2023 Resident Hurricane Seminar

Wednesday, May 24 • 10 a.m. at The Village Church

BY GARRY COLE,

As Floridians, we need to be prepared all throughout hurricane season, from June 1 through November 30! Fortunately, Shell Point residents have the benefit of onsite safety through our two hurricane shelters located on The Island and in the Larsen Health Center.

In the event of a hurricane, Shell Point’s Management Team may activate the evacuation plan approximately 36 to 48 hours prior to landfall, based on overall size and strength of the approaching storm, and any potential tidal surge. Recommendations to evacuate are also considered after consulting with Lee County Emergency Management and Shell Point’s Consulting Meteorologist.

Remember, regardless of Shell Point’s actions based on the storm category, Lee

AND SECURITY DIRECTOR

County may issue an evacuation order at any time that overrides ours. For example, a Category 1 storm at Shell Point would be a “shelter in place” event. However, Lee County could issue a mandatory evacuation order, and Shell Point would have to comply.

The Shell Point Hurricane Management Team will share up-to-date communications on the Resident Information Hotline at (239) 339-2541 (toll-free 1-866-551-6013), on Shell Point TV Channel 8, and online at www.shellpoint.net.

Storm updates may also be communicated directly to the Residents’ Council members via in-person meetings, direct phone calls, or e-mail and text updates through an information alerting system known as Omnilert. The Omnilert communication system will be used once again this year to share evacuation instructions with court representatives if necessary. The court representatives will disseminate this information to the residents living in their court.

If an evacuation is ordered, all skilled nursing, assisted living residents, and independent living residents who medically qualify to be sheltered will go to Larsen Health Center. Independent living residents will shelter on The Island in the two-story employee parking garage, just as they have in past years.

Please refer to the 2023 Hurricane Preparation Guide, which will be delivered to every resident. Extra copies can be found in The Island and Woodlands Commons. This guide provides up-to-date information about Shell Point’s hurricane plan, emergency numbers, resident evacuation responsibilities, a list of hurricane shelter kit supplies, and volunteer opportunities.