Getting Naples and Collier County ready for hurricane season

Hurricanes are powerful and unpredictable, which is why the City of Naples held a hurricane prep event at Baker Park Thursday.

“It’s actually a pretty informal event. We have tables set up with all of our department heads and deputy directors,” said City of Naples Fire Department Deputy Chief Corey Adamski, “and each table and department has information relative to their area of expertise.”

People who live in the City of Naples or other parts of Collier County were able to learn valuable tips, get essential supplies and connect with staff to ensure their safety and that of their loved ones.

“I thought it was a great service for the community,” said Denise Roy. “This is my first hurricane season in Naples or actually in Florida. I came from the north, so I thought it was important to learn about being prepared.”

“It’s great for us to be doing events like this with the community because we don’t want the first time they see us to be in an emergency,” Adamski added.

WINK News talked with Adamski, who said it’s critical to stay ready no matter what.

“We want to make sure that we’re getting information out to them and they have the trust in us that we’re actually prepared as well as they are,” he explained.

He also talked about the kinds of emergencies they respond to when a hurricane does hit.

“Hurricane Irma was a lot of trees and powerlines down, and obviously Hurricane Ian was a lot of water, a lot less debris as far as trees and powerlines went but we still had those. We deal with everything from fires to extra vehicle accidents, to sinkholes, sewer system covers coming up. It’s just, the sky’s the limit,” Adamski said.

WINK News met Denise Roy, who moved to the area from Connecticut about eight months ago.

“My thought yesterday as I was kind of making my list is where they told me I should evacuate is completely different where I thought I would have to evacuate,” she said, “so I need to redo my plan.”

This will be her first hurricane season in Southwest Florida, and she said she feels more than prepared.

“You can leave your possessions behind, but you know, you have kids, you have animals, and yourself just to be safe to have a plan and be ready,” she said.

If you were unable to attend Thursday’s event, you can still find the information you need here.