HURRICANE IAN: Recovery-related information, tips

DONATIONS

Lee Health Foundation asks for donations to employee relief fund 

Thousands of healthcare heroes need community support in wake of Hurricane Ian 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 3, 2022) – Lee Health Foundation has announced creation of the SWFL Stronger Together employee relief fund to provide critical aid to the thousands of healthcare professionals who suffered incredible loss in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, many while serving patients at Lee Health hospitals across Southwest.

“Lee Health and our team members remain committed to our community by continuing to provide care to our patients as we navigate this crisis,” said Chris Simoneau, chief development, marketing and communications officer for Lee Health. “Supporters to this fund will be giving a helping hand to our healthcare workers who are personally dealing with Hurricane Ian’s destruction when they leave our campuses. We know that resources are scarce, conditions are difficult and help is needed.”

Lee Health is the largest employer in Lee County, with more than 15,000 employees, many of them personally impacted by Hurricane Ian. Many of the staff at HealthPark Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital of SWFL who worked during the hurricane lost their cars due to flooding. Many are in need of transportation assistance, housing, meals and water. Relief funds will go to supporting staff and ensuring continued patient care as the community goes through this difficult time.

To donate, visit Leehealthfoundation.org/swfl-stronger-together/.

Best way to assist Lee County families: Financial donations remain the best way to assist families impacted by Hurricane Ian now and for the long-term recovery. Any amount is welcome to the SWFL Emergency Relief Fund organized through the Collaboratory and The United Way.

Go to Collaboratory.org to donate. All proceeds support Southwest Florida nonprofits helping residents now and in the weeks and months ahead.

Anyone wishing to volunteer can register at volunteer.unitedwaylee.org or call 2-1-1 or 239-433-3900.

Cleanup service volunteer agencies or teams may register with Crisis Cleanup, crisiscleanup.org. Residents needing cleanup services may register by calling the Crisis Cleanup Hotline at 800-451-1954.

Limited donations of goods are being accepted 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily beginning Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Ocean Church, 2016 Kismet Parkway, Cape Coral, and Ocean Church, 22100 South Tamiami Trail, Estero.

No clothing, furniture, blankets and toys will be accepted.

DROP OFF ITEMS: True Fashionistas, lifestyle consignment store, is collecting supplies and nonperishable food donations for victims of Hurricane Ian and delivering them to those in our devastated East Naples coastal areas and Naples Park. True Fashionistas is open for drop-offs 10 am – 3 pm now through this Saturday, October 8. They also need volunteers to help organize and distribute donations. Please check their Facebook page for a full list of donation ideas and details.

Please consider donating the following items: Nonperishable foods, including:
Canned foods with a flip-top lid (no can opener required)
Pasta
Ramen noodle packages
Basic toiletries and supplies, including:
Diapers, baby formula
Wipes
Hand sanitizer
Flashlights
Toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrushes, brushes/combs, body wash
Feminine hygiene products
Shampoo and conditioner (please tape together)
Paper products – individually-wrapped paper towels; small packages of paper plates and cutlery
Cleaning products – bleach, laundry detergent, cleaning sprays
Batteries size AA and D
Plastic tubs for collecting supplies

GENERAL INFORMATION

Home Depot Foundation commits up to $1M for communities impacted by Ian: The Home Depot Foundation is committing up to $1 million to support immediate disaster relief and long-term recovery efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Ian. This new disaster response grant takes the Foundation’s 2022 disaster commitment to more than $5.5 million.

Alongside nonprofit partners and Team Depot, The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, the Foundation is providing immediate assistance to communities in need by distributing water and relief supplies, delivering meals, providing shelter and removing debris in the impacted areas as soon as the storm clears.

The Foundation is also shipping more than 1,800 disaster relief kits to Florida to be distributed by Convoy of Hope and other nonprofit partners. The kits, which include garbage bags, paper towels, cleaners, hand sanitizer, scour pads, gloves and N95 masks, will be distributed to people in need and those cleaning up after the storm.

FOOD! Operation BBQ Relief is currently deployed in Port Charlotte, Florida responding to Hurricane Ian.

Individual Meals served daily at noon each day:

Charlotte Sports Park

(spring training site for MLB team, TB Rays)

2300 El Jobean Rd.

Port Charlotte, FL 33948

If your organization, church, school or neighborhood is in need of bulk meals (50 servings or more), please call our food hotline at: 386-222-2756.

OPERATION BBQ RELIEF has been deployed to feed Victims and First Responders. This is a massive deployment of semi-trucks, tents, and equipment.  Church and civic groups can call and request meals “in bulk” to be picked up as well after calling hotline. Individual meals are being served at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte.

