Lee County officials are urging residents to prepare for hurricane season by creating a plan and practicing evacuation procedures to reduce anxiety during an actual storm.
Last year, the Gulf Coast didn't get hit with a storm. John Schultz, chief of emergency management for Lee County, stressed the need for preparation and avoiding complacency.
"We always say it can be just one, right? And we don't need a whole bunch of storms, we just need one. And so we want to make sure people have a plan," Schultz said.
Schultz recommends residents conduct a dry evacuation run now, while conditions are calm, especially if they have children or elderly family members.
"So when the incident happens, you don't have so much anxiety, you can go through it and just execute that plan," he said.
If a storm does occur and residents need permits, Schultz said the county has simplified the process to make it more accessible. "We have deployed our people in the field of trying to make that a lot easier for people instead of having to come downtown. We have people in the field, like on Pine Island, Island Park, to try to ease that burden of trying to get people downtown when after a storm, they may not have the means to do that. And then they can answer those questions with a real person in real time," Schultz said.
Lee County officials continue to stress the importance of preparation and planning as hurricane season approaches.
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