During hurricane season in Lee County Florida being prepared is not just important. It is absolutely critical. If and when a storm approaches you want to be prepared. Specifically it is important to have a hurricane preparation plan in place. Such a plan covers things like how to prepare your home before the storm, knowing what your evacuation zone is and knowing the evacuation routes. If you live in an evacuation zone, then it is also important to know where your nearest hurricane shelters are in case you need a place to shelter. Unfortunately, residents are often unsure where Lee County’s hurricane shelters are. That is the reason why we made this guide.
Keep reading because below we provide links to important resources as well as important information about Lee County Emergency Shelters.
Other helpful hurricane prep and evacuation related resources:
- Hurricane Preparedness Plan: how to protect your home and family from a hurricane
- Southwest Florida Hurricane Evacuation Zones
UPDATE: This article was updated for the 2024 Hurricane Season, and the information is up-to-date as of July 12, 2024.
Where to Find Local Emergency Public Shelters in Lee County
You can see a list of the Lee County Public Shelters on the Lee County website. For convenience we have also listed them below.
List of Lee County Hurricane Shelters by City
According to their site Lee County has 20 shelters (as of information available on July 12, 2024), which are in the cities/neighborhoods listed below.
See the full list on the emergency management page: Lee County Emergency Public Shelters
Cape Coral
Cape Coral has only one public shelter location, which is listed below:
- Island Coast High School (2125 DeNavarra Pkwy., Cape Coral, FL 33909).
Estero
The Village of Estero has two shelters, including the following:
- Hertz Arena (11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero, FL 33928)
- Estero Recreational Center (9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero, FL 33928)
Fort Myers
The city of Fort Myers has 7 shelters, which are listed below:
- Alico Arena @ Florida Gulf Coast University (12181 FGCU Lake Pkwy E, Fort Myers, FL 33913) – San Carlos area
- Dunbar High School (3800 Edison Avenue, Fort Myers, FL 33916)
- Gateway High School (13820 Griffin Dr., Fort Myers, FL 33913) – Gateway neighborhood
- Manatee Elementary School (5301 Tice Street, Fort Myers, FL 33905) – Tice neighborhood
- Oak Hammock Middle School (5321 Tice Street, Fort Myers, FL 33905) – Tice neighborhood
- South Fort Myers High (14020 Plantation Road, Fort Myers, FL 33912)
- Treeline Elementary School (10900 Treeline Ave. Fort Myers, FL 33913) – San Carlos neighborhood
Lehigh Acres
The city of Lehigh Acres, FL has 8 hurricane shelters, which are listed below:
- Amanecer Elementary School (641 Sunshine Blvd. Lehigh Acres, FL)
- East Lee County High School (715 Thomas Sherwin Ave., Lehigh Acres, FL 33974)
- Harns Marsh Elementary (1800 Unice Avenue N., Lehigh Acres, FL 33971)
- Harns Marsh Middle School (1820 Unice Avenue N., Lehigh Acres, FL 33971)
- Mirror Lakes Elementary School (525 Charwood Avenue S., Lehigh Acres, FL 33936)
- Tortuga Preserve Elementary School (1711 Gunnery Road N., Lehigh Acres, FL 33971)
- Varsity Lakes Middle School (801 Gunnery Road North, Lehigh Acres, FL 33971)
- Veterans Park Recreation Center (49 Homestead Road S., Lehigh Acres, FL 33936)
North Fort Myers
North Fort Myers has two shelter locations, which are listed below:
- N. Fort Myers Academy of the Arts (1856 Arts Way, North Fort Myers, FL 33917)
- North Fort Myers Recreation Center (2000 N. Recreation Park Way, North Fort Myers, FL 33903)
Important Things to Note
It is important to note that the Lee County site states that “NOT all shelters will be open for every event”.
You can also visit Lee County’s Storm Updates page. On this page you will find status updates on any storms affecting the area. In addition they have a dedicated section on the page for shelter information. You can find this under the “Available Resources” heading by clicking on the “Shelters” section.
Emergency Pet Shelters in Lee County FL
Not all emergency public shelters in the county allow pets. And the only pets these shelters accept are cats and dogs. So if you have a pet you will need to go to a specific shelter that does. According to the county site the location of the pet shelters change and depend on the the storm. They advise you to listen to local You can find out more about Lee County Pet Shelters at the county’s Mandatory Evacuation Pet Shelter page and Pet Shelter Page.
More Information
More detailed information about emergency planning can be found at the Lee County Emergency Management website.