Operation BBQ Relief is scheduled to cook upwards of 60,000 meals daily with the setup of the size of two football fields in Port Charlotte, FL. They plan to serve meals for at least 2 weeks as over one million homes are still without power. To support or volunteer go to https://operationbbqrelief.org/

All bulk meal orders need to be in increments of 50. These are bulk meals. We do not supply clamshells or utensils. Operation BBQ Relief does not provide individual meals at the cook site to ensure the safety of our volunteers and maintain the flow of traffic when bulk meals are picked up for distribution.

TOOL TIME: all eight Sunshine Ace Hardware stores in Southwest Florida have reopened. Below are their locations and telephone numbers:

Port Charlotte – 912a Kings Highway; (941) 629-4455

Naples – 141 Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) North; (239) 262-2940

East Naples – 4433 Tamiami Trail East; (239) 775-2150

Marco Island – 1720 San Marco Road; (239) 642-7444

Golden Gate – 11673 Collier Blvd,; (239) 455-3400

Bonita Springs – 9100 Bonita Beach Road; (239) 992-0169

San Carlos – 18911 Tamiami Trail South; (239) 415-1161

Port Charlotte – 3035 Tamiami Trail; (941) 627-5558

Sunshine Ace continues to receive truckloads of supplies, including generators, chainsaws, bottled water and other post-storm essentials. I can help coordinate an interview if you need one.

AVOIDING SCAMS: As tough as it may be to pick up the pieces, it’s essential that homeowners do not hesitate to document and file insurance claims should they need to. They also need to be on guard, as there are bad actors out there looking to scam homeowners in their time of need.

Many homeowners may be unsure where to even begin. To help, here are 7 Insurance Claim & Safe Recovery Tips the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) recommends:

1. Only work with state-licensed professionals.
   It’s an unfortunate reality that scam artists prey upon consumers in their time of need. Whether you’re hiring a contractor to make repairs or a public insurance adjuster to help you understand and submit your insurance claim, make sure they are licensed to conduct business in Florida (go to www.beclaimsmart.com for easy verification). And don’t forget, only public adjusters and lawyers are authorized by the law to negotiate a claim with your insurance company. Anyone else who offers to do so is committing a felony.
2. Check permits.
   If the correct permits aren’t being pulled for the property repair of your home or business, then the job isn’t going to get done (or get done well). Be vocal and ask your contractor about required permits in your city or county, and to show you confirmation of their filing.  Additionally, local building departments may hold you liable for re-doing the work when they learn that required permits were not pulled.
3. Don’t pay in cash.Credit cards, checks and debit cards are much safer forms of payment, and more easily tracked. Ask for a receipt if you are not given one – you’ll need this for your insurance claim.
4. Be wary of contracts with AOB languageSigning over Assignment of Benefits (AOB) is a big deal, as it authorizes the receiving party to manage every aspect of your insurance claim, including the collection of your payout and filing a lawsuit for your claim.
5. Don’t wait too long to file your claim.Florida requires that all hurricane damage claims be filed within two years of the date of loss.  As a result it is important to have a professional inspect your home for damages and file a claim on a timely basis.  Supplemental claims are limited to three years from the date of loss.
6. Prevent further damage as best you can.
   Failing to mitigate additional damage to your property could result in your claim being denied. Provided it is safe to do so and the issue is manageable, work with a professional to take care of anything that could become a bigger problem, such as tarping a damaged roof or covering broken windows.
7. Watch out for scam artists.
   Florida’s insurance market and policyholders have been hurt by fraud and scams. Don’t be a victim. If you see contractors, roofers or anyone who is not a licensed public insurance adjuster or an attorney offering to handle your claim, they may be engaging in criminal activity. Contractors and roofers are not insurance professionals. Unfortunately, there are some who would use the “handling of your claim” as a sales tactic. Don’t fall for it. They are neither licensed nor trained to represent your insurance claim interests.

UTILITIES: As southwest Florida and other areas impacted by Hurricane Ian begin cleanup and recovery activity, Peoples Gas wants residents and business owners to stay safe.

Key things to know

1. If you smell natural gas (the odor of rotten eggs) or notice damage to natural gas equipment, move to safety, call 911, then call Peoples Gas at 877-832-6747.

1. Ask for ID. All Peoples Gas team members and contractors have photo ID badges. For safety reasons, a gas technician may need to access the appliances in your home or business. Always ask to see an ID before allowing entry.

1. Use care when clearing fallen trees and other debris. Call 811 and allow at least two full business days before digging roots, repairing fences or doing other work that requires digging to avoid damaging underground utility lines. Please be patient and wait for local utilities to mark the area with flags or paint, making it easier to dig safely.

1. If natural gas service has been shut off at your home or business, call Peoples Gas at 877-832-6747 to arrange for service to be restored.

