The Hurricane Ian After Action Report is a 28-page document where Lee County and a firm it hired, investigates how the storm was handled. It looks at the before, during, and the immediate aftermath. Two pressing points are staffing in shelters and communication with the public.
“There are issues on communication, there are areas where we can better staff and prepare," Benjamin Abes, Director of Public Safety for Lee County said.
He says some of the ways the county could have performed better could not have been foreseen.
One of the biggest criticisms of the county is the issue of timing. On a briefing with the National Weather Service at 7 pm, September 26, the Monday before the storm, meteorologists presented peak storm surge forecasts of 10 to 15 feet on the Barrier Islands. Lee County leaders are standing firm in the decision to place the evacuation order Tuesday morning, September 27, the day before Ian hit.
“I think certainly there was enough time to get out of the flood zone," Lee County Commissioner and Board Chair, Brian Hamman said.
Abes agrees, sharing his belief that citizens are partially responsible as well. He says many people wait too long to have a preparedness plan, often taking a storm seriously once the evacuation order is out.
“Further in the report, it indicated that we hit shelter capacity, we had roads that were opened so that people could evacuate Tuesday evening, there were a number of indicators, that if people wanted to evacuate, they could evacuate," Abes said.
Hamman says communication between emergency response staff and the people who represent Lee County could have been stronger and will be moving forward.
We asked why only 10 percent of shelters were full on Tuesday morning, one day before Ian, and if it had anything to do with Lee County’s communication with the public. Hamman says at the time, it was likely because of people’s preference to not go to shelters.
"I think we highlighted the opportunity to staff those shelters better, in fact on today’s agenda, we passed hiring a firm that can help us staff shelters in the future,” Hamman said.
