Hurricane seminar set for Recreation Center
Knowledge is power. The lack of knowledge, especially during an emergency, can be disastrous.
That’s why the Lee County Emergency Management staff will hold a free hurricane preparedness seminar on Thursday, June 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Fort Myers Recreation Center.
The objective of the seminar will be to alert people on what to expect from the rec center in the event there is an emergency, as well as how to plan and prepare for the season.
According to Libby Olive, rec center supervisor, once an emergency is declared, the facility is out of her hands.
“Once it’s a shelter, the Emergency Operations Center and the Red Cross take over. My only job would be to notify everyone that all programs have stopped,” Olive said. “They will then do what they need the facility to be. It could be a triage unit.”
The Lee County Operations Center is responsible for planning and response to large-scale emergencies and disasters.
Fully activated, the EOC is staffed with first-responder agencies, emergency relief organizations, county departments, municipalities, utility companies, media and other essential agencies.
The information is especially vital to those people who have trouble helping themselves, especially the poorest of the poor who have little or no way to get such information.
“Getting the information out is so difficult, especially to those who can’t help themselves,” said Greg Makepeace, president of the North Fort Myers Civic Association. “People need to understand what a storm surge and evacuation are.”
Attendees will learn hurricane terminology, Lee County’s Special Needs Program, volunteering with Emergency Management, family emergency plans, evacuation routes, public shelters, emergency supply kits, evacuation zones, and the resources available to them during a disaster.
The recreation center, which opened in October, is among Lee County’s potential hurricane shelters should a storm demand the need to evacuate residents. It can hold between 300 and 400 people for such emergencies.
For more information, call the rec center at 533-7200, go to www.leeparks.org or email leeparks@leegov.com.
For EOC information, visit www.leeeoc.com or call 533-0622.