County shelters have ‘pet capacity’
Lee County advises that East Lee County and South Fort Myers high schools are pet friendly shelters. All other shelters are also now accepting pets thanks to Lee County Domestic Animal Services staff, officials said.
The list of public shelters that are now open:
* Island Coast High School, 2125 De Navarra Parkway, in Cape Coral
* East Lee County High School, 715 Thomas Sherwin Ave. in Lehigh
* Varsity Lakes Middle School, 801 Gunnery Road in Lehigh
* Harns Marsh Middle School, 1820 Unice Ave. N. in Lehigh
* Oak Hammock Middle School, 5320 Tice St. in Fort Myers
* South Fort Myers High School, 14020 Plantation Road in Fort Myers
* Estero Rec Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Road in Estero
The category of the storm requires Lee County to be selective about the shelters that are opened. The goal is to have shelters throughout the county open to all even if not specifically available in residents’ immediate area, officials said in the county’s Friday morning update,
People staying in shelters may exit and enter as long as weather conditions make it safe to do so.
Although the Special Needs Registration closed once Lee County entered the five-day error cone, residents who are not currently registered can go to a general-population shelter. Once there, these residents will be triaged and if needed, transported to other facilities that can better meet their needs.
Additional closures:
The United States District Court will be closed Monday, Sept. 11.
Alcohol sales:
The City of Sanibel has suspended the sale of alcoholic beverages as of 9 a.m. today, Sept. 8, until further notice.
With the exception of beer, the City of Cape Coral is suspending the sale of, or the offer to sell, alcoholic beverages within the city effective 2 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Friday is also the last day for trash collection in the city. Collections will be suspended until further notice.
Boater information:
Cape Coral has announced mandatory evacuations for all live-aboard vessels beginning 9 a.m. today.
Lee County DOT operated draw bridges Alva, Big Carlos Pass and Matlacha Pass — will be locked down starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. The lock down will be complete by noon.
The Gasparilla bridge (Boca Grande bridge) was locked down at 9 a.m. today. Tolls are waived on the bridge.
Travel:
Bridges are generally considered unsafe to travel once sustained wind speeds reach 40 mph.
Anyone flying in and out of Fort Myers between Friday, Sept. 8 and Monday, Sept. 11, is advised to contact air carriers about flight cancellations and rebooking policies.
It is important to remember, the airport is not a public shelter.
LeeTran:
LeeTran buses will begin transporting people to open evacuation shelters as of 9 a.m. this morning. At this time, all fares will be 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 as well. LeeTran buses will remain running until winds reach approximately 40mph.