Update: As of Thursday afternoon, shelters are consolidating or transporting people out. They are not taking in people in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. They were shelters for during the hurricane.
Shelter locations also change from storm to storm.
As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
Here are some shelters that have opened ahead of the hurricane:
Lee County
- Island Coast High School in Cape Coral
- Dunbar High School in Fort Myers
- Estero Recreation Center in Estero
- A Special Needs Shelter has also opened. You have to pre-register for access. Click here for more information.
- LeeTran provides free transportation to any shelter. Go to any LeeTran stop and say you want to be taken there.
- Island Coast High School – 2125 DeNavarra Pkwy, Cape Coral
- Estero Recreation Center – 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero
- Dunbar High School – 30 Edison Ave, Fort Myers
- Hertz Arena – 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero
- Gateway Highschool – 13820 Griffin Dr, Fort Myers
- Oak Hammock Middle School – 5321 Tice St, Fort Myers
- Tortuga Elementary – 1711 Gunnery Rd. N, Lehigh Acres
- Treeline Elementary – 10900 Treeline Ave, Fort Myers
- Varsity Lakes Middle School – 801 Gunnery Rd. N, Lehigh Acres
- Alico Arena 12181 FGCU Lake Parkway East Fort Myers, FL 33913
- East Lee County High School 715 Thomas Sherwin Ave. Lehigh Acres, FL 33974
- Harns Marsh Elementary School 1800 Unice Ave. N. Lehigh Acres, FL 33971
- Harns Marsh Middle School, 1820 Unice Ave. N. Lehigh Acres, FL 33971
Update Post Hurricane Milton
In Lee County, 9,600 people were sheltered during the storm. Currently, there are 620 people inside the shelters.
Lee County officials stated that shelters will be consolidated moving forward.
LeeTran will provide free service to assist people from shelters to their homes starting at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
Charlotte County
As of 8 p.m., shelters in Charlotte County are no longer accepting evacuees. The county urges all residents to shelter in place and stay off the roads until they are no longer experiencing hazardous conditions.
- The hurricane shelter at the Babcock Ranch School Field House at 43281 Cypress Pkwy.
- Shelter at Babcock Neighborhood Schools, 43301 Cypress Parkway, Punta Gorda
- Kingsway Elementary School, 23300 Quasar Blvd., in Port Charlotte.
Liberty Elementary School, 370 Atwater St., in Port Charlotte. CLOSEDNeil Armstrong Elementary School, 22100 Breezeswept Ave., in Port Charlotte. CLOSED- Harold Avenue Recreation Center, 23400 Harold Ave., in Port Charlotte
Collier County
A shelter for individuals with special needs will open Tuesday at 2 p.m.
- Palmetto Ridge High School, (Pet-Friendly) 1655 Victory Lane in Naples.
General population shelters will open on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
- Gulf Coast H.S. 7878 Shark Way
- Immokalee H.S. 701 Immokalee Drive
- Golden Gate H.S. 2925 Titan Way
- Corkscrew M.S. (Pet-Friendly) 1165 Oil Well Road
- Cypress Palm M.S. (Pet-Friendly) 4255 18th Ave N.E.
- Golden Gate M.S. (Pet-Friendly) 2701 48th Terrace S.W.
- Immokalee M.S. (Pet-Friendly) 401 9th Street
- Oakridge M.S. (Pet-Friendly) 14975 Collier Blvd
DeSoto County
- DeSoto County Middle School at 420 E Gibson Street, in Arcadia.
DeSoto County said, “As of 4:30 p.m., Wed., October 9, there were 491 people in the general shelter at DeSoto Middle School, 420 E Gibson—including 33 dogs, 9 cats, 1 pig, 1 goat, 1 rabbit, 7 quail and 3 quail eggs! The special needs shelter is at South Florida State College, 2251 NE Turner Ave., Arcadia. There are currently 73 people there. Both shelters are still accepting guests. No pre-registration is required.”
Hendry County
All general population shelters will open Wednesday, beginning at 6 a.m.
- LaBelle Middle School, 8000 E Cowboy Way in LaBelle.
- LaBelle High School, 4050 E Cowboy Way, LaBelle
- Clewiston High School, 1501 Francisco St. in Clewiston.
- LJ Nobles Senior Center in LaBelle (For special needs assistance)
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has partnered with Uber to provide Floridians free rides to and from shelters in counties evacuating for Milton. If you feel uncomfortable riding out the storm in your home, even if you aren’t in a mandatory evacuation zone, shelters are open and space is available.
How to get a ride:
1. Open the Uber app
2. Tap Account on the bottom right & tap Wallet
3. Add promo code MILTONRELIEF
Know your evacuation zone; click here for more information.