What Peoples Gas is doing

Peoples Gas has a team of people assessing damages and organizing restoration of natural gas service throughout the area. Workers from our Panama City, Jupiter and Miami offices have arrived in Fort Myers and Sarasota to assist local crews and we are prepping for additional support as needed.

How we restore natural gas service

Peoples Gas follows carefully planned and established restoration procedures. We prioritize the safety of our customers and communities as we work to bring critical services like hospitals, shelters and nursing homes back in service first, then we work to get the largest number of customers back in service quickly.

Unlike what customers may be used to with electric service restoration, natural gas service restoration takes a little longer.

First, we make our system safe:

• In areas that sustained widespread damage or damage to a natural gas main, our crews isolate and shut off the natural gas supply.
• Every impacted meter is turned off and locked as part of our safe repair and restoration process.
• Crews then make repairs, test the system and repressurize the system to prepare it for gas flow.

Next, we begin restoring natural gas service:

• Once repairs are complete, each meter is unlocked.
• Technicians will need to access each home or business to relight pilot light(s) and perform safety checks before service can be turned back on.
• If no adult is available, Peoples Gas will leave a door tag with instructions on how to schedule an appointment.
• If a home or business sustained extensive damage, Peoples Gas may be unable to restore service until repairs are made by the resident or business owner.

What residents and business owners can do

• Leave natural gas service on at the meter. The valve at the meter should be turned on or off only be a qualified Peoples Gas representative or emergency personnel. Customers may choose to turn off natural gas to individual appliances using the supply value at each unit.

• Customers who suspect their natural gas appliances have been flooded or damaged due to the storm should have the equipment inspected and serviced by a qualified plumber or appliance-service contractor.

• Be aware of scams. Peoples Gas will never call to demand immediate payment and threaten disconnection. Be wary of scammers that pressure for payment with a credit card, gift card or payment app. We just don’t do it. If you suspect a scam, call us at 877-832-6747 to verify the request.

• Follow us on social media and check our website regularly for important updates:

LEE COUNTY

Motorists are instructed to stay off the roadways to allow recovery efforts to proceed safely.

Search and rescue efforts continue throughout the county with local, state and federal resources on air, sea and land. First responders are encountering traffic that is hindering their efforts. Traffic is also slowing responding agencies that are assessing roads, restoring electrical service and staging other recovery efforts.

Stranded residents of Fort Myers Beach are asked to walk to the Publix and 7-11 on Estero Island. Urban Search and Rescue responders will be there to assist evacuation.

Lee County is working with its partners to establish Points of Distribution for free food and water. Those sites will be announced this afternoon and will be located throughout the county.

Lee County shelter operations continue and shelter capacity will be maintained. If your home was impacted by the storm and you need shelter, you can still go. Check www.leegov.com/storm for updates on shelter locations.

Crews from Lee County Department of Transportation continue to assess area roads and bridges. The following bridges are closed: Sanibel Causeway, three bridges in Matlacha, New Pass, Big Carlos Pass Bridge and Big Hickory Pass Bridge.

Lee County Utilities and other water providers ask that anyone who witnesses water bubbling up from the ground report it to the utility serving your area. Remember to conserve water as much as possible.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners meeting planned for Oct. 4 has been canceled. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Oct. 18. For more information, go to www.leegov.com/bocc.

While staying at home and cleaning storm-related yard waste:

• Stack it separately from garbage or building debris.
• Yard waste does not need to be bundled after the storm.
• Place it in piles that can easily be managed by collection personnel with a claw truck.
• Do not place any waste below overhead obstacles such as trees or powerlines or near hydrants or mailboxes.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY

Chainsaw Safety: Chainsaws are inherently dangerous. Here are a few guidelines to follow anytime you operate a chainsaw:

• Always read the operating manual thoroughly prior to operating a saw.
• Follow all manufacturer safety guidelines for starting, cutting, and fueling.
• Wear protective equipment: chaps, gloves, earplugs, and a hard hat (in case of kickback or falling debris).
• Ensure firm footing, remove loose material from underfoot; spread feet in a wide, balanced stance.
• Keep the work area clear to avoid tripping hazards.
• Always maintain control; keep a firm grip on the saw.
• Always be alert to saw kickback.
• Never cut above chest height, control is difficult.
• Use a pole saw for cuts above your head.
• Do not over-reach or under-reach when cutting; you will be off balance.
• Estimate what the reaction of what you’re cutting will be; will it whip up, down, or toward you.
• Identify and keep an escape route clear.

Remember, even the smallest injury with a chainsaw usually requires professional medical attention.

For Hurricane Ian information, call the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center at 941-833-4000 or 941-743-1320.

Follow Charlotte County Emergency Management for important emergency information at www.charlottecountyfl.gov/em, www.facebook.com/oemcharlottecounty, and www.twitter.com/ccoem.

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