LEE COUNTY
Lee County officials held a press conference Monday afternoon to update the public on the cleanup and recovery efforts in Lee County following Hurricane Yang.
Roger Desjarlais, the Lee County supervisor, said the search and rescue efforts are still ongoing and that Fort Myers Beach is the main area where it is happening. Desjarlais said there were 11 U.S. Army Reserve units in Lee County, as well as 7 strike groups. These units work almost 24 hours a day until the search and rescue operations are completed.
Desjarlais mentioned that many of these missions and tasks are carried out from the Lee County Sports Complex. Therefore, the Lee County Sports Complex is for first responders only and not for the general public.
Desjarlais then went on to discuss public concerns about the health care system and its infrastructure.
“As hospitals stabilize and come back online, they’ve started to get the type of water they need to continue operating,” Desjarlais said.
Desjarlais continued his address by telling the crowd that a new medical center is opening where Sears used to be in the Edison Mall.
The Florida Department of Transportation, as noted, has made progress and improvements. Desjarlais noted that about 400 alarms, about one-third of the total in Lee County, have been restored.
Construction of a temporary bridge is underway, which will be used instead of the bridge over the Matlach. The construction of this temporary bridge is planned to be completed within five to eight days.
Desjarlais said FPL reported that 64% of Lee County customers had power restored. Meanwhile, LCEC reported that 22% of customers received electricity.
Desjarlais then spoke about the water situation in Lee County. Lee County Utilities are reportedly making progress with water pressure. Water pressure has increased from 45 psi prior to Monday’s reading to approximately 60 to 65 psi.
The full text of the press conference can be viewed above.