FORT MYERS, Fla. — Resources are available online to help guide preparations for hurricane season, including short instructional videos outlining the supplies to have on hand, how to decide whether to go to a public shelter, what to expect if you do and how to stay safe after the storm has passed.
Lee County produced the videos to assist community members who typically attend in-person Hurricane Seminars offered throughout cities and unincorporated Lee County.
The videos enable residents to do virtual seminars. The resources online offer the same valuable information presented in a seminar, but are available to view on your schedule and to share with your family and friends. Also available online: a digital version of 2021 All Hazards Guide with interactive links to useful websites, agencies and resources.
“Response and recovery involves the entire community and is everyone’s responsibility,” said Sandra Tapfumaneyi, interim Public Safety director over Lee County Emergency Management. “At Lee County Public Safety we ask that you and your family do your part by creating a ‘Culture of Preparedness’ at home. Share this information with your friends and neighbors.”
Videos are available at https://www.leegov.com/hurricane and include:
· Introduction to Hurricane Season
· Making a Plan
· Before the Storm
· Preparing Your Pets
· Emergency Shelters
· After the Storm / Recovery
· Generator Safety
· Flood Zones
Videos include a “Hurricane Ready” quiz at each conclusion. This serves to test viewers’ knowledge and create a more interactive experience.
The All Hazards Guide offers the same useful information as the videos do in a concise text form. It also has evacuation maps and information on hazards such as wildfires and lightning.
Printed editions of the guide will be available at most Lee County Library System branches and Lee County Parks and Recreation facilities. Packs of 25 guides or boxes of 225 will be available soon at the Emergency Operations Center, 2675 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers. Call 239-533-0622 or email EMInfo@leegov.com in advance to request guides. You will be contacted to schedule a pick-up once the print editions are available.
Lee County Emergency Management has two tools to help residents prepare for and be aware of hurricanes and other emergency situations – the LeePrepares app and the AlertLee system.
LeePrepares:
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;
• Sign-up for AlertLee emergency notification system (see below).
• Frequently Asked Questions;
• Links to Special Needs registration for those with special medical needs, and/or transportation needs during an evacuation;
• Family Disaster Plan and Emergency Supply List;
• American Sign Language Disaster Preparedness Videos;
• Current local weather and hazardous weather outlooks.
AlertLee:
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.
The AlertLee system will be used when an emergency arises that you should know about. Severe weather situations, missing persons, evacuation notices, boil water notices, fire or floods and active shooter situations are a few examples of the type of events that may warrant a notification.
To sign up, residents should go to http://www.alertlee.com/, select their municipality or unincorporated Lee County and complete the registration steps.
The AlertLee system already includes published, listed landline telephones, but not cell phones or VOIP numbers. To be certain to receive alerts, it is important to register and update the information if it changes. The information will be used only for AlertLee notifications.
There is no charge to register or receive system alerts.