Skip to main content

Hurricane Milton Aftermath Update 4

Firefighters at the scene of a nighttime house fire among palm trees, with debris and hoses visible.
Traffic on a sandy road with palm trees.
Construction vehicles on a sandy road with tire tracks, palm trees, and power lines in the background.
A toppled storage container, damaged golf cart, and debris suggest recent storm damage at a tropical location.
A car's view of debris, damaged trees, and a surfboard, suggesting a recent natural disaster.
View from a car showing a sandy road lined with palm trees and houses, large sand piles on the side.
A damaged road with debris, a yellow dumpster, and flooded areas, suggesting recent disaster impact.
Damaged house with missing foundation, debris everywhere, and swaying palm trees, suggesting aftermath of a natural disaster.
Damaged house with debris, possibly from a natural disaster, surrounded by trees under blue sky.
Devastated landscape with damaged trees and debris, likely due to a natural disaster.
Destroyed building, debris, palm trees, clear sky.
A damaged marina with empty boat slips, a capsized barrel, and debris.
A bent palm tree over a building labeled "Captiva Cruises" near a marina with docked boats under a clear sky.
A flooded, sandy road with tire tracks, surrounded by vegetation and a "Beach Homes" sign partly visible.
Firefighters at the scene of a nighttime house fire among palm trees, with debris and hoses visible.
Traffic on a sandy road with palm trees.
Construction vehicles on a sandy road with tire tracks, palm trees, and power lines in the background.
A toppled storage container, damaged golf cart, and debris suggest recent storm damage at a tropical location.
A car's view of debris, damaged trees, and a surfboard, suggesting a recent natural disaster.
View from a car showing a sandy road lined with palm trees and houses, large sand piles on the side.
A damaged road with debris, a yellow dumpster, and flooded areas, suggesting recent disaster impact.
Damaged house with missing foundation, debris everywhere, and swaying palm trees, suggesting aftermath of a natural disaster.
Damaged house with debris, possibly from a natural disaster, surrounded by trees under blue sky.
Devastated landscape with damaged trees and debris, likely due to a natural disaster.
Destroyed building, debris, palm trees, clear sky.
A damaged marina with empty boat slips, a capsized barrel, and debris.
A bent palm tree over a building labeled "Captiva Cruises" near a marina with docked boats under a clear sky.
A flooded, sandy road with tire tracks, surrounded by vegetation and a "Beach Homes" sign partly visible.

 

Captiva Island Fire Control District continues to mitigate hazards and assess storm damage and critical infrastructure on the island. Please report any emergency issues by calling 9-1-1, do not call the Fire District directly as our phones are down from the storm. 

We would like to thank all of our partners, Sanibel Fire and Rescue District, South Trail Fire & Rescue District, Lee County Emergency Operations Center, South Seas Island Resort, FISH, The American Red Cross, and many others who have and continue to assist us during our response to Hurricane Milton! Thank You! 

Here are a few updates from the Fire Chief:

Captiva Island Information

  • ROADWAYS
    • Captiva Drive access across Blindpass Bridge has been restored to residential traffic. Please have proper identification for access Captiva Island. Blind Pass Bridge had a washout on the approach and has now been repaired for vehicle traffic. 
    • Sanibel Captiva Road, in the area of Blindpass (Sanibel side), has sustained damage to the roadway and will be restricted to one lane of travel until the City of Sanibel Island with the assistance of Lee County Department of Transportation can complete the repairs.
    • Captiva Drive, in the area of Captiva Shores and Jensen's on the Gulf, has sustained major damage and will need to be repaired by Lee County Department of Transportation, the road will be restricted to one lane of travel until repairs can be completed.  Lee DOT's contractor is estimating at least 2 weeks for repairs to be made.
    • Captiva Drive, in the area of Wiles Drive, has sustained damage and repair efforts will continue by Lee County Department of Transportation. This section of road will be restricted to one lane of travel. Lee DOT's contractor is estimating at least 2 weeks for repairs to be made.
    • South Seas Island Resort is working diligently to clear the roads throughout the resort.  They hope to have one 1 lane cleared for emergency vehicles by the end of the day. All access to the resort will be controlled through the security gate at the entrance of South Seas Island Resort.  There is no parking anywhere in the resort along the road, vehicles left in the right of way will block emergency access. Please see any updates from South Seas island Resort for specific information about access and road openings to owners and contractors.  If you plan to check on properties throughout the island, please be cautious as access to emergency services may be delayed or limited.
  • Sand removal along Captiva Drive should be completed today, crews have been working diligently to remove the sand as fast as possible.
  • Lee County Emergency Medical Services , ambulance unit, has been restored to the island as of yesterday afternoon.  Please be aware services will still be limited due to access issues in some areas of the island.
  • The Fire District has small clean up supply kits available to residents that need basic essentials to aid in the clean-up of their home. The kits include: a dustpan & brush, mop head and handle, scrub brush, squeegee, leather and rubber work gloves, N95 respirator masks, sponges, trash bags, and misc. cleaners .
  • Drinking water is available at the Fire Station for residents (not contractor crews) that are in need.  Please stop by the station anytime and fire personnel will be able to assist you.
  • Power is currently off to all of Captiva Island. The power will remain off until crews can access the island, assess damage to equipment, and make any necessary repairs. Please review LCEC's update for more details.
  • Island Water Association has restored most water service to the island. The water is still limited due to leaks throughout the island, but fire personnel are able to use it for emergency fire services.
  • Storm surge on Captiva Island is comparable to what was seen during Hurricane Ian. The Fire Station took on about 2 feet of water in the apparatus bay as did many homes on the island.
  • Significant beach erosion has occurred throughout Captiva Island.
  • Please be patient as you try to access the island as fire crews are still mitigation many hazards including multiple fuel leaks from dislodged propane, gasoline, and diesel tanks. Be advised, if there is a leak within an unsafe distance to a running generator, it may have to be turned off temporarily until the hazard can be mitigated.
  • If residents choose to access Captiva Island via boat, be sure you are only using docks that you have permission to use and ensure the docks have been deemed safe to use.
  • Lithium-Ion electric vehicles on the island have become a major concern for the Fire District.  Most EVs, if not all vehicles that have been checked, were submerged in salt water and pose a significant fire risk.  Please utilize our website and submit an Electric Vehicle Reporting Form so that firefighters can check to see if your EV has been submerged. We will begin to put out more information on our website related to EV fires.  Our recommendation is that you make arrangements to have your EV vehicles removed and inspected or serviced as soon as possible.
    • Residents that own a Lithium-Ion electric vehicles including cars, golf carts, etc. are encouraged to complete an information form on the website. This will allow fire personnel to approach the location with caution and also react accordingly if there is a fire. Please complete the form here.

Lee County Information

  • Lee County Government and Fire Rescue Department partners to help people to check on family and friends after Hurricane Milton post-landfall. Lee County Government and local Fire Rescue Departments have partnered to provide welfare checks to help out-of-area people check in on family and friends in Lee County after Hurricane Milton passes. The partnership was announced tonight just after the storm made landfall north of Lee County. People need only to email WelfareStormChecks@leegov.com with the following information about the people they wish to check on:
    • Name
    • Adress
    • Phone number
    • The email requesting welfare checks will be directed to the local Fire Rescue Departments for follow-up. The number of requests may be significant, so residents are asked to be patient. To watch a video about the welfare check program, go to Lee County Government’s YouTube channel. The video is available in two languages. To watch in English, visit https://youtu.be/d95-3nZMaTY. To watch in Spanish, go to https://youtu.be/DArRBy57eVc.
  • Lee County Schools are now closed and will remain closed through Friday. 
  • Residential garbage collection will resume on Monday, October 14. Recycling and yard waste collection are suspended until further notice due to the expected high volume of household garbage. Reinstatement of recycling and yard waste collection TBD.
  •  Any unincorporated Lee County Residents or Businesses within the Special Flood Hazard Area with any damage to their homes or businesses, including water intrusion, must obtain a permit for all repairs.
Join our mailing list