How will I know if a flood is imminent?
Lee County has an effective warning system to alert residents to flood risks. The system uses information from the National Weather Service, other meteorological sources and computer modeling to monitor and forecast possible flooding conditions. The County also records rainfall data and is equipped to access it in real-time using Natural Resources' Hydrological Monitoring. The Lee County Emergency Operations Center serves as the county's warning point to advise those at risk to flooding conditions and is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can check out the status online at www.leeeoc.com, or tune in to local TV and radio newscasts or the NOAA Weather Radio (162.475 MHz) when a threat of flooding is announced to stay updated on the actual risk to your area.
Flood watches and warnings will be broadcast on that frequency by the National Weather Service. Law enforcement and fire-rescue officials will also deliver flood warning messages if a storm occurs at night with no prior warning to the public.
In addition, Lee County uses EMTEL as a means to notify the public of specific emergency events where people may live or work. Neighborhoods, cities, larger geographic areas or the entire County can receive specific messages or instructions within minutes. The notification system’s Caller ID is LEE EMERGENCY. If you see this on your phone, please pick it up and listen to the recorded message – it will contain crucial information to your safety and your property should events like flooding take place.