Captiva Island - It was hit hard by Hurricane Charley, but now, Captiva Island is on its way to becoming the nation's first barrier island designated as "storm ready."

A government meteorologist paid a visit to Captiva on Wednesday.

Not only would Captiva be the first barrier island to become "storm ready," but it would be the first city in Lee County to get the national seal of safety approval from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It says just because Captivans are storm ready, it doesn't mean they're storm proof.

"Over 90 percent of homeowners here aren't full-time residents, so they're concerned about their friends and property when a hurricane hits," Doris Holzheimer, Captiva homeowner, says.

Holzheimer knows first hand. She escaped Hurricane Charley in 2004, but some neighboring homes did not.

"We lost the pool cage and lots of vegetation, but we were very lucky," Holzheimer says.

Holzheimer and other Captiva homeowners don't want to be caught off guard again. The group of volunteers want everyone to be storm ready -- prepared, with a plan, to get off the island at the first sign of severe weather.

"When you live on a barrier island, you need to be better prepared because it takes longer to evacuate," NOAA Meteorologist Daniel Noah says. "Learn how evacuation is going to work and what it is."

Noah is testing and training Captivans to be storm ready.

"They're our eyes and ears out there," Noah says of trained storm spotters. "Communities with storm spotters are better prepared than those without."

More than 30 volunteers learn what it takes to spot storms, a step toward getting the designation.

"There are only two reasons we issue a warning -- what we see on radar or what we hear from Skywarn spotters," Noah says.

Volunteers have also created their own network, complete with a website for the most up-to-date information in case of emergency.

In addition to the Skywarn spotter training and the website to get information out, Captivans also plan to use the fire district as a 24-hour warning and emergency operations center.

If Captiva receives NOAA's "storm ready" designation, people there may see a break in their flood insurance.

Captiva is expected to become certified in about two weeks.