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Free Consultation: Call 239-590-0861 or schedule a call with our local teamSchedule a call
Proudly serving families in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, and surrounding Southwest Florida communities.
The best hurricane plan for an older adult in Lee, Collier or Charlotte County is made before a storm is in the forecast. It answers four questions: what evacuation zone your loved one lives in, where they will go and how they will get there, what they need to bring, and who will check on them. Special needs shelters have limited space and are meant for people with medical needs, such as dependence on electricity or oxygen. If your parent qualifies, register early, because counties stop processing applications once a storm’s forecast cone reaches them. Everyone else is welcome at a general public shelter. A clear plan, shared with family and any private caregiver, makes stressful storm days far more manageable.
Does your loved one need more help when storms threaten?
According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Know Your Zone page, storm surge is the greatest threat to life during a hurricane. Zone A is the most vulnerable and usually the first to evacuate. You can enter your parent’s address on the state map to find their zone. People who live in an evacuation zone that’s under an order, in a low-lying area that floods (you can check the address on FEMA’s flood maps), or in a mobile home should leave when told to.
Next, decide where your loved one would go. Many people stay with family or friends outside the zone, or in a hotel inland. Public and special needs shelters are a safety net, not the first choice. Decide in advance who will drive, and leave early, because traffic and fuel get harder by the hour.
Lee County offers AlertLee notifications by phone, text and email, along with the free LeePrepares app, which includes evacuation zone maps and shelter information. Sign up your parent and yourself, especially if you live out of town.
Special needs shelters have very limited space. They’re meant for people whose medical needs a general shelter can’t meet, but who don’t need a hospital. Not everyone who is older or has a disability needs a special needs shelter. Here’s how Lee and Collier County Emergency Management describe the difference:
General public shelters are open to everyone. People living in a nursing home or assisted living facility should follow the facility’s emergency plan instead of registering. And a shelter of either kind is for people who have no other safe place to go.
If your loved one does qualify, Florida’s Special Needs Registry, run by the Florida Department of Health, collects information that is used only for emergency planning and services. Each county has its own process:
| County | How to register | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Lee | Online at shelterapp.leegov.com or call (239) 533-0640 | For people whose medical needs depend on electricity. Update your information every year, and note that applications stop once Lee County is in a storm’s seven-day forecast cone. A companion or caregiver needs to come along. Transportation to a shelter is available for those without a ride. (Lee County Special Medical Needs Program) |
| Collier | Online through the state registry at snr.flhealthresponse.com, or call (239) 252-3603 | Registration is required annually. Caregivers are encouraged to accompany the person. The shelter is a backup to a personal plan. (Collier County Special Needs Program) |
| Charlotte | Mail or email the county application to Charlotte County Emergency Management ([email protected]) | Everyone must be accompanied by a caregiver. Applications stop once the county is in the five-day forecast cone. (Charlotte County Special Needs Program) |
All three counties make the same point: registering does not reserve a shelter spot or medical treatment, and it doesn’t replace a personal plan. Shelters typically ask you to bring your own bedding, medications and supplies. Under Florida Statute 252.355, nurse registries and home health agencies share special needs registration information with their clients each year, so feel free to ask Abby Services if you’d like a copy.
A general hurricane kit covers water, food and flashlights. An older adult’s kit needs a few more things. Ready.gov recommends planning around medications, medical supplies, assistive devices and the people who can help.
At least a week or two of medications in original bottles, a written medication and allergy list, doctors’ phone numbers, incontinence supplies and any wound or skin care supplies the doctor has recommended.
Glasses, hearing aids with extra batteries, dentures, a walker or cane, phone chargers and a power bank, a change of clothes, a pillow and a light blanket.
Copies of Medicare and insurance cards, a photo ID, health care surrogate or power of attorney papers, an emergency contact list and some cash.
Under Florida Statute 252.358, when a county is under a hurricane warning or a state of emergency, health insurers must allow early prescription refills (if refills remain) for at least a 30-day supply. Ask the pharmacist as soon as a warning is issued. If your parent relies on power-dependent medical equipment, talk with the equipment company and the doctor about a backup plan, and let the electric utility know. During Ian, NBC News found that eight people in Florida died when oxygen machines failed during power outages. FPL customers can enroll in its Medically Essential Service program, which provides advance storm notices but not priority restoration, so a backup power plan is still needed.
