CCFD: Afternoon Update #7 — Hurricane Irma
The Cape Coral Fire Department has released its latest update; 2:20 p.m., Friday
WEATHER
The hurricane’s projected path has shifted more to the west, which will result in a greater impact for our area. Residents should continue to prepare by having a family disaster/evacuation plan, making sure that their disaster supply kits are ready, and by staying informed.
NO SANDBAGS AVAILABLE IN THE CITY
The city wants to confirm that there are NO sandbags available at any of the Cape Coral Fire Stations.
TRASH COLLECTION
Due to the Labor Day holiday, trash pickup has been delayed for one day. If your regularly scheduled pickup day is Thursday, your trash will be picked up today. If you regularly scheduled trash pickup day is Friday, unfortunately, your trash will NOT be picked up. Please do not put your bins or any other items at the curb. Residential services are suspended beginning Saturday. If any trash is not picked up after 7 p.m. on Friday, residents are asked to bring their bins inside so that they are secure and do not create safety issues.
Residents are asked to not put bulk items curbside at this time. These items will not be able to be collected prior to the storm making landfall. These items can become projectiles, potentially causing injury, property damage, or becoming a road obstruction.
ALCOHOL SALES
With the exception of beer, the City is suspending the sale of, or the offer to sell, alcoholic beverages within the City of Cape Coral effective at close of business today (9/8) and Saturday (9/9) at 2 a.m. This includes stores, restaurants and bars.
EVACUATIONS
Lee County announced evacuations effective this morning. There are NO mandatory evacuations for specific areas of Cape Coral. HOWEVER, mobile and manufactured homes and liveaboard vessels throughout Lee County have been issued an evacuation. Mandatory evacuations have also been issued for barrier islands including Bonita Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island.
Please remember that while you may not be asked to evacuate, once sustained winds reach 40 mph, emergency services will be suspended. 9-1-1 will still take calls and add them to a queue. Calls will be triaged and responded to once operations have resumed.
SHELTERS
As of 9 a.m. today, the following shelters are open to evacuees:
* East Lee County High School, 715 Thomas Sherwin Ave., Lehigh Acres – PET FRIENDLY
* Varsity Lakes Middle School, 801 Gunnery Road., Lehigh Acres
* Harns Marsh Middle School, 1820 Unice Ave. N., Lehigh Acres
* Oak Hammock Middle School, 5321 Tice St., Fort Myers
* Island Coast High School, 2125 De Navarra Pkwy., Cape Coral
* South Ft. Myers High School, 14020 Plantation Road, Fort Myers -PET FRIENDLY
* Estero Rec Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Road., Estero
LeeTran buses began transporting people to open evacuation shelters at 9:00 a.m. At this time, all fares have been suspended for both Passport and Fixed Route buses.
To be transported to a shelter, all passengers can board the bus at any stop, and then need to exit the bus at a designated Shelter Transfer location. Passengers can also board the bus from dedicated pickup locations on Sanibel Island and Pine Island. From the Shelter Transfer location, another dedicated bus will take passengers to the closest open evacuation shelter.
Regular transit service will continue to run at this time. LeeTran buses will remain running until winds reach approximately 40 mph.
East Lee County High School and South Fort Myers High School are the primary pet-friendly shelters in Lee County. Thanks to the efforts of Lee County Domestic Animal Services, all opened Lee County shelters will have pet capacity. You will need a crate or carrier, collar and leash, along with up-to-date vaccination records for your pet. It may be helpful to have a recent photo of your pet in case you get separated. If your pet is not up-to-date on its vaccinations, it will still be allowed at the shelter. However, the County will not accept liability if your pet gets sick due to being around other animals.
TRAFFIC CONDITIONS/ROADWAYS
While there are currently no incidents, there is heavy volume. Please be cautious and patient when on the road. You can check roadways by visiting the FL511 website or downloading the Florida 511 app. Note that this site is getting heavy traffic.
Drivers should expect delays and allot extra time if you are trying to find and buy fuel. If you are looking for fuel, you can download the mobile app: Gas Buddy or Waze. Both keep real-time gas prices along with availability. It’s only as good as the information people send to the app, so be sure to report any station that has run out of fuel.
By order of Gov. Rick Scott, tolls have been suspended on state roads at this time. Tolls have also been suspended for Lee County bridges.
Bridges are generally considered unsafe to travel once sustained wind speeds reach 40 mph. Please do not drive on bridges at that time.
CANCELLATIONS AND CLOSURES
* Cape Coral City Hall is closed today.
* Monday’s (9/11) special and regular City Council meetings are cancelled.
* All Parks and Recreation programs have been cancelled through the weekend.
* Cape Coral Municipal Charter Schools and Lee County Public Schools are closed today and Monday (9/11).
* Early Voting as well as the Primary Election scheduled for Tuesday (9/12) have been cancelled. No decision has been made to resume Early Voting at this time. The Primary Election is rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 26.
BOATING INFORMATION
* The Chiquita Lock will be closed tomorrow (9/9) at noon.
* Mandatory evacuations have been put into place for all liveaboard vessels.
* Lee County DOT-operated drawbridges – Alva, Big Carlos Pass and Matlacha Pass – will be locked down starting at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. The lockdown will be finished by noon. The Gasparilla bridge (Boca Grande bridge) was locked down at 9:00 a.m. today. Tolls are waived on the bridge.
Boat owners should take steps now to secure their vessels and be aware of the limitations of their anchor or mooring locations. For more preparation information, please follow this link to Lee County Resources. You will find boating information under “Preparing Your Boat.”
The Cape Coral Fire Deparment will issue more information in concert with the Cape Coral EOC as it becomes available.
Source: CCFD