LCEC to stage outreach tent in Sanibel LCEC announced that they will stage an outreach tent at 1700 Periwinkle Way on Monday, October 14.
Fort Myers Beach works to recover from Hurricane Milton For the first time since Hurricane Milton ravaged the area, Fort Myers Beach officially reopened to the public Saturday morning.
North end of Manasota Key open to residents and businesses According to Charlotte County, the north end of Manasota Key opened to residents and businesses at 4 p.m on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Harry Chapin Food Bank holds emergency food distributions after Milton In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, many Southwest Florida residents are facing increased hardship, including food insecurity.
Charlotte County to hold news conference regarding Milton Charlotte County is set to hold a news conference to provide an update on its response to Hurricane Milton.
President Biden approves federal aid for Florida after Hurricane Milton President Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Florida following the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Milton.
ENGLEWOOD Hurricane Milton survivors face delays as FEMA aid remains unavailable In the wake of Hurricane Milton, many Floridians are facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives, but financial assistance from the government is in short supply.
FORT MYERS Debris drop-off sites in Lee County In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Lee County officials have announced the planned opening of multiple public debris drop-off sites to aid residents in managing storm damage.
The weather authority A drier start to the weekend with a few showers expected The Weather Authority says we are starting out the day with temperatures feeling rather pleasant in the low 70s under partly cloudy skies.
What’s open and closed after Hurricane Milton In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are beginning to reopen.
SANIBEL/CAPTIVA Recovery efforts on Sanibel and Captiva after Milton Crews have opened the Sanibel causeway to everyone, even those without a hurricane re-entry pass, but the city asks that people avoid the island unless they live there or need to travel there for business.
CAPE CORAL Boat pulled away by storm surge lands in Cape Coral backyard A boat built by a father and son smashed into pieces after Hurricane Milton. Not only did the boat wash onto shore, but it washed into the seawall of someone’s home on McGregor Boulevard.
MANASOTA KEY Residents hope to return home to Manasota Key Life will never be the same for people living on Manasota Key. Right now, only emergency services and county officials are allowed on the island.
Man rescued by two Charlotte County residents during Milton Two Charlotte County men saved an evacuee during Hurricane Milton on Wednesday night.
MATLACHA Impact on local businesses on Matlacha after Milton Residents are focused on rebuilding one brick at a time.
LCEC to stage outreach tent in Sanibel LCEC announced that they will stage an outreach tent at 1700 Periwinkle Way on Monday, October 14.
Fort Myers Beach works to recover from Hurricane Milton For the first time since Hurricane Milton ravaged the area, Fort Myers Beach officially reopened to the public Saturday morning.
North end of Manasota Key open to residents and businesses According to Charlotte County, the north end of Manasota Key opened to residents and businesses at 4 p.m on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Harry Chapin Food Bank holds emergency food distributions after Milton In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, many Southwest Florida residents are facing increased hardship, including food insecurity.
Charlotte County to hold news conference regarding Milton Charlotte County is set to hold a news conference to provide an update on its response to Hurricane Milton.
President Biden approves federal aid for Florida after Hurricane Milton President Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Florida following the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Milton.
ENGLEWOOD Hurricane Milton survivors face delays as FEMA aid remains unavailable In the wake of Hurricane Milton, many Floridians are facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives, but financial assistance from the government is in short supply.
FORT MYERS Debris drop-off sites in Lee County In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Lee County officials have announced the planned opening of multiple public debris drop-off sites to aid residents in managing storm damage.
The weather authority A drier start to the weekend with a few showers expected The Weather Authority says we are starting out the day with temperatures feeling rather pleasant in the low 70s under partly cloudy skies.
What’s open and closed after Hurricane Milton In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are beginning to reopen.
SANIBEL/CAPTIVA Recovery efforts on Sanibel and Captiva after Milton Crews have opened the Sanibel causeway to everyone, even those without a hurricane re-entry pass, but the city asks that people avoid the island unless they live there or need to travel there for business.
CAPE CORAL Boat pulled away by storm surge lands in Cape Coral backyard A boat built by a father and son smashed into pieces after Hurricane Milton. Not only did the boat wash onto shore, but it washed into the seawall of someone’s home on McGregor Boulevard.
