LEE COUNTY, Fla — When disaster strikes, quick decisions matter—and Lee County is testing new technology to make them faster. Lee County Emergency Management is one of eight agencies nationwide selected to test the Community Lifeline Status System, a tool designed to assess needs and prioritize critical services during disasters.
Emergency Management Chief John Schultz says the system processes the flood of information that comes in during disasters like hurricanes, helping leaders make quicker, more accurate decisions.
Watch Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski's report here:
“It'll be put into a gauge so we can see the progress,” Schultz explained. “Someone can visually look at it and say, ‘Oh, in the power section with the infrastructure, we’re still in the red. So, what are those problems?’”
Schultz says the community will also have access to some of that information as well. “Everybody gets concerned first and foremost with questions like, ‘When is my power going to come back on? When is my debris going to get removed?’” Schultz said. “This will help remove some of those questions about how we’re doing.”
Earlier this month, Lee County and the Collaboratory received a $19 million grant to fund four new resilience centers. Schultz says the new system will make those centers even more effective.
“We’ll have county employees going to those areas and talking to people,” Schultz said. “What are the needs for those communities? Is it five pallets of water, or is it the power, or is it some other need that needs to be done?”
In Lochmoor Waterway Estates, a North Fort Myers neighborhood hit hard by Hurricane Helene, residents like Dick and Peggy Marting know how valuable access to accurate information can be.
The Marting's were in the process of raising their home when the storm flooded it. Now, they’re thrilled to see it standing 11 feet above the ground. After experiencing three hurricanes, they say having access to better information would have helped them recover faster.
“We got different information during Ian. Yes, come back. No, the Myakka River’s flooded. Yes, come back. Wait—no, there’s no electricity. We didn’t know when to come back," said Peggy Marting. "We waited more than a week, and that was way too long to get somebody working on a flooded house," Dick added.
So, the Marting’s say they’re happy to hear a plan like this is in the works. Schultz says the system will roll out in April, just in time for hurricane season.
