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Collier County began bracing for Hurricane Milton, with Marco Island issuing a voluntary evacuation Oct. 6 for the island and Goodland, and the county following with a voluntary mandatory evacuation warning Oct. 7 for Zones A and B.

“It is our strongest recommendation,” county Emergency Service Director Dan Summers told county commissioners and the public at a televised Board of County Commissioners special meeting Oct. 7. “We cannot pull you from your home.”

The county began distributing sandbags over the weekend and by Oct. 7, had already handed out 380 tons at North Collier Regional Park, Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Community Park and Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park, with some delivered to Immokalee.

Commissioners agreed to postpone its Oct. 8 meeting to Oct. 22 and will close all operations open to the public at noon Oct. 7. The county’s Emergency Operations Center, where county officials gather to monitor operations, will open Oct. 7, when county officials will announce shelter openings.

“This is a shelter of last resort,” Summers said of emergency shelters. “Please work to try to find resources with family, friends, hotels or other accommodations away from the storm-surge area.”

Commissioner Rick LoCastro urged residents to learn what evacuation zone they’re in and to prepare, including pet care. Commissioners voted unanimously to issue a mandatory evacuation warning for Zones A and B, which face the heaviest flooding from storm surge.

The warnings came after Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Oct. 3 for 54 of the state’s 67 counties, mostly on the west coast and the north.

Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk told commissioners that deputies will be working together with Marco Island and Naples police, with extra patrols as part of a joint coastal-security plan.

Marco Island city officials on Oct. 6 urged residents to take quick action now, saying rainfall over the next few days, combined with tides and storm surge from Hurricane Milton, present a “serious flood risk” to the island and Goodland.

“While Collier County has not yet announced shelter openings, residents in low-lying areas are urged to prepare their homes and move to higher ground by Tuesday afternoon,” city officials said in a press release.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast the afternoon of Oct. 9, but experts say conditions can change rapidly over the next 48 hours. Summers told commissioners Hurricane Milton is predicted to be a Category 5, winds greater than 157 mph.

Marco Island and Goodland are in Zone A for Collier County flood zones, meaning they’re at highest risk for flooding, and city officials warned residents to watch the news and city updates to be ready in case of a mandatory Zone A evacuation.

Collier County Public Schools and all programs shut down from Oct. 7-10, until further notice “to provide our families and staff time to prepare for the probable impacts.”

The county Public Utilities department asked customers to help prevent sewer backups and not divert stormwater by opening cleanouts and manhole covers, which will cause backups and is illegal, and county officials asked residents not to leave Hurricane Helene debris on roadsides.

Commissioner Burt Saunders’ newsletter warned residents to make emergency plans, have a 72-hour kit ready and stay informed through official sources, including the county website and social media, National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center and local authorities.

“Should shelters be opened, they should be a refuge of last resort,” Saunders wrote. “Seek refuge at inland hotels or with friends or family tens of miles away, not a hundred miles away!”

At 1 p.m. Oct. 7, the city of Naples announced a state of emergency and urged residents not to focus solely on the forecasted track due to significant uncertainty. Naples city officials told residents that the county’s mandatory evacuation for Zones A and B, which starts at 6 a.m. Oct. 7, includes the city, so residents should prepare and move to higher ground. The city will close all government offices from Oct. 8-10 and all beach-access points, Naples Pier and its parking lot and all city parks at 6 p.m. Oct. 7.

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