Costs continue to rise after Hurricane Milton caused $280 million in damage to residential and commercial properties and government infrastructure in Collier County.

That figure does not include ongoing costs related to infrastructure, stormwater management, maintenance and cleanup, county Emergency Management Director Dan Summers told the board of county commissioners on Oct. 22, as he presented the Department of Management’s rapid assessment of the Oct. 9 hurricane growth. .

“I’ve never seen a storm with this much tornadic activity,” Summers said of Milton, which made landfall with 120 mph winds as a Category 3 storm more than 150 miles north of Collier on Siesta Key in Sarasota County.

Winds reached 60 mph in Collier and the highest storm tide in Naples reached 5.8 feet, but that pales in comparison to Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022, whose heavy rains and Storm surge caused $2.2 billion in damage to Collier – and rebuilding is underway. .

Summers provided commissioners with an after-action summary of the impact, noting that Collier received about 48,000 gallons of fuel from the state for free through SeaPort Manatee, most of it trucked in from Louisiana and Alabama. During power outages and fluctuations, this fuel was used at the county’s lift stations, factories and shelters, where approximately 2,900 people stayed.

“Port Manatee became very congested and deliveries were interrupted,” Summers said, praising the state because Collier never ran out of fuel.

SeaPort Manatee is Southwest Florida’s primary deepwater seaport and receives fuel, produce, appliances, building materials and lumber for distribution throughout Southwest Florida and the Southeast. East. Initial assessments indicated losses of $225 million, and on October 14, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that SeaPort Manatee would receive $9.5 million to jump-start its recovery and help repair infrastructure.

Summers thanked commissioners for declaring a state of emergency on Oct. 7, which allows states to receive federal support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for rescue activities and other protective measures emergencies, such as evacuations, sheltering and search and rescue.

Power outages have affected 85% of service areas, and salt water impacting electrified aluminum and copper still causes outages and fluctuations, Summers said, noting that Florida Power & Light and Lee County Electric Cooperative continues to flush circuit breakers. But, he added, that can cause power outages, or a tree leaning on a pole can cause a phase to go out, which is why mitigation strategies address that problem.

Many supermarkets and retailers, including Publix, Sam’s Club, Costco and Wawa, were able to reopen quickly thanks to their generators, he said, and hospitals also fared well. He noted that the county’s water and wastewater facilities were not experiencing any problems.

“We know that these hurricanes continue to impact human lives and that people are in different stages of recovery and we are sensitive to that,” Summers said, adding that Collier treats recovery like a marathon. “The answer is one thing; recovery is another and we are working very hard to make sure that every program and every resource is leveraged.

The county sent out 21 press releases and made 331 social media posts, which were viewed 2.5 million times, the county’s storm response webpage received 593,000 visitors, and the county’s 311 line, designed to reduce 911 calls, received 2,234 calls. Summers noted that only 5 percent of the 713,576 residents who received emergency calls, emails and text messages through Alert Collier’s alert system acknowledged them, so their alerts continued.

“I understand they’re getting a little boring, but … we want these people to say, ‘Hey, not only did I get it, but I recognized it,'” Summers said, noting that officials of the county feel better knowing they received the alert.

Commission Chairman Chris Hall said residents probably didn’t know they had to respond. So the county needs to get this message out, so residents don’t treat it like “the boy who cried wolf” during repeated tornado warnings. “Tornadoes can come at you in the blink of an eye,” Hall said of the 18 radar-confirmed tornado warnings. “…You must be prepared.”

Summers said Disaster Ready Collier, a nonprofit incorporated in February, communicates with more than 300 nonprofit faith groups to meet supply needs, so residents can use it and also sign up to FEMA through its app or 800 number. If residents need help finding resources, he said, they can call 311 and county workers will help them.

“If FEMA calls you or sends you a letter, respond immediately,” he said, adding that inspectors have a deadline to provide assistance.

It’s unclear when the county will open a federal disaster recovery center, but Collier expects to hear from FEMA soon, Summers said, noting that FEMA has created a web page to dispel many rumors.

Commissioner Rick LoCastro said he was “bombarded” with emails from residents in his district complaining that he was the worst commissioner because there were no emergency shelters in his district, which covers East Naples, Marco Island, Goodland, Isles of Capri and the Port of Naples. Islands. He suggested Collier explain why schools in the upper evacuation zone cannot be used. He also recommended purchasing generators to back up traffic signals, which County Manager Amy Patterson said can be done once the county receives state and federal disaster funds.