Officials in Lee County in southwest Florida are implementing a mandatory evacuation order for residents living in Area A and parts of Area B of the county, officials said Tuesday.
The county is currently under a hurricane watch, tropical storm warning and storm surge warning, according to a Monday evening Facebook post.
“This morning’s evacuation is a mandatory evacuation order, and it’s as mandatory as it gets,” Lee County Executive Roger Desjarlais said at a press conference Tuesday. “We will not go from house to house to force people to leave, but we insist on the importance of getting people out of harm’s way.”
Zone A is generally surrounded by low areas that tend to flood, Desjarlais said. Residents living in mobile and manufactured homes are also being encouraged to leave, he added.
Government offices are closed Tuesday and won’t reopen until Thursday, according to the county’s website. All toll sites in Lee County are suspended “until further notice,” the county added.
The county school district and its offices, which serve nearly 100,000 students, are also closed Tuesday and Wednesday. School officials said they will reevaluate the timing of the reopening at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
There are 10 pet-friendly emergency shelters opening across the county at 9 a.m. ET, Desjarlais said. Residents looking for shelter information, area information, as well as Ian’s whereabouts, can check the county’s website and Facebook.
County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, also present at the press conference, pointed to the uncertainty of the storm at this time.
“I just want to convey that we’re going to feel this storm – the severity is still undetermined,” Marceno said. “Understand and we emphasize that once the winds reach a sustained speed of 45 miles per hour, law enforcement, emergency personnel, are not going to respond to respond until be sure to do so.”
Lee County is about 130 miles west of West Palm Beach, Florida.