At least 600 poles replaced in Cape Coral by LCEC

Cape Coral city leaders deliver an update on Hurricane Ian recovery.

During a news conference on Friday, the city said that they are 100% back online with water and sewer, and a precautionary boil water notice is still in place for the city.

The Department of Health has to conduct two tests anytime the system goes down. One test has already been done and it tested about 120 sites and it all came back positive, according to the mayor of Cape Coral.

The county has rescinded its curfew, but the city has chosen to enact its own curfew which will be in place until Tuesday, October 11. The curfew starts at 9 p.m. each night and until 6 a.m. the following morning.

The LCEC CEO said they are confident in saying October 8 is a reasonable estimated date for power restoration for the city.

Something that many residents in Cape Coral will certainly be grateful for.

Mike Llewellyn’s neighbors already have power, however, due to a down wire in his backyard, he’s not as fortunate.

“I understand they got crews out all over the place. Some places they got to get up and running,” Llewellyn said. “But if they’re going to put a grid on why would you not check that every single household is up and running. Instead of leaving people you know waiting for how many more days.”

Denise Vidal, the CEO of LCEC, said during the news conference, “We will have replaced 600 poles, at least, in the City of Cape Coral. In all of Hurricane Irma’s damage, we replaced 1,000 poles.”

A debris contractor started picking up debris around the city on October 6. There are 37 vehicles picking up debris, 50 vehicles are expected to pick up debris by October 7, and 75 vehicles by the end of the weekend.

The city asks you to have three separate piles in front of your house for pick-up. One pile for each of the following: vegetation, construction, and appliances.

There is also a debris drop-off site at 2930 NW 13th St from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., seven days a week. In order to drop off at the site, you need proof of residency in Cape Coral. They are only accepting vegetation and are asking for the vegetation to not be in plastic bags.

The city currently has three pod sites that are handing out water, ice, and meals. Because the city is seeing fewer residents coming to these sites they will be merging them into two sites, one in the south part of the city on Lenord Street and Coral Oakes Golf Course.

The mayor said the city is hoping for a FEMA facility to be in Cape Coral by Monday. In addition to that, they are also hoping to get an insurance village at the same sites as FEMA so residents will be able to get the information they need.

You can watch the full update from Cape Coral by clicking here or in the post above.