LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- As Tropical Storm Dorian appears to be heading towards Florida as a likely hurricane, officials in Lee County say they're monitoring the latest developments and encourage residents to use a new tool to make sure they're prepared in case the storm heads towards Southwest Florida.
As of Wednesday morning, the Lee County Emergency Operations Center in NOT activated.
"In the event that specific weather impacts are forecasted for Lee County, the EOC has the ability to initiate a number of protective actions," says Lee County emergency management director Lee Mayfield. "These decisions would be made based on likely impacts and threats from a significant storm system. It’s still too early to tell what impacts Dorian might bring to Southwest Florida. As always, we encourage the public to prepare by having a hurricane plan and building a disaster supply kit."
Sand bags: In the event that specific weather impacts are forecasted for Lee County, the EOC has the ability to initiate a number of protective actions, to include sandbag operations. These decisions would be made based on likely impacts and threats from a significant storm system. Municipalities and fire districts may make their own decisions related to sand bag availability and timing.
More info on how to be prepared at www.leeeoc.com.
The county does have two new free tools to help residents prepare for and be aware of hurricanes and other emergency situations – the LeePrepares app and the AlertLee system.
The LeePrepares app – available in Google Play and the App Store – assists individuals and families with preparing for and recovering from all types of disasters that may affect the community.
Features include:
• GPS functionality for locating the user’s Evacuation Zone;
• Real time information from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on shelter openings, with mapping/directions and hurricane evacuations;
• Current Emergency (EOC) Activation Level;
• Recovery information on re-entry, curfews, points of distribution, and coping with disasters;
• More
AlertLee is an emergency notification system that allows registered users to receive telephone, text, and/or email alerts related to natural or man-made emergencies.
To sign up, residents should go to www.AlertLee.com, select their municipality or unincorporated Lee County and complete the registration steps.
