Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane MiltonImportant numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane Milton WINK News reporter Annalise Iraola went to the Charlotte County EOC and spoke with Public Information Officer Todd Dunn about what’s happening within the EOC as Milton impacts Southwest Florida.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
Hurricane Milton Cat 2 strength, heavy impacts expected in SWFL The Weather Authority is continuing to track Hurricane Milton, which continues to be a major hurricane even as it was downgraded slightly.
Biden holds press conference on Hurricane Milton President Joe Biden held a press conference on Hurricane Milton on Wednesday evening.
SOUTH FORT MYERS The Villas in Fort Myers sees damage due to Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton made its way to Florida, residents in the Villas in South Fort Myers went through a possible tornado around 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
27 preliminary reports of tornadoes in Florida caused by Milton You may have seen videos and pictures of tornadoes due to Hurricane Milton and the damage they have caused in Southwest Florida.
Tracking Milton: Power outages across SWFL The Lee County Electric Cooperative has reported power outages throughout the area due to the effects of Hurricane Milton.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis holds news conference in Tallahassee Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference regarding Hurricane Milton.
NORTH FORT MYERS Potential tornado touchdown in North Fort Myers Neighbors said there was a lot of damage. Residents surveyed the aftermath on their vehicles.
Roadways affected by Milton As Southwest Florida feels the effects of Hurricane Milton, roads are being affected.
What’s open and closed for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gains momentum toward the west coast of Florida, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
WINK NEWS Images of how Milton is impacting Southwest Florida Just shy of two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Southwest Florida residents are once again facing life-threatening storm conditions by Hurricane Milton.
WINK NEWS List of shelters in SWFL ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
NAPLES Mandatory curfews begins across Southwest Florida Mandatory driving curfews are being implemented starting Wednesday afternoon ahead of Hurricane Milton in Southwest Florida.
Know when it’s time to shelter in place for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gets closer to Southwest Florida, first responders are doing their final sweeps of evacuation zones.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane Milton WINK News reporter Annalise Iraola went to the Charlotte County EOC and spoke with Public Information Officer Todd Dunn about what’s happening within the EOC as Milton impacts Southwest Florida.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
Hurricane Milton Cat 2 strength, heavy impacts expected in SWFL The Weather Authority is continuing to track Hurricane Milton, which continues to be a major hurricane even as it was downgraded slightly.
Biden holds press conference on Hurricane Milton President Joe Biden held a press conference on Hurricane Milton on Wednesday evening.
SOUTH FORT MYERS The Villas in Fort Myers sees damage due to Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton made its way to Florida, residents in the Villas in South Fort Myers went through a possible tornado around 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
27 preliminary reports of tornadoes in Florida caused by Milton You may have seen videos and pictures of tornadoes due to Hurricane Milton and the damage they have caused in Southwest Florida.
Tracking Milton: Power outages across SWFL The Lee County Electric Cooperative has reported power outages throughout the area due to the effects of Hurricane Milton.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis holds news conference in Tallahassee Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference regarding Hurricane Milton.
NORTH FORT MYERS Potential tornado touchdown in North Fort Myers Neighbors said there was a lot of damage. Residents surveyed the aftermath on their vehicles.
Roadways affected by Milton As Southwest Florida feels the effects of Hurricane Milton, roads are being affected.
What’s open and closed for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gains momentum toward the west coast of Florida, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
WINK NEWS Images of how Milton is impacting Southwest Florida Just shy of two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Southwest Florida residents are once again facing life-threatening storm conditions by Hurricane Milton.
WINK NEWS List of shelters in SWFL ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
NAPLES Mandatory curfews begins across Southwest Florida Mandatory driving curfews are being implemented starting Wednesday afternoon ahead of Hurricane Milton in Southwest Florida.
Know when it’s time to shelter in place for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gets closer to Southwest Florida, first responders are doing their final sweeps of evacuation zones.
Charlotte County has introduced armed security to help keep your students and children safe. This year is the first year Charlotte County Schools had the guardian program in place. On Tuesday night, the school district recognized the 23 ‘guardians’ that help protect the districts schools. Prior to the school board meeting, WINK News spoke exclusively with the the Coordinator of Security and Emergency Management, Joe King, and Mike, a ‘guardian’ with the program. This was a questions-and-answers portion, which allowed WINK News reporter Haley Zarcone to ask questions that the community wants answered. One of those questions is, how is the school district working to ensure that what happened last week in Georgia does not happen here? The Guardianship Program for Charlotte County schools allows the school district to hire armed security guards for public schools. It was a program put into action after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 students and faculty. These school guardians are either school employees who work to protect students in addition to their assigned duties or people hired specifically for the program. “First week of school, the kids were incredible. You had kids fist bumping, you know, the guardians and saying, thank you. You had moms hugging us. You had dad shaking our hands saying, ‘thank you for your service’,” said Mike, a Charlotte County School District guardian. When Mike goes to your child’s school he has one thing on his mind, safety and security. He’s one of 23 ‘guardians’ a part of the guardian program adopted by the Charlotte County school district in June of 2023. “From every age group right up from kindergarten to high school, they they have a clear understanding of what our responsibility is,” said Mike. “The guardians go through 144 hour training course, obviously put on by the sheriff’s office,” said Joe King, Coordinator of Security and Emergency Management. “Within that, they have a block of legal they have they have de escalation methods. They have gun retention.” Not required, but many have background in law enforcement or the military. Before he was in schools, Mike worked in law enforcement in Connecticut. He was there when the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting claimed the lives of students and staff. “What happened back in 2014 and what our how our agency handled the situation, how the community reacted, how the entire school family rose up and took care of one another,” said Mike. It takes training, and hard work, but more importantly a love for the safety of your kids “We have to do everything we possibly can to protect these kids,” said King. During the school board meeting at 5:30, each guardian was presented with a badge and recognized by the school district. Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on-air for any new developments on this story.