Marco Island orders mandatory evacuation

By BILLY BRUCE, Daily News staff
October 20, 2005

Marco Island officials to residents: Get out now while you can.

The city issued a mandatory evacuation order this evening, effective at noon Friday. Should Hurricane Wilma bring a direct impact to Collier County coastal areas, a potential storm surge could flood homes on Marco, city officials warned.

Storm surge models predict that the water surrounding Marco Island may rise to between 10 feet and 16 feet above tide, a city press release announcing the mandatory evacuation order said.

"With a potential Category 3 or greater hurricane, Marco Island properties and residents may be in eminent danger if the hurricane’s predicted path and strength continue. Evacuation is the only reasonable course of action."

Even with a minimum storm surge of 10 feet, some older Marco homes built at 9.6 feet above sea level on any of the island’s myriad of man-made canals would be flooded, Marco Island Fire Chief Mike Murphy said.

"Some homes are at 9.6 feet, some are more than 10 feet above sea level," Murphy said. "It all depends on where your home is located on the island. But if you’re on a canal at 9.6 feet, and the tide is 2 feet above normal when the storm comes in, add a 10 foot storm surge and you get a rise in water level of 12 feet. At that level, that home will have water in it."

Marco city officials said they weren’t surprised that another storm is threatening the island this late in October, but they were a bit surprised that Wilma became so powerful.

They used an automated telephone message system called "Code Red" Wednesday night to send out as many as 10,000 messages to residents to tell them to prepare to evacuate.

"Actually October, historically, is a fairly active month for tropical storm activity. So we weren’t surprised," City Manager Bill Moss said Thursday. "We were a bit surprised that it developed from a tropical storm into a powerful hurricane so fast, though. But the way it’s working out, we’ve had plenty of time to get prepared."

Moss suggested that residents should evacuate now to avoid gridlock on I-75. "I have reports this afternoon that northbound lanes on I-75 already have slow moving traffic. Early departure is always a better alternative."

He also discouraged island residents from using inland shelters provided from the county.

"Get off Marco Island and go to another area," Moss said. "Shelters are a place of last resort. They will be filled with people that have no other options. So those who can drive and leave the area should be doing so before Saturday."

Marco officials reiterated that the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge and the County Road 92 (Goodland) Bridge will remain open during the storm if it impacts the island.

But they cautioned residents not to use the bridges in tropical or hurricane storm conditions because of dangerous high winds that would make such travel treacherous.

Many islanders often call city officials during storm events to inquire as to whether the city will close the bridges, and one radio broadcast during one of last year’s hurricanes inaccurately reported that the city had closed them.

The misinformation and confusion led the city to place a message sign on the island-side of the Jolley Bridge that states clearly to motorists entering Marco that the bridges will remain open. The message sign has been operating for the past few days.

The city’s Thursday press release also notes that city water and sewer service will continue unless disrupted by severe weather conditions.

Moss urged residents to visit the city’s Web site at www.cityofmarcoisland.com for information on how to prepare for a hurricane and to sign up for the city’s Code Red program.

Code Red is the automated telephone message system that will be used during and after public emergencies. The program’s database consists of most listed home telephone numbers, but residents can receive messages and updates on their cell phones, business phones or other phones if they click on "Code Red" and follow the instructions.

Moss praised the convenience of the Code Red system as a way to keep residents informed before, during and after a storm.

"We use it sparingly, only for the most important information," he said. "We’ll be sending out the mandatory evacuation order on this, as well."

Code Red also gives residents who evacuate out of the area to get first notice of when the city is re-opened-if the storm brings a damaging blow that causes the city to close entry, Moss said.

"If we have your cell phone or other phone number logged into the Code Red directory, we can issue an all-clear and re-entry advisory to residents who’ve left. They won’t have to wonder when the city will be open again. But we’re hoping for the best. We hope that won’t be necessary."

One of the reasons the city developed Code Red is because too many residents don’t seem to know that a hurricane is coming, Moss said.

"It is surprising... either they don’t watch the news, read newspaper or have access to other information that would warn them," he said. "With Code Red, we can make sure our residents do know and advise them when to leave. It’s just another way to keep them from having to rely on rumors."

Lee County Electric Co-op (LCEC)-which provides power to Marco Island, Goodland, Everglades City and a small portion of Golden Gate Estates-is prepared to send repair crews to the hardest hit areas, an LCEC spokesperson said Thursday.

LCEC has 28,414 customers in Collier County, 140,373 customers in Lee County, 722 customers in Charlotte, 682 in Hendry and 24 in Broward, said LCEC Public Relations Manager Karen Ryan.

"All of our employees are on alert and we have more than 200 line crews, contractors, tree-trimmers and support crews scheduled for work Sunday," Ryan said Thursday.

"That is subject to change according to Wilma’s path and timing of course. We are also leveraging our contractor contacts to provide relief or compliment our crews after the storm passes," she said.

LCEC also has secured fuel, trucks, lodging, ice, water and materials in preparation for restoration work. The company has representatives stationed with-or in contact with-all local emergency operation centers, municipalities and law enforcement within our service centers, Ryan said.

"We have also contacted our helicopter service providers so that we can quickly assess the damage after the storm passes," she said.