Mandatory evacuations issued for parts of SWFL

FORT MYERS, Fla. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Southwest Florida as Hurricane Irma draws near.

Below is a county-by-county look at evacuation details. Click here to see a list of shelter openings:

Lee County

Zone B evacuations began Saturday morning. That zone covers areas south of the Caloosahatchee in Fort Myers and south of Pine Island Road in Cape Coral and is shaded orange in the map above.

Mandatory evacuations were expanded Friday for Evacuation Zone A and portions of the Imperial River basin between East Terry, Bonita Beach Road and Interstate 75. Those areas are shaded in red.

Evacuation Zone A includes:

• All of the barrier islands (previously announced on Thursday)
• Cape Coral west of Burnt Store Road and south of Cape Coral Parkway, east of Del Prado
• Boulevard to Viscaya Parkway
• North Fort Myers south of Bay Shore Road from Moody Road to State Road 31 and areas south of North River Road from State Road 31 to Fichters Creek.
• Areas of Iona south of Maple Drive, west of U.S. 41
• San Carlos Park west of U.S. 41,
• Estero west of U.S. 41, north of the Estero River
• Bonita Springs communities along Estero Bay and the Imperial River Basin.

The map below shows all the current Lee County mandatory evacuation zones shaded in pink:

Florida Gulf Coast University student housing will now be evacuated Saturday to Eagle Hall in South Village instead of Alico Arena, the university’s housing department said. The campus evacuation will take place between 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Important update: Residential Students will now be evacuated to Eagle Hall in South Village instead of Alico Arena. pic.twitter.com/Wu6LhxWwKl

— FGCU Housing & RL (@FGCUhousing) September 9, 2017

Students should be packed and ready to evacuate by 9:30 a.m., the housing department said in an email. They won’t be allowed to go back into the dorms until the storm passes.

Fort Myers police officers are going door-to-door telling residents of Tropical Trailer Park, Poinsettia Park and Orange Grove Park to evacuate.

The City of Sanibel declared a mandatory evacuation beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, and a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night starting at 10 p.m. Friday.

Tolls on all Lee County bridges are suspended effective immediately.

 

Collier County

Mandatory evacuation orders were expanded Saturday for areas of Collier County, emergency management officials said.

All one-story homes in the Lely Resort must be evacuated — and residents in two-story homes should ride out the storm upstairs, officials said. There are also three new mandatory evacuation zones:

• One on the northeast corner of U.S. 41 and Immokalee Road (south of Encore Way and west of Collier Reserve Drive).
• One west of Airport-Pulling Road and south of Pine Ridge Road (just east to Santa Barbara Boulevard south of Radio Road).
• One extending southwest from the corner of Collier Boulevard and Sabal Palm Road.

On Friday, residents were ordered to leave at 1 p.m. in Goodland, Everglades City, Chokoloskee and all areas south and west of U.S. 41, deputies said.

Collier County residents living in mobile homes to the east of Collier Boulevard are strongly advised to evacuate to a hardened structure or an emergency shelter, deputies said.

Areas of Collier County under a mandatory evacuation order are shaded in pink below:

Charlotte County

Mandatory evacuations were issued for Orange Zone B Saturday morning, the Charlotte County, Charlotte County Emergency management officials said.

@CharlotteCoFL has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Orange (B) evacuation zone. Please seek shelter outside of Charlotte County.

— Charlotte County (@CharlotteCoFL) September 9, 2017

Englewood Community Hospital begins evacuating staff and patients Saturday morning.

County officials request residents seek shelter outside Charlotte County, according to officials.

@CharlotteCoFL has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Orange (B) evacuation zone. Please seek shelter outside of Charlotte County.

— Charlotte County (@CharlotteCoFL) September 9, 2017

DeSoto County

Mandatory evacuations were ordered Saturday for all mobile home parks, RV parks and low-lying areas, DeSoto County emergency management officials said on Facebook.

Officials weren’t specific about which areas they consider low-lying.

Hendry County

Residents were required to leave at 8 a.m. Friday in the City of Clewiston, Hookers Point, Harlem, Flaghole, Montura Ranch Estates and the communities located within the Mid-County MSBU which includes Ladeca, Pioneer Plantation and Leon-Dennis Subdivision (Al Don Farming Road).

Hendry County is providing transportation for those living in mandatory evacuation areas who are unable to evacuate to a shelter, according to a county press release.

People can be picked up in the Clewiston commerce park area, across from the Hendry County Health Department on the west side of Olympia Street, officials said.

This transportation is for evacuees in the mandatory evacuation zone who do not have the means to evacuate on their own, according to officials. Those with the means to transport themselves should do so and allow others in need to use the transportation.

 

Glades County

Moore Haven, Lakeport, Washington Park, Benbow and Uncle Joe’s Motel and Campground were being evacuated as of noon Friday.

Residents in Zone A must evacuate by noon Friday, the Glades County Emergency Operations Center said in a press release. Anyone in an RV park, mobile home or building constructed before 1992 must also evacuate.