Hurricane Irma update: FEMA slow to respond, has few specifics for disaster recovery in Lee County

It's been four days since residents have had a hot meal. It's been four days since Lehigh Acres and Gateway residents have been able to leave their flooded neighborhoods. There are still 600 people in shelters.

Yet, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) still has not opened any Disaster Recovery Centers in Lee County. It wasn't until late Wednesday afternoon that Fort Myers and county officials notified residents about locations to receive food, water and essential commodities.

For more coverage of Hurricane Irma and the storm's aftermath visit: news-press.com/hurricane.

Hurricane Irma devastated this region, leaving thousands without power, flooding roadways and homes, forcing gridlock at gas stations and leaving grocery shelves empty.

When Hurricane Charley hit in 2004, a Disaster Recovery Center in our area was up and running in three days.

During a Wednesday afternoon news conference, officials had few details about providing food and water to residents impacted by Hurricane Irma. After The News-Press pushed for information, city and county officials announced the opening of distribution centers.

FEMA Administrator Brock Long said the agency had opened Disaster Recovery Centers outside of Lee County, but could not say where, how many or when they will arrive in Southwest Florida.

More: Irma update: Water, food available tonight

The priority is to clear debris and restore power, Long said.

“This is not something we just roll in immediately right off the bat, because still, that life-safety, life-sustaining mission takes (precedence) over the Disaster Recovery Centers,” he said. “So it may take some time to get those in.”

Members of the FEMA team were sent to Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma, Long said. They were stationed in counties that would be hardest hit, including Lee County. Long could not say how many staff members deployed in this region.

“I don’t like to get into specific numbers because it’s literally like herding cats,” he said. “The numbers change every 30 minutes from the standpoint of where we deploy teams, or what we activate, what we deactivate.”

Long said he last heard there were 39,000 federal officials assisting with response and recovery related to Hurricane Irma, which hit the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 7.

More: Irma update: More than one-third of Lee County's cell sites out of commission

FEMA has been working with local elected officials to understand the issues — no power, no cell service, no web access and a lack of essential services — and members will work to alleviate those issues, Long said.

“The federal government is laying down a lot of resources. I think it just solidifies, we live in the greatest country in the world,” he said. “You’ve got pretty much every federal government agency trying to play a role to help out local communities like the one I’m standing in today.”

More: Irma update: Restaurants open in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral

Where to find water and supplies

Villas Elementary, 8385 Beacon Blvd., Fort Myers

Fleamasters Fleamarket, 4135 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Myers

Lehigh Acres Fire Station No. 1, 1000 Joel Blvd., Lehigh Acres

Hours: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today, the National Guard will be handing out meals ready-to-eat and water. Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Salvation Army will operate distribution centers at:

2980 Edison Ave. - Dr. Ann Murphy Knight S.T.A.R.S. Complex

587 Nuna Ave. - FEA Ministries

The American Red Cross will provide food and water at:

10091 McGregor Blvd. - Alliance for the Arts

3300 Marion St. - Shady Oaks Park

Hours: 5:30 p.m. today until supplies are depleted