Hurricane Irma Aftermath: Lee County Shelters Open Monday For Evacuees, Newly Displaced Residents

LEE COUNTY, FL — Hurricane Irma, now Tropical Storm Irma, is gradually weakening as it moves across northern Florida. In Lee County, a curfew was enacted in anticipation of the storm and it is in effect until further notice and officials spent much of Monday conducting a damage assessment.

Shelters for evacuees and newly displaced residents will be available Monday night at the following locations:

• Germain Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero
• Alico Arena, Florida Gulf Coast University campus
• North Fort Myers Rec Center (new), 2000 N. Recreation Way, North Fort Myers
• Dunbar Middle School (new), 4750 Winkler Ave. Extension, Fort Myers

Previously opened shelters, expect the shelter at Germain Arena and Alico, will close Monday night. Evacuees can go to the four shelters starting at 6 p.m. and for anyone leaving shelters that are closing, LeeTran will be providing transportation. Anyone who can drive to the shelters is encouraged to do so. Evacuees will have to register even if they stayed at a shelter over the weekend.

At a briefing Monday morning, officials said power lines were down and traffic signals are down and there was structural damage to a certain extent. While the surge impact was less than expected, authorities say there are still hazardous conditions. (For the latest on Irma and up to date information for Fort Myers residents, subscribe to the Fort Myers Patch for real time alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

According to the latest update from the Lee County Electric Cooperative, 166,632 customers are without power as of 5:30 p.m. and authorities have more than 375 employees working on restoration efforts. Additionally, Florida Power and Light reports that some 209,000 of its customers are without power in Lee County.

Watch: Up Close Views Of Powerful Irma

The Lee County Sheriff's Office also provided an update on the Germain Arena, which is serving as a shelter for evacuees. The sheriff's office said that while water had been leaking from the roof, the facility was otherwise stable.

Bridges in the county will also be inspected and authorities say the Sanibel Causeway was determined to be structurally sound. Sanibel officials said in a release that the causeway will reopen at 3 p.m. but advised that there is no electrical service, water service or sewage treatment service on the island. Lee County officials have also cleared the Matlacha Bridge and the Big Carlos Pass Bridge for travel as of Monday morning. Later on Monday, the Midpoint Bridge (Cape Coral-Fort Myers), Cape Coral Bridge (Cape Coral-Fort Myers) and Big Hickory Pass Bridge (Bonita Beach area) were cleared for travel.

Residents of Fort Myers Beach and businesses will be allowed reentry starting at 12 p.m. for inspection.

• Hurricane reentry passes with picture ID will be required.
• There are no electric water or wastewater services available.

On Sanibel Island, authorities say they have found significant vegetation damage but little to no structural damage. Everyone on the island is advised to shelter in place and a determination will be made soon about the drinking water and officials say any water for human consumption must be boiled.

In Fort Myers, authorities say they have identified more than 350 issues that need to be fixed. Solid waste pickups are suspended until further notice and authorities urged residents to conserve water.

For Bonita Springs residents, the initial damage assessment is ongoing and authorities have identified the following areas where they know issues exist:

Excessive flood areas:
East Terry from Old 41 to Bonita Grande
Citrus Park
Morton Grove
Kent Rd. Quinn St.
Palm Creek Dr.
Luke St.
Tarpon Ave.
Powerlines/trees down:
Southern Pines Dr.
Hickory Blvd.
Bonita Beach Rd.
Earl Rd. & Princess Ln.
Pennsylvania Ave. and Buccaneer Dr.
Clair St. and Strike Ln.

The city encouraged residents to stay sheltered as long as possible. Bonita Springs Utilities has restarted water service to Bonita Beach including Big Hickory Island, Little Hickory Island, and Black Island north to Fort Myers Beach. However, Bonita Beach area is still under a precautionary boil water notice.

Lee County schools and offices will be closed until Friday.

The countywide curfew remains in effect until further notice.

>>>For the latest updates, visit the Lee County Emergency Operations Center.

Photo: Fallen trees are seen during Hurricane Irma, in Fort Myers, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. Hurricane Irma set all sorts of records for brute strength before crashing into Florida, flattening islands in the Caribbean and swamping the Florida Keys. Photo by Gerald Herbert/Associated Press