MANASOTA KEY Residents hope to return home to Manasota Key Life will never be the same for people living on Manasota Key. Right now, only emergency services and county officials are allowed on the island.
Man rescued by two Charlotte County residents during Milton Two Charlotte County men saved an evacuee during Hurricane Milton on Wednesday night.
MATLACHA Impact on local businesses on Matlacha after Milton Residents are focused on rebuilding one brick at a time.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. (AP) – Two of California’s fastest-burning wildfires in decades overtook several Northern California towns, killing at least one person and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and sending thousands of residents fleeing highways lined with buildings, guardrails and cars still in flames. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed one fatality in the wildfire north of San Francisco that raced through dry brush and exploded in size within hours. Officials also counted 400 homes, two apartment complexes and 10 businesses destroyed by the flames, department spokeswoman Lynn Valentine said. Valentine couldn’t provide details on the circumstances of the death. A call to the Lake County Sheriff’s office has not been returned. In addition, up to 1,000 structures such as barns, sheds and other outbuildings were burned, said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. The devastation comes after a separate wildfire to the southeast destroyed at least 81 homes. Residents fled from Middletown, dodging smoldering telephone poles, downed power lines and fallen trees as they drove through billowing smoke. Whole blocks of houses were burned in parts of the town of more than 1,000 residents that lies about 20 miles north of the famed Napa Valley. On the west side of town, house after house was burned to their foundations, with only charred appliances and twisted metal garage doors still recognizable. Firefighters on Sunday afternoon could be seen driving around flaming utility poles to put out spot fires. Homeowner Justin Galvin, 33, himself a firefighter, stood alone at his house, poking its shin-high, smoking ruins with a piece of scrap metal. “This is my home. Or it was,” said Galvin, who spent all night fighting another massive fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Valentine said most of the destruction occurred in Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake, as well as numerous homes along a shuttered state highway. Wind gusts that reached up to 30 miles per hour sent embers raining down on homes and made it hard for firefighters to stop the Lake County blaze from advancing, Berlant said. Four firefighters who are members of a helicopter crew suffered second-degree burns during the initial attack on the fire Saturday afternoon. They remained hospitalized in stable condition. The fire continued to burn in all directions, triggering the evacuation of a stretch along Highway 281, including Clear Lake Riviera, a town with about 3,000 residents. It was threatening critical communications infrastructure as well as a power plant, Cal Fire said. The 78-square-mile fire erupted Saturday afternoon and rapidly chewed through brush and trees parched from several years of drought. Entire towns as well as residents along a 35-mile stretch of State Route 29 were evacuated. Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday declared a state of emergency to free up resources. Brown had already declared a state of emergency for a separate 102-square-mile wildfire about 70 miles southeast of Sacramento that has destroyed at least 81 homes and turned the grassy, tree-studded Sierra Nevada foothills an eerie white. Crews increased containment on that blaze to 25 percent. The fire, which broke out on Wednesday, was threatening about 6,400 more buildings. Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said this summer’s fires are the most volatile he has seen in 30 years of emergency response work. The main cause behind the fast-spreading fires is dry conditions from the four-year drought, he said. “The bushes, the trees have absolutely no moisture in them, and the humidities are so low that we are seeing these ‘fire starts’ just erupt into conflagrations,” Ghilarducci said, according to the Sacramento Bee. Lake County saw devastation in just the last two months. In late July, a wildfire east of Clear Lake destroyed 43 homes as it spread across 109 square miles. As firefighters drew close to surrounding that blaze, another fire erupted several miles from the community of Lower Lake on Aug. 9 and more than doubled in size overnight. Residents in the area had to evacuate from their homes two times in as many weeks. East of Fresno, the largest wildfire in the state continued to march westward and away from the Giant Sequoia trees, fire spokesman Dave Schmitt said. The fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 31, has charred 203 square miles and was 31 percent contained Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service said. Firefighters have maintained a precautionary line around Grant Grove, an ancient grove of Giant Sequoia trees, and set prescribed burns to keep the flames from overrunning it. Some fire came through the area but it hasn’t done much harm, fire spokesman Frank Mosbacher told the Fresno Bee. The grove is named for the towering General Grant tree that stands 268 feet tall. There are dozens of Sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada, and some trees are 3,000 years old.