Civic & Community Center: Hurricane, lightning seminar provides good info
* The North Fort Myers Civic Assocation sponsored a Hurricane & Lightning Seminar on June 25 at 6 p.m. at the Rec Center, room 102, with numerous handouts. Bill Floyd, Logistics Coordinator for Lee County Emergency Management, addressed the crowd and gave a succinct and info-rich presentation with plenty of handouts and a PowerPoint presentation. Bill draws upon a wealth of experience consisting of 25 years with Emergency Management and hands-on participation in over a hundred disasters. Members of the audience asked a slew of questions which Bill handled with skill and knowledge. The NFM Rec Center is now a certified shelter for up to almost 1500 people, so get there early or “get out of Dodge” early if you are in a trailer or manufactured home – don’t wait until the last minute to vacate before a hurricane is predicted to hit our area. Lightning is of particular concern to us in the Florida which is the “Lightning Capital of the Country,” so this year the Civic Association added that subject to our usual agenda. Here are some important things to know:
* Each year there are nearly 3 million lightning flashes in Florida.
* Our state leads the nation in lightning-related deaths and injuries.
* If you hear thunder, lightning is not far away. In fact, a lightning strike can occur up to 10 miles away from where it is actually raining.
* A single strike can carry between one million and one billion volts of electricity.
* A single lightning bolt can be more than four times hotter than the sun’s surface.
* Before a thunderstorm, remove dead or rotting trees and branches; postpone outdoor activities; get inside a home, building or car (but not a convertible); don’t touch metal; close or shutter windows, or if no shutters close window blinds, shades or curtains; secure outside doors; unplug any electronic equipment; unplug appliances, computers and air conditioners to avoid serious damage to them – consider buying a UPS surge protector, a Lightning Protection System, or call your power company to install a device to protect your air conditioner or heat pump.
* During a thunderstorm, avoid contact with corded phones including cells plugged in for recharging; avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords; avoid contact with plumbing or bathroom fixtures, since they can conduct electricity – don’t wash your hands, take a shower, wash dishes or do laundry; avoid windows, doors and porches; do not lie on concrete floors and do not lean against concrete walls, which may contain wire mesh or metal reinforcing bars; avoid natural lightning rods such as a tall, isolated tree in an open area; avoid hilltops, open fields, the beach or a boat; avoid sheds or other small structures in open areas; avoid contact with anything metal-bikes, motorcycles, golf carts and golf clubs.
* If someone has been hit by lightning: call 9-1-1; if breathing has stopped do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation; if heartbeat has stopped, administer CPR; if victim is breathing, check for burns where the lightning entered and left the body and be alert for nervous system damage, broken bones and loss of hearing and/or eyesight.
* After the storm passes avoid storm-damaged areas and downed power lines and report them to electric company and law enforcement immediately.
* The NFM Civic Assn held the second in its series of “Coffee with the Commish” on Friday, June 26, 11 a.m. at 13351 N. Cleveland Ave, Road 41 Grill and Fish Market, formerly Denny’s Restaurant. The always-affable and always-knowledgeable Commissioner Frank Mann spoke about many county issues, including:
* Over the last three years the county has been setting aside $4-5 million per year towards costs relating to a new library in NFM and in Bonita
* Next year both projects should be shovel-ready and the budget should include about half of the construction costs
* The Commissioners are anticipating using the same tax millage rates for next year
* Itemizing several road re-paving projects in NFM
* Criticizing the other four county commissioners for approving new construction impact fees at only 45 percent, which has already cost Lee County $40 million which could have been used for badly needed projects. By comparison, Collier and Sarasota Counties held the impact fees at 100 percent and have suffered no reduced new projects, with the real estate markets starting to boom again
* For any Code Enforcement issues where proper results are not being obtained, call his assistant, Chris Berry, at 543-2225 and she will help in a hurry!
Commissioner Mann fielded questions from the audience covering a wide range of subjects and ideas such as a public boat ramp for NFM; bus service stopping at the Rec Center/Library community hub; changing the county sign regulations which in some instances haven’t been changed since 1988 but with an alleged history of selective enforcement at times.
Gregg Makepeace and Jack Howerton thanked Commissioner Mann for his help of NFM throughout the years. Kevin Mulhearn, owner of Prosperity Point Marina at the foot of Business 41, and President of Business 41 Merchants’ Association sought advice from The Commish on how to clean up some derelict buildings in desperate need of painting, to which Commissioner Mann pointed out that public funds of the county cannot be used to improve private property, but that donations of paint and labor should be solicited through organization and perseverance. He drew the analogy of downtown Fort Myers which tried many things over the last half century to improve commerce and traffic and it was not until just recently that it became a bustling success.
Patrick T. Crissy, business consultant and life coach floated an idea for an all-day “Back To School, Back To Business Day” renting tables to businesses for nominal amounts to network and display their goods and services, with an area for public speeches and presentations every half hour. Commissioner Mann thought that it was a great idea and said he would be there to help any way he could.
* The Civic Association is anxiously seeking some volunteers with knowledge of how to post items, articles and pictures on its website and Facebook page, so that content valuable to tourists and businesses looking to locate here would be on both sites. Any amount of time that any of you can spare to show me how to do these things in the future would be greatly appreciated. For those who might not have the time to meet at your place, mine or anywhere else, send me typewritten simple step-by-step instructions. It is very important that these two sites become good sources as quickly as possible. They may hold the key to our getting free billboard advertising for North Fort Myers.
PUBLIC APATHY IS THE PLAGUE OF THE 21ST CENTURY! VOLUNTEER-IT’S GOOD FOR THE MIND AND THE HEART.
Contact me at 239-823-3631 or mike-land@live.com if you have some event, project or idea that you would like in this column, or with any comments or questions.