North Collier Fire upgrades gear and training after Hurricane Ian's storm surge

NORTH NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)— State leaders are urging Southwest Florida residents not to wait until it's too late to prepare for hurricane season.

Blaise Ingoglia, the Chief Financial Officer of the State of Florida and the state's fire marshal, held a news conference to discuss what residents need to complete on their checklist ahead of a natural disaster. WINK News was at the event in North Naples.

"Preparedness saves lives," North Collier Fire Chief said.

Although Southwest Florida hasn't experienced any major storms since Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Ingoglia said residents can never be too prepared.

"We can be hopeful, but we still need to be vigilant," Ingoglia said. "We need to take proactive steps today, and that is one of the easiest ways to protect your loved ones and your property."

Pedro Sainvil said he prepares every year when hurricane season rolls around.

"Get water ready, flashlight, batteries, candles, skip route," Sainvil said. "Very important. Plan B is very important, and pray that everything goes well."

Ingoglia walked through the storm checklist he said everyone should complete before and after a natural disaster arrives. It includes knowing your evacuation and flood zones, gathering important documents and being careful of fraudulent contractors.

"Document every single thing you have because if there is ever an instance where there is a conflict between what you say the home was in, the shape it was in, or what you say was in the home, and what the insurance company says, you now have full documentation," Ingoglia said. "After the storm, report damage to your agent and insurance company, and keep a log of all communications with the insurance company adjusters."

As residents prepare at home, first responders are also thinking ahead.

"After Ian, we realized that storm surge was one of the severe things that we had to worry about," North Collier Fire Chief said. "So we adapted to that, and we made sure we had the proper vehicles, the proper training for different things that we had not seen in prior years."

Sainvil said once he gets all his affairs in order, all he can do is remain hopeful.

"We pray for the best, but we just be prepared," Sainvil said. "That's all. Be prepared."

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