Collier County issues mandatory evacuation, more shelters opening; Naples issues immediate curfew

Collier County has issued a mandatory evacuation notice for those living in immediate coastal areas, west and south of US-41 in low-lying flood-prone areas and mobile homes. The City of Naples has issued a curfew effective immediately as Hurricane Ian approaches landfall. The City of Naples said they are expecting extremely hazardous conditions on roadways.

The curfew is effective immediately until further notice.

Collier County was the first county in Southwest Florida to issue a State of Emergency. People who live there have been preparing, and the county will open four voluntary shelters and a special needs shelter on Tuesday afternoon.

Four middle schools will also open as voluntary shelters:

• Oakridge Middle School, 14975 Collier Blvd.
• Golden Gate Middle School, 2701 48th Terrace SW
• Immokalee Middle School, 401 N. 9th S.
• Corkscrew Middle School, 1165 County Road 858

All middle schools are pet friendly. Pet owners must bring their vaccination records, the appropriate size kennel for their animals, food and water for a minimum of three days, bowls and all supplies including waste bags and litter. When taking pets outside, they must remain leashed, and pet owners are responsible for picking up pet waste. There must always be a family member or caretaker of the pet present in the shelter.

The following non-pet-friendly shelters will also be open for the general population.

• Golden Gate High School will open at 6 p.m. It is located at 2925 Titan Way.
• Gulf Coast High School, 7878 Shark Way
• Immokalee High School, 701 Immokalee Drive

The special needs shelter will be at Palmetto Ridge High School, located at 1655 Victory Lane. It is strongly recommended that vulnerable people in Zone A take shelter.

St. Matthew’s House says it will open its two homeless emergency shelters in Naples and Immokalee at 8 p.m. on Tuesday for anyone needing safe housing as Hurricane Ian approaches:

• Campbell Lodge Shelter, 2001 Airport Road S., Naples
• Immokalee Friendship House, 602 West Main St., Immokalee

They will remain open until the impacts of the storm have ended.

The emergency operations center will open at 3 p.m. and work around the clock.

Collier County officials are providing a Hurricane Ian update. You can click here to watch or watch in the player below.

Government offices in Collier County will be closed through Wednesday.

From locals to tourists, people are on high alert, and every one of them is monitoring Hurricane Ian, preparing for whatever comes.

Collier County leaders are preparing too. Everyone understands they’re on the clock and time is running out to gather supplies.

More than a thousand sandbags were up for grabs at North Collier Regional Park on Monday.

Thomas Graziano Jr. grabbed a few himself as he helped his dad prepare for Hurricane Ian, which will be his first hurricane. “Ehhh, I’m a little nervous,” said Thomas.

He’s not the only one. A New Hampshire native’s vacation has taken a turn on Naples Beach.

“Nervous, I’m nervous. I promised my family that, you know, that I’d be okay, so I will not take any risks,” said Zena Fibson, from New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, many locals are calm and always prepared.

“We’re more or less prepared we’re not hysterical about it. Our daughter’s lived here for 18 years so we know what’s going on,” said Ann Lamorgesc, of Naples.

As Hurricane Ian inches toward our gulf coast, Collier County prepares for flooding, cleaning out storm drains and securing anything that could go flying at county beaches and parks.

“We really prepare like, you know, for every storm, that it’s going to be a direct hit. And that’s the kind of preparation we have. And then, if that doesn’t happen, which is great, then it is a good dry run for preparation,” said Commissioner Rick LoCastro.

LoCastro emphasized that a lot more information will be coming out over the next 24 hours.To get the latest from the county, you can call 311 or go to alertcollier.com.

Wind and water are the two major concerns for Naples. City leaders say if you don’t need to be here, please evacuate. If you are going to stay, they ask you to take this seriously.

Naples

In Naples, the number one priority is safety. While the city is outside of the cone, leaders say they are preparing for worst-case scenarios.

The City of Naples said it will partially activate the City’s Emergency Operation at 5 p.m.

They expect disruptions to infrastructure, including city water and sewer systems, traffic signals will likely be knocked out and emergency crews say they’re ready to respond to the storm, but you need to be too.