Lee County Emergency Management officials have expanded the scope of mandatory evacuations beyond the barrier islands to include portions of Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, San Carlos Park, Estero and Bonita Springs. In a news briefing at the Lee County Emergency Operations Center Friday, Gov. Rick Scott said the expanded mandatory evacuations come due to the threat of a projected six to 12 foot storm surge.
“It is possible that this area, especially from Captiva to Chokoloskee, this is a life threatening situation,” said Gov. Scott. “Storm surge will rush in and could kill you. Think about it: six to 12 feet; that’s taller than some homes and it’s going to rush in. You’re not going to survive this if it happens.”
Friday afternoon, the Lee County Manager and the county attorney finalized the creation of ‘Zone A’, which is now under a mandatory evacuation.
Zone A includes some 25,000 residents of Cape Coral west of Burnt Store Rd. and south of Cape Coral Pkwy., east of Del Prado Blvd. to Viscaya Pkwy. Zone A also includes the Bay Shore Rd. corridor of North Fort Myers from Moody Rd. to SR 31 and areas south of North River Rd. from SR 31 to Fichters Creek.
Expanded evacuations in Lee also now include areas of Iona, south of Maple Dr. and west of U.S. 41 as well as San Carlos Park west of U.S. 41.
Residents in Estero west of U.S. 41 and north of the Estero River are also under a mandatory evacuation order, as are communities in Bonita Springs along Estero Bay and in the Imperial River Basin.
Governor Scott urges those planning to evacuate from mandatory evacuation zones in Lee, Hendry, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Collier and Monroe Counties to leave as soon as possible. For those who haven’t gotten on the road by midnight tonight, Gov. Scott advises staying put and not getting on the roads.
