Collier, Naples, Marco issue curves;  schools remain closed
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Collier, Naples, Marco issue curves; schools remain closed

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6:30 pm | Collier, Lee schools now closed for rest of week

Collier and Lee schools announced they will remain closed through the end of the week.

All school district sites will be closed, all after school-programs canceled. All extracurricular activities including athletic practices and competitions are cancelled. All adult and community education classes will be cancelled. All district leases will be suspended.

The district will decide before 1 pm Sunday on the district’s operations for Monday.

At this time, there will be no hurricane make-up days. Hurricane make-up days would be Nov. 21 and 22. Fall break at this time remains Nov. 21-Nov. 25.

The latest information can be found on the website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In Lee County, schools will be closed through Friday, according to the district. District offices will also be closed. All after-school programs and extra-curricular activities are suspended.

The district will evaluate its instructional calendar to decide what dates will be used as hurricane make-up days.

The school district said it will continue to monitor the storm and update families regularly with emails, phones calls, text messages, messages on its website and posts on its Facebook page.

6 pm | Mandatory curfews for Collier and Lee counties, Naples, Marco

Collier County has a mandatory curfew from 10 pm Wednesday through 6 am Thursday, according to county officials.

Lee County’s curfew began at 6 pm Wednesday and is until further notice, according to officials. This includes unincorporated Lee County and all cities with the exception of Estero.

Earlier in the day, officials announced curfews for the Collier cities of Naples and Marco Island.

The county curfew was being put into effect for the safety of citizens and their property. The curfew does not apply to emergency responders, employees at health care facilities, critical staff for businesses that provide essential services or those seeking medical assistance. Going out during the curfew is a second-degree misdemeanor, according to the county. Residents with questions can call the Collier Information Hotline at 239-252-8444. Residents in Collier County can dial 311.

4:45 pm | Boil water notice issued for Lee County

Lee County Utilities has issued a boil water notice effective immediately for all customers due to storm impacts. All water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes must be boiled at a rolling boil for one minute. Or, as an alternative, bottled water may be used. See more at leegov.com/storm.

4:30 pm | Garbage collection suspended in Collier

Collier County announced there will be no collection Thursday of garbage, recycling and buildy items or yard waste. This affects unincorporated Collier County, the city of Marco Island and Everglades City. No makeup collections will be made. The Collier County Landfill, the Immokalee Transfer Station and county recycling dropoff centers will also be closed Thursday. More at colliercountyfl.gov.

4 pm | Naples declares indefinite curfew, with exceptions

The city of Naples issued a curfew as Hurricane Ian arrived.

The curfew is effective immediately until further notice, and it doesn’t apply to first responders and emergency workers. Read more here.

3:05 pm | Hurricane Ian makes landfall near Cayo Costa

Hurricane Ian made landfall at 3:05 pm as a powerful Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 150 mph.

Ian came ashore near Cayo Costa off the coast of Fort Myers, according to the National Hurricane Center.

2:49 pm | Cars under water in Naples

Collier Sheriff’s Office “We are receiving information that multiple parking garages on the coast are flooded with water OVER vehicle roofs. 41 & 5th Ave S area (pictured) is under water. We are assisting Marco Island with severe flooding issues as well as Isle of Capri.

We cannot respond to your individual requests to check flooding on roads. This is an evolving emergency and we are still experiencing significant impacts.

If you are trapped by flood waters in a life-threatening situation, call 9-1-1.”

2:45 pm | Power outage updates

Lee County Electric Coop reported additional outages across three Southwest Florida counties, according to poweroutage.us:

• Collier: 16,000, or about 45%

• Lee County: About 110,000 customers, or 60% of the total

• Charlotte: 500, or about 65%

12 pm | Eyewall of Ian moving ashore at Sanibel, Captiva Islands

“Eyewall of Ian moving onshore at Sanibel and Captiva islands,” the National Hurricane Center said in a noon update. A weatherflow station near Sanibel Island reported sustained winds of 71 mph, just under hurricane strength, with a gust of 98 mph.

The noon update said the Ian remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph and is moving at 9 mph.

10:10 am | Ian now expected to make landfall about 1 pm

Forecasters are calling for Hurricane Ian to make landfall in the Punta Gorda area around 1 pm this afternoon, but tropical storm conditions will extend into Thursday.

High tide this afternoon at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River will be at 3:57 pm, a few hours after Ian is expected to make landfall.

Storm surge is likely to be at its highest around shortly after that as the tide will be incoming while powerful winds blow water up and onshore.

Flooding is expected along the Caloosahatchee River, and there will be upwards of 2 feet of rain in isolated areas.

Winds will be highest in the northwest part of Lee County, according to forecasts.

Windy.com is calling for 90-mile-per-hour winds this afternoon and evening in Southwest Florida.

Tropical storm force wind are possible in Lee County through midnight, according to various forecasting outlets.

