Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
SWFL shelters ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are preparing to open. On Monday, some shelters are expected to open, and on Tuesday, they should all be open. The status and times of these shelters for each county are pending. Lee County The status and time for the shelters will be available Monday. For more details, click here. […]
Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW Gulf Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and it is predicted to reach hurricane status in less than 24 hours.
SWFL schools affected due to Milton Southwest Florida schools are responding ahead of Tropical Storm Milton’s arrival.
Charlotte County residents fear Helene debris will worsen with incoming Milton Some in Charlotte County are worried about piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Helene as Tropical Storm Milton makes its way to Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee County officials held Facebook Live update ahead of Milton The Lee County Public Safety Director, Ben Abes, and the county commissioners are set to provide updates regarding Tropical Storm Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel in state of emergency ahead of Milton Sanibel’s mayor, Richard Johnson, and the city manager, Dana Souza, are set to provide a live update on storm preparations.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Rain & storms across SWFL throughout Sunday The Weather Authority is tracking heavy rain and storms on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare for Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to update the public on preparations for Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to become a hurricane in less than 24 hours.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY NHC has bumped up Milton’s peak intensity forecast to 120mph The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Milton, the latest named storm which will lead to a week of heavy rain for southwest Florida beginning Sunday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents loading up on sandbags ahead of Milton With Tropical Storm Milton developing in the tropics and heavy rain expected Sunday, people in Charlotte County are getting prepared by loading up their cars with sandbags.
NORTH FORT MYERS Debris from Helene has neighbors worrying about Milton While many are still trying to pick up the pieces left from Hurricane Helene, residents in North Fort Myers still have a lot of leftover debris piling up.
Free sandbag locations available ahead of this Sunday’s heavy rainfall The Weather Authority has been tracking a potential rainmaker that will impact our area from Sunday through Wednesday.
FEMA urging Florida residents to prepare for Milton FEMA is monitoring Milton which is set to become a Category 3 Hurricane as it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
DeSantis declares state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton In an X post on Saturday evening, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
SWFL shelters ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are preparing to open. On Monday, some shelters are expected to open, and on Tuesday, they should all be open. The status and times of these shelters for each county are pending. Lee County The status and time for the shelters will be available Monday. For more details, click here. […]
Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW Gulf Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and it is predicted to reach hurricane status in less than 24 hours.
SWFL schools affected due to Milton Southwest Florida schools are responding ahead of Tropical Storm Milton’s arrival.
Charlotte County residents fear Helene debris will worsen with incoming Milton Some in Charlotte County are worried about piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Helene as Tropical Storm Milton makes its way to Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee County officials held Facebook Live update ahead of Milton The Lee County Public Safety Director, Ben Abes, and the county commissioners are set to provide updates regarding Tropical Storm Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel in state of emergency ahead of Milton Sanibel’s mayor, Richard Johnson, and the city manager, Dana Souza, are set to provide a live update on storm preparations.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Rain & storms across SWFL throughout Sunday The Weather Authority is tracking heavy rain and storms on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare for Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to update the public on preparations for Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to become a hurricane in less than 24 hours.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY NHC has bumped up Milton’s peak intensity forecast to 120mph The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Milton, the latest named storm which will lead to a week of heavy rain for southwest Florida beginning Sunday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents loading up on sandbags ahead of Milton With Tropical Storm Milton developing in the tropics and heavy rain expected Sunday, people in Charlotte County are getting prepared by loading up their cars with sandbags.
NORTH FORT MYERS Debris from Helene has neighbors worrying about Milton While many are still trying to pick up the pieces left from Hurricane Helene, residents in North Fort Myers still have a lot of leftover debris piling up.
Free sandbag locations available ahead of this Sunday’s heavy rainfall The Weather Authority has been tracking a potential rainmaker that will impact our area from Sunday through Wednesday.
FEMA urging Florida residents to prepare for Milton FEMA is monitoring Milton which is set to become a Category 3 Hurricane as it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
DeSantis declares state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton In an X post on Saturday evening, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton.
JOHANNESBURG — A male lion known to wildlife lovers around the world as Cecil has been illegally killed by a party of game hunters, according to the Zimbabwean government. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said two men, one a landowner whose property is adjacent to a game reserve, and the other a professional big game hunting guide, were facing poaching charges. It’s believed the professional guide lured the big cat named Cecil into moving out of the safe confines of Zimbabwe’s Hwange Game Reserve so that it could be killed by the foreign hunter, identified by conservation groups including the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, as American Walter James Palmer, whose history of big game hunting is documented online. On Tuesday, Palmer released a statement saying that to his knowledge, “everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.” “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” he said. “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.” Palmer added that he had not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. but promised to cooperate if they had questions. But African wildlife expert Dex Kotze says it is impossible that Palmer’s hunting team didn’t know it was Cecil. “I mean a black mane lion like that you can see from afar and even on a hunt. You are definitely going to identify that this — hang on this is a collared lion and it is Cecil. Because all the conservationists and wildlife industry in that area would have been very familiar with that lion Cecil,” Kotze told CBS News’ Debora Patta. In Zimbabwe Debora Patta reached Brent Stapelkamp. He’s part of the Oxford scientific team that has collared and tracked Cecil. “He’s come in here to shoot a lion, a national emblem and he’s been caught. So I would hope he gets everything that justice throws at him,” Stapelkamp said. Cecil was no ordinary lion — he had been tagged by the Wildlife Unit of Oxford University in the U.K. and was the subject of over a decade of research. It appears he was shot with a bow and arrow and then stalked for more than 40 hours before being finished off with a rifle shot. Speaking to CBS News in a Skype interview, the founder of the research unit at Oxford, Prof. David MacDonald, said it appeared Cecil was lured across the border by freshly slaughtered animal bait into a neighboring hunting concession area. “Our understanding is that when he was shot by a bow hunter outside the park he was shot illegally,” MacDonald told CBS News. “If so, that is unforgivable and a terrible tragedy for lion conservation.” The once proud alpha male lion was found beheaded and skinned. And there are fears that Cecil’s death could lead to many more. As Animal Planet’s predator expert David Salmoni explained to CBS News, Cecil had six cubs who will now probably be killed by a male lion from another group or coalition, as they are known. “If one lion is shot from the coalition, it weakens the coalition and results not just in the death of that one lion, but the death, probably, of his companions, because the weakened coalition will be overtaken by the stronger coalition which in turn will kill the cubs of their predecessors,” Salmoni said. “So it may well be that the death of just one lion leads to the deaths of several more, and for a species that is declining fast, that is very bad news.” Zimbabwe’s Professional Hunting Association is investigating the incident but has claimed it was a private safari and therefore not illegal. The Zimbabwean government disagrees, however, and arrested the hunting guide and land owner who were allegedly involved in the incident. Those men were to appear in court Wednesday, according to officials. Palmer allegedly paid $55,000 to join the hunt during which Cecil was killed. People involved in the game hunting industry in Africa argue that money paid for legal hunts is ploughed back into wildlife conservation. But critics argue the same amount of money could be made through tourists visiting game reserves to see magnificent animals like Cecil roaming free in their natural environment.