Local state of emergency, curfew end in Cape

Oct 11, 2022 By CJ HADDAD 6 min read

The city of Cape Coral’s local state of emergency and curfew ended Tuesday, nearly two weeks removed from the most catastrophic storm in the city’s history.

Cape officials gathered Tuesday afternoon to provide updates on recovery efforts from high-end Category 4 Hurricane Ian.

One of the most pressing issues for residents since the aftermath of the storm has been restoring power to homes and businesses. Lee County Electric Cooperative CEO Denise Vidal shared the latest on what the utility is doing and has done to get the lights back on.

“Specific to Cape Coral, we’re down to a couple-hundred outages I’m very happy to report,” Vidal said. “And it continues to decrease as we get through today’s work.”

Roughly 1,200 crews are still working along Cape Coral streets, and LCEC said several hundred customers who needed to reconnect after damage was sustained have been able to do so after repairs.

Vidal called Hurricane Ian an “unprecedented” event and shared her gratitude to other companies that have lent a hand such as Duke Energy and Florida Power & Light. She said the residents and workers in Southwest Florida have been “resilient.”

“We’ve all joined together to help this community rebuild,” Vidal said. “And you see the efforts on every corner. Everyone’s contributions go a long way in recovery.

“We will continue to restore power to every customer in our beautiful Southwest Florida community.”

LCEC has temporarily suspended late fees and disconnections for non-payment “so customers can focus on their families and homes after the disastrous Hurricane Ian.”

City Manager Rob Hernandez said Cape Coral has suspended the intake of any new permits that are not hurricane-related for “at least” 30 days.”

“This will allow us to focus primarily on those permits that are necessary to allow our residents and businesses to get back on their feet. All emergency permits, of course, take precedence over any other permits,” Hernandez said, adding the department also is focusing on permits in the system prior to the state of emergency.

Cape Coral Community Development Director Vincent Cautero, said “several hundred” permits were processed on Tuesday — the first day City Hall has been open since the storm.

He said the majority of the permits coming through the system are for “minor” damages in electrical and roofing areas for $20,000 or less.

Cautero said the city has predicted, and is now starting to see, permits already in the system for new homes or remodels being bundled with emergency permits. He added paper is currently being used but that a new module for emergency permits only is being created by staff.

There are no fees for emergency permits, and they are broken down into three categories: minor, major, and structural damage.

Cautero said the city is asking contractors to submit no more than 10 permits at a time to help file people through the queue. He predicted a total of 30,000 to 40,000 emergency permits would be filed when all is said and done.

“We’ll be in this for quite a while,” Cautero said. “I was very pleased with the way things went today — the first day (back) after such a catastrophic event.”

A hotline number for inspections for all emergency permits can be reached by calling 239-574-0555.

Mayor John Gunter said he spoke with key personnel of cable and internet service in the area. He said Xfinity representatives told him 1,700 technicians are in Lee County are working to restore service. Xfinity told Gunter its goal is to get to 100% operation by Oct. 15. An Xfinity Wi-Fi truck is set up in the Walmart parking lot on Del Prado Boulevard between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day.

Gunter said CenturyLink representatives reported roughly 16,000 are without internet in Southwest Florida. CenturyLink told Gunter water damage has made it necessary to replace some infrastructure and they hope to have 98% of customers back online by Oct. 16.

Gunter said as of Tuesday, there are 150 trucks collecting debris throughout Cape Coral. The city has removed about 2,500 truckloads of vegetative debris thus far totaling roughly 118,000 cubic yards.

Public Works will begin removing construction waste starting Wednesday, concentrating on the Southeast Cape.

“Because that’s where a majority of the storm surge took place and where we have most of the construction debris,” Gunter said.

Residents may drop off vegetative debris at 1130 Northwest 28th Place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

You must bring identification to show you are a Cape Coral resident. Do not place debris in bags. For home collection, debris must be placed at the curb in three separate piles: vegetative debris, construction debris, and appliances.

Gunter said FEMA is working on establishing a Disaster Recovery Center in Cape Coral.

“Hopefully that will be mobilized in the next couple of days,” Gunter said.

Emergency Permitting Locations hours of operation will be Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.

• Art Center, 4533 Coronado Parkway. (Opening date TBA)

Visit www.capecoral.gov for more info.

For individual and business assistance, visit www.fema.gov to apply.

Businesses can visit www.fema.gov or www.sba.gov to apply.

The Cape Coral Business Recovery Center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Kiwanis Club, 360 Santa Barbara Blvd. S; and closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Community Distribution Sites are at:

• Cape Christian Church, 2110 Chiquita Blvd S. Open at 10 a.m.

• Ocean Church, 2016 Kismet Parkway E. Open a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Leonard Street POD, 4820 Leonard St. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Operation BlueRoof from the Army Corps of Engineers is up and running. Call 1-888-766-3258 to get a free tarp or visit BlueRoof.us. Deadline to apply is Oct. 23.

Free tarps are being distributed today at the following community distribution sites:

• Cape Christian, 2110 Chiquita Blvd. S.

• Ocean Church, 2016 Kismet Parkway E.

The city of Cape Coral issued a burn ban, effective Oct. 6, until further notice. Recreational burns are not permitted.

Hygiene stations are at Jim Jeffers Park (2817 Southwest 3rd Lane) and Cape Coral Technical College (360 Santa Barbara Blvd N.) Open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Charging and cooling stations are available. Laundry services are on-site.

“This was a very catastrophic event for our community,” Gunter said. “We have pooled many resources together. There are thousands of people on the ground who are helping our community. I got out and see how members of the community are helping one another. We’re in this together and we’re here to get through this.”

Gunter and Congressman Byron Donalds will take part in a Town Hall meeting Wednesday night at Cape Christian starting at 5:30 p.m.

-Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj

To reach CJ HADDAD , please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com