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I will do that since it doesn't look good. The only problem is my husband made the flight arrangements and I have no clue as to which airline we are booked. He's been in Europe this past week coming home this afternoon. He hates it over there. Maybe I'll just guess at which one it could be a see what they say.

Here's what the local paper has to say about it:

Lee, Collier, Charlotte order evacuations
NBC2 News
Posted on: Thursday, August 12, 2004

http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=1256&z=3&p=

FORT MYERS — Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties have all issued mandatory evacuation orders in advance of Hurricane Charley, which continues its northwest path on a collision course with Cuba and then Florida.

Collier County emergency officials have issued a mandatory evacuation for all areas west of U.S. 41, including Everglades City and Marco Island, beginning at 10 a.m. and to be complete by 9 p.m. Emergency services will not be available in the coastal areas of Collier after that time.

Bridges have no curfews – winds have to be at 40 mph before bridges will be closed.

Lee County officials have issued a mandatory evacuation notice for the coastal/barrier islands including Bonita Beach, Estero Island/Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Captiva, Pine Island, Matlacha, and Boca Grande starting at 8 a.m.

Residents will be allowed back and forth on the bridges to secure their property, businesses and families - residents are not barred from returning to the island. But officials stress that residents complete their preparations as quickly as possible because it takes longer to evacuate on the islands and on the Sanibel Causeway weight and speed restriction are still in force.

Charlotte County has ordered the evacuation of Gasparilla Island, to coincide with Lee County's Boca Grande evacuation to the south. The Gasparilla evacuation is to begin immediately.

The city of Sanibel began a mandatory evacuation at 7 a.m. this morning. Sanibel police say no traffic will be allowed onto the island - only traffic leaving the island will be able to pass over the causeway.

Information on open shelters will be released at 10 a.m. No mainland evacuations are being ordered as of 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

The county is also suspending tolls on the Sanibel Causeway, Cape Coral Bridge and Midpoint Bridge at 8 a.m.

At 8 a.m. Thursday, the center of Hurricane Charley was located near latitude 19.2 north, longitude 80.5 west, moving northwest at 16 mph.

Sustained winds have reached 85 mph as the storm approaches Cuba. The forecast path of the storm has taken a slight jog to the west.

A hurricane watch is flying from Bonita Beach north to Tarpon Springs. There's a tropical storm warning from the Seven-Mile Bridge to Ocean Reef, including all of Florida Bay.

Governor declares state of emergency
Governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency for the entire state ahead of the two tropical systems bearing down on Florida.

In north Florida, forecasters are dropping all hurricane watches and warnings for as Tropical Storm Bonnie doesn't appear to have the power to reach hurricane strength before landfall in the Panhandle.

There's still a tropical storm warning posted for the entire Panhandle and Big Bend, from the Alabama line eastward to the Suwannee River. But experts say Bonnie remains too disorganized to have an actual eyewall.

Bonnie is now centered about 175 miles west-southwest of Apalachicola, moving northeast at about 16 miles an hour. That's expected to continue until landfall this afternoon, with a slight increase in forward speed. Top sustained winds are near 50 miles an hour, with little change expected before landfall. Tropical storm force winds extend out 70 miles from center.

Collier County issues voluntary evacuations
At 2pm, Collier County declared a state of emergency due to Hurrican Charley. The county issued voluntary evacuations for all residents west of US 41 and is recommending visitors cut their vacations short.

Emergency Management Director Dan Summers is encouraging visitors to begin voluntary evacuations.

"Should this storm hit between Fort Myers and Naples it could affect travel along I-75 northbound, so today is the day to use I-75 for voluntary evacuations," Summers said.

The county urges residents to gather emergency supplies including a three to seven-day supply of food, water, pet supplies, clothing and a first-aid kit. Homeowners should begin storing loose objects located outside their homes as a preventative measure.

The Bureau of Emergency Services and the Emergency Management Department will determine the need for shelters and will immediately notify the public of any changes. The public may contact Emergency Management for more information at (239) 774-8444.

Collier county teachers
All staff of the Collier County Public School District should report to work Thursday. They said teachers should report to their home school. The in-service planned for secondary schools has been postponed. The district is considering an early release day Thursday if the situation warrants it. A decision on school open houses will be made Thursday morning.

Lee County

Local emergency managers held a 7 a.m. briefing Thursday to further plans for Hurricane Charley. These are the actions taken:

Lee County is issuing a mandatory evacuation notice for the coastal/barrier islands (Bonita Beach, Estero Island/Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Captiva, Pine Island, Matlacha, Boca Grande), starting at 8 a.m.
Tolls are being suspended at 8 a.m. on the Sanibel Causeway, Cape Coral Bridge and Midpoint Memorial/Veterans Parkway Bridge.
An announcement of which initial shelters will open will be at 10 a.m.
No mainland evacuations are yet being ordered.
The county is under a state of local emergency. The Emergency Operations Center is fully activated.
A citizen information line is activated, 477-1900.
All of coastal Lee County is under a Hurricane Watch (Tropical Storm force winds within 48 hours)
There will be no trash, horticultural or recycling collection in unincorporated Lee County, City of Bonita Springs or Town of Fort Myers Beach Friday. As of now, Friday's collection will be Saturday.
Emergency managers are urging residents to continue to monitor the news to keep apprised of weather conditions and any future actions by emergency management. Residents and visitors should be implementing emergency plans to protect their families, property and pets.
Building construction sites should be cleaned up and secured.
Evacuation routes

LeeTran shelter buses- these buses pick up residents and take them to shelters.
North Fort Myers | Downtown Fort Myers | South Fort Myers | Bonita Springs
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Charlotte County
Red Cross
Charlotte County Red Cross called all volunteers to see who would be available for disaster relief. Two SUV's are on stand-by to deliver help to flooded areas.
Postal service
Postmaster ordered all post offices to clean up debris outside and bring in any loose equipment. The post office will wait until Thursday to decide if mail will be delivered on Friday.

Courts
As of 4 pm Wednesday, no changes have been made to the court schedules but that could change.

Homeless
The county's only homeless center, The Genesis Center is not a shelter. Area homeless are being told to head to Port Charlotte High School.

Punta Gorda
Councilwoman Marilyn Smith says storm walls were damaged by rains last week. A storm surge could cause severe damage in downtown Punta Gorda and Punta Gorda isles. Council says there is nothing they can do to bolster the walls.