Flooding produces life-threatening conditions and can cause serious property damage. It is important for all Collier County residents to be aware of flooding risks and warnings as intense thunderstorms or hurricanes approach the area.  Listening to the radio is one way to stay informed during dangerous conditions.  The Flood Warning System watches and warnings from the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, and Collier County Bureau of Emergency Services can be heard on FoxNews  92.5 FM and WGCU 90.1 FM, and other local radio and television stations.  The National Weather Service continually broadcasts over NOAA Weather Radio at 162.525 mHz.  Police and fire officials may also notify residents of evacuations when conditions allow. 

Early Warning System

The Collier County Emergency Management Division operates and maintains an Early Warning System (EWS) to provide storm warning information to all residents. The EWS is an informational tool that coordinates the distribution of important warning announcements through various media outlets, the emergency broadcasting system, faxes, e-mails, and social media outlets. The announcements are prepared by the National Weather Service as well as by the Emergency Management Department. Visit the Emergency Management webpage for information on how you can sign up to receive EWS e-mails and local radio and television stations that broadcast messages.

Flood Warning System

The EWS is primarily focused on advanced warning information for tropical storms and hurricanes.  To address the need for flood warnings from intense thunderstorms, the Collier County Emergency Management Department has coordinated with the Big Cypress Basin to establish a Flood Warning System (FWS) for the primary canals throughout the County.  The FWS tool, known as Flood Watch, utilizes canal stage information as inputs into a real-time computer model to predict possible flooding conditions.  When the conditions indicate the probable development of flood stage conditions (canal bank overtopping), an automatic email alert is sent out to selected Big Cypress Basin and Collier County officials who are able to field verify the information.  The following image is linked to the Basin's real-time System Water Level Status software that shows the current water level of the canals.  When verified conditions are warranted, the Emergency Management Department activates the EWS to distribute important warning announcements.

In order to access the real-time water level data, please click on the image below to be directed to the page. Once the page is accessed, please navigate to the upper right hand corner of the page to locate the tab titled “BCB” for the Big Cypress Basin. After clicking on the tab, you will be able to access site specific data located within Collier County.

For assistance: Contact the Flood Information Hotline at (239)252-2942 or email floodinforequest@colliercountyfl.gov

Visit: Growth Management Department, 2800 N. Horseshoe Dr., Naples, FL 34104

 
Page updated as of 04/05/18