During a storm, too many voices can create confusion. Choose one main contact who will keep track of your parent and update the rest of the family, plus a backup, ideally someone who lives outside Florida, since long-distance calls and texts often go through when local lines are jammed.
If your loved one has a private caregiver, have this conversation early in the season, not when a storm is three days out. Remember that caregivers have their own homes and families to protect, and they may need to evacuate too. Topics to discuss:
Caregivers have their own families and storm worries to manage, too. Some clients and caregivers agree that the caregiver’s spouse or children can stay with them at the client’s home or evacuation spot, so the caregiver can keep helping while knowing their own family is safe. Whether an arrangement like that works is for you and your caregiver to decide together.
For families who want someone in the home more of the time, especially during hurricane season, live-in or around-the-clock help or overnight care may be worth exploring. Abby Services can help identify caregivers whose availability fits your needs, and you and the caregiver agree on the arrangement together. A private caregiver can help with packing, meals, personal care, staying calm and getting ready to leave, while medical questions go to your parent’s doctor.
Every storm season, some people in danger zones decide to stay put. We saw it during Hurricane Ian, and the results were deadly. An NBC News investigation found that most of the people who died in Florida were over 65, many lived alone, drowning was the leading cause, and Lee County lost more people than any other county.
A caregiver doesn’t have to put themselves in harm’s way. If your loved one chooses to ignore an evacuation order, the caregiver may decide to leave or not come in, and that decision is theirs to make. If you think a parent may refuse to go, start the conversation early, ask their doctor or someone they trust to help, and decide ahead of time who will drive them. Once a storm arrives, rescue crews may not be able to reach anyone until conditions are safe.
Many storm-related injuries happen after the wind dies down. Southwest Florida’s heat and humidity, plus days without power, can be hard on older adults.
Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, or a serious fall. For anything else that seems off, call the doctor.
When Hurricane Ian hit in 2022, my wife, a nurse caring for mothers and babies at HealthPark, was at work at the hospital, and I evacuated with our family to my in-laws’ home in Babcock Ranch. Fort Myers was hit so hard that we stayed there after the storm, too. Babcock Ranch never lost power, phone service or internet, and that turned out to matter a great deal: our office could keep working as a hub, connecting clients with the caregivers they needed while the area recovered.
Caregivers picked back up with the clients they had been helping, often while dealing with their own storm damage. They helped with everything from finding gas for generators, which was in short supply, to filling in for Shell Point residents whose regular caregivers were managing their own crisis or simply couldn’t get there.
Scott Strachan, RN, BSN
That’s why the conversation in Step 5 matters. After a major storm, it helps to know exactly who to call. If your loved one’s caregiver can’t get there, call us at 239-590-0861 and we’ll help you look for a caregiver who can fill in.
Have questions about care at home?
Talk it through with a registered nurse.
Apply online at shelterapp.leegov.com or call Lee County Emergency Management at (239) 533-0640. Information must be updated every year, and a companion or caregiver needs to accompany the person to the shelter.
Space is very limited. Special needs shelters are generally for people whose medical needs depend on electricity or oxygen, who need care beyond basic first aid but not a hospital, or who have a chronic condition or disability that requires help with daily activities. Everyone else is welcome at a general public shelter. Your county makes the final decision.
No. Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties all state that registration does not ensure shelter placement. Shelters are a backup option, so every family should still have a personal evacuation plan.
Yes, and the counties expect it. Lee and Charlotte require a caregiver or companion to accompany the person, and Collier encourages it. Talk with your private caregiver ahead of time about whether they are able to go.
Start the conversation early and ask their doctor or someone they trust to help. A caregiver isn’t required to stay in harm’s way and may choose to leave if a client ignores an evacuation order. During Hurricane Ian, most of the people who died in Florida were over 65, and drowning was the leading cause, so take evacuation orders seriously.
Use the Know Your Zone map on floridadisaster.org and enter the home address. In Lee County, the free LeePrepares app also shows evacuation zones.
Often, yes. Florida law requires insurers to allow early refills, for at least a 30-day supply when refills remain, once a county is under a hurricane warning or a state of emergency. Ask the pharmacist as soon as a warning is issued.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your specific situation.
