throughout the state and beyond to stay connected and informed on needs and status. 

Representatives from local municipalities will arrive at the county EOC to be a bridge of information and to keep the message consistent throughout the region. “When a storm is out there… we’re having calls with municipalities and partners, in some cases multiple times each day,” Abes said. “The weekend before Ian, we were having conversations with all of those partners and we were in the EOC all weekend ahead of the landfall of Ian. Those conversations go on well before the storm impact occurs, and we continue to refine our response working with those partners throughout the timeline we have.”

Abes commended county employees for their work before last year’s devastating storm and their continued drive to keep Lee County as prepared as possible. 

“I’m really fortunate to be able to work with individuals here in the county who plan and think about all of the different things that could happen in the event of one of these natural and man-made disasters occurring,” Abes said. “When we look at the scope, the size, the extent of the damage that we saw during Hurricane Ian, it really is the worst-of-the-worst case scenarios. For all of the work that we do day in and day out, there a lot of things that were not necessarily anticipated, but we reacted to and responded to those, but there were a lot of other things that we fully expected given the wind, the storm surge, the rainfall — all of the impacts the county endured during Ian. And we were ready to activate our plans and and put not only our staff, but our community partners, our vendors, state and federal partners, everybody coming together to be able to respond. And that’s exactly what we plan for and prepare for every single day in public safety.”

Generator safety  

Tragic stories often come out following a major storm with deaths related to improper use or storage of a generator.   
When the power goes out with no solid timetable to reinstatement, many rely on the power of a generator to keep the lights on. Over and over again, preventable fatalities occur due to carbon monoxide poisoning or electrocution.  
Officials recommend residents have an electrician come out an install a generator to make sure everything is properly working, to keep the generator at least 20 feet away from homes and make sure the device cools before refueling.