FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: J. Keith Smith, Public Resources
(941) 335-2665

HURRICANE INFORMATION NOW ON COUNTY TELEVISION

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 25, 2001) - Lee County Government is now broadcasting information on how to prepare for an approaching hurricane on its government access channel.

Lee County's Public Resources Division has added information to its "electronic billboards" on what residents should do during a storm, what they need if they evacuate to a local shelter, and what items they should have on hand before a hurricane heads towards Southwest Florida. There are also phone numbers for law enforcement, various public safety agencies, and area hospitals.

The county billboards are shown 24 hours a day except when there is live or taped programming being broadcast. Residents can view the information on the former MediaOne cable system (now ComCast), channel 54 and the Time Warner system, channel 16.

In the event a storm threatens Lee County, a Hurricane Bulletin magazine will become the main billboards and contain additional hurricane-related information. It will include the county's emergency status, plus updates on shelter openings, road closings, and evacuation orders. Other safety-related information releases from Lee County's Emergency Operations Center will also be broadcast. The county's bulletin board system will also allow the broadcast of live, real-time emergency crawls. This will allow Public Safety information to be aired quickly, as soon as it is released from the EOC.