Hurricane Ian shelters are open in Lee County, here's where to go in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Estero

Kate Cimini, Fort Myers News-Press
·3 min read
1
Gordon Oscar, center, loads sandbags with other county employees at Hertz Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Estero.
Gordon Oscar, center, loads sandbags with other county employees at Hertz Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Estero.

Jacki Reed paced outside the emergency evacuation shelter set up at Hertz Arena Tuesday morning. She was first in line and had stacked blankets, clothes and more in a laundry basket, ready to go as soon as the doors opened.

Shelters have opened across Lee County and residents are trickling in as Zone A and B are under mandatory evacuation orders.

Mary Cook, the Hertz Arena shelter operations manager, said the shelter was open and ready to receive evacuees. More than a dozen county and Hertz employees helped to prepare the arena as a shelter, shoveling sand into sandbags and stacking them around entrances and exits to keep the water out.

Hurricane Ian: Lee County under hurricane warning as Ian continues to strengthen

More: Venice now looks like Florida landfall for shifting Hurricane Ian

The arena's seat capacity is more than 7,000, and Randy Klinck, a Hertz Arena employee, said the arena would not turn anyone away.

Reed and her daughter, Hailee, are new residents to Florida, having moved to a house near downtown Cape Coral just about 60 days ago.

Reed manages outpatient infusion centers, and had to go to work to move the center's electronics off the floor, in case of flooding. Afterward, on the way north, she and her daughter stopped at the Estero shelter.

"It was a mandatory evacuation, and our house floods with even a thunderstorm," Reed said.

Hailee Reed and Jacki Reed bring their belongings into Hertz Arena to prepare for Hurricane Ian on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. They live in a mandatory evacuation zone in Cape Coral, so they decided to leave.
Hailee Reed and Jacki Reed bring their belongings into Hertz Arena to prepare for Hurricane Ian on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. They live in a mandatory evacuation zone in Cape Coral, so they decided to leave.

Reed has been through ice storms and tornados in Texas, then in the Imperial Valley of California she lived through earthquakes and fires. This is her first time in a hurricane, though.

"I was talking to my boss the other day and he said, 'Jacki, it seems like there's kind of a trend. National disasters follow you'," she joked "Tsunami, I guess, is the next one, but I'm not looking forward to that."

Later in the day, Christopher Contreras stood in the doorway of Hertz Arena, waiting for his wife to arrive before he checked in. A Bonita Springs resident of only four months, this was his first hurricane, and his first evacuation, he said, but he wasn't feeling too ovewhelmed.

"I feel pretty calm," Conteras said. "It seems like a very good shelter."

He lives in Evacuation Zone A, and the Lee County warnings about the storm surge were concerning enough that he felt they needed to evacuate.

"I think the flood in this area, the surge, that's the only thing we need to worry about," Contreras said.

Related: Sanibel businesses board up; shops start prep ahead of Hurricane Ian

Residents of Zone A and Zone B and Zone C were under mandatory evacuation orders. Evacuation Zone A generally includes islands and coastal areas. Zone B includes areas further inland, on both sides of the Caloosahatchee River and south into Bonita Springs. Zone C includes north Cape Coral and North Fort Myers west of I-75.

Evacuees should bring their own personal items such as personal hygiene items, clothes, bedding, food, food and water for pets, and pet crates.

Shelters will open at 9 a.m. at the following locations. Only the listed shelters are opening at this time. All open shelters, which are pet-friendly, are:

Lee County employees load sandbags at Hertz Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022.
Lee County employees load sandbags at Hertz Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022.

  • Dunbar High School
    3800 Edison Avenue
    Fort Myers, FL 33916

  • East Lee County High School
    715 Thomas Sherwin Ave.
    Lehigh Acres, FL 33974

  • Estero Recreation Center
    9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd.
    Estero, FL 33928

  • Gateway High School
    13820 Griffin Dr.
    Fort Myers, FL 33913

  • Hertz Arena
    11000 Everblades Parkway
    Estero, FL 33928

  • Island Coast High School
    2125 DeNavarra Pkwy.
    Cape Coral, FL 33909

  • Oak Hammock Middle School
    5321 Tice Street
    Fort Myers, FL 33905

  • South Fort Myers High School
    14020 Plantation Road
    Fort Myers, FL 33912

  • Varsity Lakes Middle School
    801 Gunnery Road North
    Lehigh Acres, FL 33971

  • Veterans Park Recreation Center
    49 Homestead Road S.
    Lehigh Acres, FL 33936

According to Lee County, United Way is preparing to open the emergency information line at 9 a.m. upon the opening of the emergency shelters. Residents with evacuation zone questions or shelter questions can call 2-1-1.

Lee County employees place sandbags at Hertz Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022.
Lee County employees place sandbags at Hertz Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022.

Kate Cimini is an investigative journalist covering Florida. Share your story at (239) 207-9369 or email kcimini@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: Lee County shelters are open. Here's where to go