Hendry County Storm Announcements

The Hendry County Information Center has been reactivated in preparation for
Hurricane Frances. The Hurricane Frances Hotline is a central phone bank,
manned with volunteers and county employees, established to field
hurricane-related questions from the public. The telephone number is
863-675-5392. The hotline will be open at 8 a.m.September 2, at which time
it will remain open 24-hours a day until further notice.
Hurricane Frances is expected to remain a very strong Category 4 Hurricane
with projected landfall anywhere between Miami and Daytona Beach sometime
Saturday.
Hendry County is urging a mandatory evacuation for mobile homes, RV's, and
low-lying areas effective at 3 PM this afternoon. The following shelters
will be open:

Clewiston High School, Clewiston Middle, Clewiston Central Elementary,
LaBelle Middle School and Country Oaks Elementary School. Special Needs
Shelters in Clewiston at John Boy Auditorium and in LaBelle at the VFW Post
will also open.
In anticipation of Hurricane Frances, Hendry County is requesting that all
outdoor signs (election or other) be removed from public display. This
pertains to any free-standing signs placed in the ground or tacked to trees
or poles.
Hendry County is requesting voluntary compliance as a safety precaution, as
these materials could become dangerous airborne debris during the storm.
The Fort Denaud bridge will remain open to boat traffic until 2PM Friday
afternoon, September 3, 2004, unless winds greater than 25 MPH force it to
close. The US Army Corps of Engineers has requested that it remain in
service to facilitate boat traffic from the east coast.