The storm is forecast to be northwest of Lake Okeechobee around 2 am Thursday morning.

Ian is expected to emerge into the Atlantic Ocean early Friday morning, according to the latest National Hurricane Center forecast.

10:05 am | Collier officials: ‘Shelter in place’

Collier County is urging residents not to leave their current location for the duration of Hurricane Ian. This includes those currently staying in shelters throughout the county.

Throughout the day, high winds are expected, roads may have debris including downed power lines, and may be impasable. There may also be street flooding and power outages.

The Collier County Information Hotline remains active. Residents with questions may call the Hotline at 311 and residents outside of Collier County should call (239) 252-8444. Please note, the call volume is very heavy and information can also be found at colliercountyfl.gov or social media channels, including www.facebook.com/CollierGov and www.twitter.com/CollierGov

8:42 am | High tides will have big impact on storm surge

Forecasters say storm surge is one of the top threats with Hurricane Ian, along with flooding rains and heavy winds.

Surge in the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area is expected to reach upwards of 16 feet above sea level.

That doesn’t mean all of the area will be under 12 to 16 feet of water, just the mostly vulnerable areas along the coast and near rivers.

“There may be locally higher amounts if the storm comes at a certain angle,” said Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. “This is life-threatening. That’s why we want people to evacuate.”

The high tide today at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River will be at 3:57 pm, followed by an even higher tide at 2:46 am Those periods are when levels storm surge is most likely to reach that 16-foot mark.

“It’s already too dangerous to travel,” he said. “It is a shelter in place right now.”

7:39 am | Collier County Urging Residents to Shelter in Place

Collier County is urging residents not to leave their current location “for the duration of Hurricane Ian.” This includes those staying in county shelters.

The county advises that “Throughout the day, high winds are expected, roads may have debris including downed power lines, and may be impasable. There may also be street flooding and power outages.”

The Collier County Information Hotline remains active. Residents with questions may call 311 or call (239) 252-8444 (if staying outside the county).

Information can also be found at colliercountyfl.gov or on social media channels, including www.facebook.com/CollierGov and www.twitter.com/CollierGov.

The county also shared this information:

FPL customers with outages should call to report or check the status of an outage by calling 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243). Or visiting:.fpl.com/my-account/web-outage.html#wors/mainTab/phoneTab.

LCEC customers with outages should call 239-656-2300 or 800-599-2356. You can also log in to SmartHub or use the mobile app.

7:16 am | Emergency agencies taking cover

From Fire District Partners: All responding agencies have stopped responses due to current weather conditions and for the safety of our first responders. You can still call 911. Calls will be prioritized so that once conditions are safe enough, responses will resume. Response decisions will be made as Hurricane Ian continues to move through the area.

Hurricane Ian 2 pm advisory Sept.  28, 2022.

Hurricane Ian 2 pm advisory Sept. 28, 2022.

7:10 a.m. | Power outages reported on Marco Island

Marco Island City Hall posted that 4,000 are without power this morning, and LCEC is prestaged on the island

6:35 am | Ian’s winds increase to near Category 5 strength

According to the National Hurricane Center, recent data from an NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Hurricane Ian’s maximum sustained winds have increased to near 155 mph.

The storm is located about 80 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda.

5:10 AM | The latest on the track of Hurricane Ian

According to Wednesday’s 5 am advisory by the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ian’s maximum winds have increased to 140 mph, making it a Category 4 storm. It is moving north-northeast near 10 mph. It is located about 125 miles west-southwest of Naples.

Ian is expected to make landfall at about 2 pm Wednesday near the Charlotte-Lee County border as a Category 4 storm.

Collier County remains under a hurricane warning.

Hurricane-force winds are expected in the hurricane warning area in southwest and west-central Florida beginning Wednesday morning with tropical storm conditions expected overnight. Catastrophic wind damage is expected near the core of Ian when it moves onshore.

There is a tornado watch in effect for Collier County until 5 pm

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km).

Hurricane Ian coverage

Ian’s path: See spaghetti models, path and storm activity for Florida

Where is Hurricane Ian right now? See NWS radar showing storm’s movement near Fort Myers, Florida

Webcams: See traffic and beach conditions in Naples and Collier County as Hurricane Ian nears Florida

Power outages: See Naples, Collier County, power outage map as Hurricane Ian impacts Florida

Helpful hurricane resources and links

Florida Hurricane Guide: Find out everything you need to know about preparing for a hurricane or tropical storm in our resource guide

Get your home ready: Here’s how to prepare your home for a hurricane, from well in advance to just before a storm’s arrival

Need to prepare for a hurricane? Here’s what you should have in a disaster supply kit

Hurricane preparedness list: If a storm is coming, here is what you need to do now

Videos: Helpful tips for a hurricane survival kit

Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones: What’s an invest and why do they keep saying tropical cyclone?

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Hurricane Ian Wednesday updates: Naples feels storm’s impact

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