Tropical Storm Nicole update from Lee County for Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 9
Lee County Government and its local, state and federal partners continue to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole.
Residents should monitor local meteorologists’ reports and updates from the National Hurricane Center as well as www.leegov.com/storm. Follow Lee County Government on Facebook, www.facebook.com/leecountyflbocc.
City offices will be open for regular business Thursday, Nov. 10.
Solid Waste garbage and recycling collections that normally occur on Thursdays will continue but will have a delayed start time of 8 a.m. Do not put out recycling bins or garbage cans tonight. Place them curbside Thursday if that is your regular collection day. The Waste-to-Energy facility in Buckingham will open at 8 a.m.
LeeTran services will run Thursday but with a delayed start of 7 a.m.
The Emergency Operations Center is activated and staffed. There are no evacuation orders in effect for Tropical Storm Nicole.
The county opened shelters today for residents who are living in damaged homes, RVs or tents because of Hurricane Ian. The following shelter options are open, and both are pet-friendly. Residents can arrive at any time:
• North Fort Myers Recreation Center, 2000 North Recreation Park Way, North Fort Myers, FL 33903.
• Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero, FL 33928.
• For those who need help getting to shelters, the county has activated its Emergency Transportation Plan, which uses LeeTran. People can go to any of the following designated LeeTran transfer locations today until 7 p.m. for a ride to a shelter. The service is free:
o Coconut Point Mall
o Constitution Boulevard and U.S. 41
o Fort Myers Beach Park & Ride
o Sanibel Tanger Outlets
o Edison Mall
o Rosa Parks Transportation Center
o Publix- Homestead Road, Lehigh Acres
o Publix- Cape Coral North
o Cape Coral Transfer Center
o Merchants Crossing
• If additional information is needed, call United Way’s Storm Hotline at 211 for help. Or call the LeeTran Customer Service at 239-533- 8726 or LeeTran Passport Services at 239-533-0300.
The Lee County Department of Transportation (DOT) asks motorists to proceed with caution throughout this weather event. Motorists may encounter areas of localized flooding and are encouraged to turn around if they encounter areas of standing water. DOT crews are actively monitoring storm drains and roadways to mitigate localized flooding in a timely fashion.
Since Hurricane Ian’s landfall on Sept. 28, DOT diligently has been checking roadway drainage systems and clearing them.
The county asks the public to report blocked ditches, swales, canals and areas of local flooding:
• First, to find out if your road is maintained by Lee County DOT, visit http://leegis.leegov.com/RoadLookup/. If it is not maintained by Lee County, find your municipal contact by visiting www.leegov.com/dcd/flood.
• Second, put in a Request for Action (RFA) to improve surface water drainage along your county-maintained road by contacting the Request for Action Hotline at 239-533-9400 or www.leegov.com/dot/requestforaction.
• People can use the same phone number and website to also report blocked creeks and streams (example: downed trees, collected debris). The reported information will be directed to Lee County Natural Resources.
Lee County does not literally “close” bridges during tropical storms or hurricanes with barricades, cones, gates or signs because they can easily blow away, becoming ineffective and hazardous. Lee Department of Transportation strongly advises motorists to stay off bridges – and the roads leading to them— when tropical-storm force winds are sustained.
Motorists may encounter law enforcement officers around and near bridges during weather events. Follow the directions given.