Collier County opens central logistics center and urges 96‑hour hurricane preparedness

Dan Summers, director of emergency management for Collier County, on June 1 described a new county logistics center and urged residents and businesses to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, including assembling a 96‑hour disaster kit.

Summers said the county’s Board of County Commissioners used surtax revenue to help create “a central receiving, storage, and distribution capability, for disaster supplies, and equipment to support our community.” He said the facility lets the county move supplies to neighborhoods faster while state and federal commodities are still inbound.

The logistics center has already handled large movements of equipment, Summers said: “During previous hurricanes, such as Irma, we moved 63 tractor trailer loads of supplies and equipment through this location.” He also noted the warehouse routed 1,800,000 pieces of personal protective equipment during the COVID‑19 response.

Summers listed items kept at the warehouse, saying they include bottled water with a 10‑year shelf life, cots for special‑needs shelters, tarps for temporary protection of infrastructure and generators for shelters. “We can do more routine maintenance, keep our supplies clean and ready to go,” he said, describing the logistical operation.

Explaining why personal preparation matters, Summers told residents: “Your insurance is your first line of defense, not the federal government, not the state government, not anything else right now.” He advised homeowners and renters to review coverage, document current property conditions with photos and keep post‑storm photos for claims.

On household communications, Summers recommended family plans and group texting as a resilient way to exchange messages during outages. He also urged people to register for Alert Collier and said county and partner apps — including the county 3‑1‑1 app and the Collier County emergency webpage — will post shelter and other updates as available. “Do not turn that alert off,” he said, referring to repeated warnings that can precede life‑threatening conditions such as tornadoes embedded in tropical systems.

Summers asked residents to plan for longer recovery times than in the past and to prepare a 96‑hour supply kit. “We used to say 48 hours. We used to say 72 hours… a 96 hour disaster kit is what you need to be planned for,” he said, explaining that higher storm surge, heavier rainfall and growth in the region increase vulnerability and can delay outside assistance.

Businesses were urged to prepare continuity plans so they can reopen after a storm. Summers said county partners, including the Collier County Chamber of Commerce, can assist small businesses in planning for displacement and records recovery.

On response operations, Summers said residents should be patient with debris cleanup and infrastructure repairs, and described interim traffic rules after outages: dark intersections should be treated as four‑way stops. He urged customers of power companies to report outages so utilities can track service locations, naming Florida Power & Light (FPL) and Lee County Electric Cooperative as examples of providers residents should notify.

Summers described a nonprofit coalition supported by the Community Foundation of Collier County that coordinates local disaster relief with organizations such as the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. He said local philanthropic coordination “has been a great way that we have been able to help families.”

For residents who are frail, elderly or medically dependent on electricity, Summers described a special needs registry maintained by the county that can support evacuation planning and transport to special‑needs shelters that provide essential services. He cautioned that hard floodproofing modifications can be dangerous if they lead occupants to remain in a structure during rising water and advised consulting local building code officials before installing flood‑proofing hardware.

Summers closed by noting nationwide strain on federal resources — “FEMA right now has close to a thousand disasters open” — and repeating the county’s message that individual, family and business preparedness reduces the demand on state and federal assistance. He encouraged residents to visit the Collier County emergency webpage or contact the county emergency management office for help.

The presentation consisted of a single staff briefing, with no ordinance, motion or formal vote recorded during the discussion.