Charlotte County emergency managers urge preparedness ahead of 2025 hurricane season

Patrick Fuller, Charlotte County emergency management director, told the Board of County Commissioners on May 13 that the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season — June 1 through Nov. 30 — is less than three weeks away and urged residents and institutions to finalize preparations.

Fuller reviewed forecast drivers, shelter strategy and outreach. He said the county is in a neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation phase and noted warmer water in the Gulf of Mexico can still support rapid storm intensification. He also reminded residents that "it only takes one storm" to make a season damaging locally and emphasized that storm surge causes most storm deaths.

The nut graf: The county updated board members on readiness measures including shelter and special‑needs registries, supply-chain contracts, information hubs for post‑storm analog communications, expanded training for staff and plans to request state logistics and medical support in catastrophic scenarios.

Fuller said the county is maintaining four primary population shelters, though two…