By Sal DiBenedetto, Licensed Real Estate Broker · Dibe Real Estate, brokered by eXp Realty · Updated September 2026

Live Hurricane Tracker for Southwest Florida

The National Hurricane Center map below updates automatically with active storms, cones and advisories. For Lee County forecasts, follow the National Weather Service Tampa Bay office; Collier County (Naples) is covered by NWS Miami. For local TV coverage, see our SWFL news live streams and the Estero weather page.

Emergency Numbers: Estero & Lee County

Sign up for AlertLee emergency notifications and download the LeePrepares app before a storm is named. Lee County’s All Hazards Guide is worth printing, since power and cell service can go down for days.

Know Your Hurricane Evacuation Zone

Lee County evacuation zones are labeled A through E in order of increasing elevation and are based on storm-surge modeling. Zone A (barrier islands and low coastal areas such as Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and parts of Estero Bay) is ordered out first. Mobile and manufactured homes are included in every evacuation order, no matter which zone they are in.

Your evacuation zone is not your flood zone. A home can be outside an evacuation zone and still sit in a FEMA flood zone, or the reverse. Look up both before you buy, and before every season:

• Lee County: Find My Evacuation Zone (enter your address)
• Florida Know Your Zone map (Lee, Collier and all Florida counties)
• Lee County evacuation zones, routes & shelters map (PDF)
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the Lee County flood map

Hurricane Shelters Near Estero

Lee County opens shelters storm by storm, so always check the official Lee County public shelter list and AlertLee for which sites are open. Shelters that have served the Estero area in past storms include:

• Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero
• Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero
• Alico Arena, 10501 FGCU Blvd S, Fort Myers
• Pet-friendly shelters: Lee County opens pet-friendly shelters for every storm. Bring crates, food, vaccination records and ID.
• Special-needs shelters: residents who need electricity for medical equipment or help with daily care should pre-register (239-533-0640). Registration does not guarantee placement.

Sheltering should be a last resort: the safest plan is often to evacuate tens of miles, not hundreds, to a friend or hotel outside the surge zone.

Hurricane Information by Southwest Florida Community

Every city and county runs its own emergency pages, sandbag sites and debris schedules. Here is where to go for each Southwest Florida community we serve:

Hurricane Preparedness Checklist for Southwest Florida

1. Know your zones. Look up your evacuation zone and your FEMA flood zone, and decide now where you would go and when.
2. Sign up for alerts. Register for AlertLee (or Collier alerts), download LeePrepares, and follow the National Hurricane Center.
3. Build your kit. Plan for at least 7 days of water, food, medications, batteries, flashlights, a radio, cash, pet supplies and fuel. Since August 2025, many hurricane-kit items are permanently exempt from Florida sales tax. Check the Florida Department of Revenue for the current list.
4. Protect the house. Test shutters or impact openings, brace or replace older garage doors, clear gutters, trim trees and bring in anything that can become a projectile.
5. Document everything. Photograph and video every room and the roof, and keep insurance policies, IDs and deeds in a waterproof bag and in the cloud.
6. Plan for power loss. Run generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from doors and windows, and never in a garage. Carbon monoxide kills people after almost every Florida hurricane.
7. Leave early if ordered. Traffic, bridge closures and rising wind make late evacuations dangerous. Check Florida 511 for road conditions.

Buying a Hurricane-Ready Home in Southwest Florida

As a Southwest Florida real estate broker who also holds a Florida general contractor license, Sal looks at storm resilience on every home before a client makes an offer. These are the items that matter most for safety, insurance cost and resale:

Shopping for a newer home built to current code? Browse Estero new construction, read our guide for hurricane-conscious home buyers, or talk with Sal about a specific property.

Flood Insurance & Hurricane Savings Programs

• Flood insurance is separate. Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood. New NFIP policies usually have a 30-day waiting period, so do not wait until a storm is in the Gulf. Learn more at FloodSmart.gov.
• Estero’s CRS discount. The Village of Estero holds a Community Rating System Class 6 rating, worth a 20% discount on NFIP flood premiums for Estero residents.
• My Safe Florida Home. The state program offers free wind-mitigation inspections and matching grants of up to $10,000 for eligible homesteaded, owner-occupied homes to add impact windows, doors and roof upgrades. Check current availability at MySafeFLHome.com.
• Wind mitigation credits. Florida insurers must offer premium discounts for qualifying wind-resistant features. Send your wind mitigation report to your agent.

After the Storm: Recovery in Lee & Collier County

1. Stay out until it’s safe. Wait for the all-clear, avoid floodwater and downed lines, and report outages to FPL or LCEC.
2. Document the damage with photos and video before cleanup, and make only the temporary repairs needed to prevent further damage.
3. File claims quickly with your insurer and, after a federal declaration, at DisasterAssistance.gov. Our public adjuster directory can help with complex claims.
4. Hire only licensed contractors. Verify any contractor at MyFloridaLicense.com. Unlicensed contracting during a declared emergency is a felony in Florida. See our licensed roofers and licensed contractors.
5. Pull permits and watch the 50% rule. If repair costs reach 50% of a home’s market value in a flood zone, FEMA’s substantial-damage rule may require bringing the home up to current flood-elevation standards.

Southwest Florida Hurricane FAQ