Access limited

order to aid with the debris removal process “The county came up with the schedule for the debris removal We’re following it ”

Lee County Government spokesperson Betsy Clayton said the decisions were made in consultation with Town of Fort Myers Beach government officials, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Town of Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District

Previously, there has been a curfew at 7 p m

Essential response personnel include: Debris management (crews from CrowderGulf and Thompson Debris); electric providers, water and sewer utility providers; and transportation crews from Florida Department of Transportation and Lee County Department of Transportation

Hernstadt said the county's management of debris removal will allow town staff to focus on other rebuilding priorities

From page 1 foods, canned goods, diapers, wipes and hygiene products

The ministry made a large investment in the goodwill effort for Fort Myers Beach

“We found out that people just want a hot meal If it’s hamburgers and hot dogs they don’t care,” Stephan said Stephan said he and members of the ministry have been visiting Fort Myers Beach for decades “We just camped at Red Coconut (RV Park) in July and now it’s gone It’s totally wiped out,” Stephan said

At the intersection of Buttonwood Drive and Prescott Street, Justin Sarles was cooking in a field under a tent with a Miami Dolphins logo with boxes and bins of canned goods, cereal, bags of chips, water, clothes, hygiene products and other supplies and other items to help folks Sarles, of Fort Myers, who owns Tropical

From page 1

"It makes sense to me," Hernstadt said

"They need to expedite debris removal " Currently, debris is piled up along town streets and is making passage difficult The town has entered into a contract for debris removal but is not receiving any state or federal assistance with personnel or trucks to remove the debris

Traffic has been backed up for vehicles heading north on Estero Boulevard for miles

"If trucks can't move, why have more trucks?," Hernstadt asked "Trucks are clogging up the road "

Not everyone is happy with the hour restrictions

Contractors need to be let in at 6 a m Wednesday to Sunday when they normally are up,” Renee Gabet said “Let them in so we can get our homes back The south end is impossible to come and go We need our Dumpsters and contractors to enter early ” for the first time since Hurricane Ian struck, Dexter said,

Solar, said he has become friends with a lot of locals who have been left homeless or who are working on their homes

Sarles said he has been receiving donations from all over the world to assist “I rallied up a couple friends and we went the first day over to the East Coast to get supplies and we posted it on the Fort Myers Beach, Florida (Facebook) group and people from all over the world have been sending us money I have been out here every day cooking and we have been doing 600-1,000 meals a day,” Sarles said.

Amid sand blowing with the wind and nearly knocking over his tent, Sarles doesn’t seem phased by any of the challenges “It’s pretty good,” he said

Hernstadt said the aim is to have the debris cleaned up within 60 days, while 100% of the cost of debris cleanup will be covered by the federal government That date could still be extended Technically, after 60 days the federal government would only cover 87% unless an extension is given

Power and water have only begun to be restored on Fort Myers Beach three weeks after Hurricane Ian struck Florida Power and Light has been making progress in repairing the infrastructure for residents to receive power but residents will need to get a certified electrician and structural engineer to deem their electrical outlets and home are safe to receive power first

Former Fort Myers Beach Mayor Tracey Gore was also unhappy with the restrictions on beach access

“I think it’s crap They should still let homeowners come and go,” Gore said

The homes had power restored through Florida Power and Light after obtaining approved structural and electrical inspections

Repairs to the main power line along

Gore recently stayed at a hotel while awaiting power and water to be restored to her home Gore said hotel rooms are hard to come by

“People are still living on island with nowhere to go and need to be able to come back and forth to get gas and water and supplies,” Gore said “You can only stay with friends for so long ”

Gore said she knew residents who had to sleep in their car when the island was closed off for a week Gore said due to the traffic on the island and on the county the limit to the hours was unreasonable since the time it takes for people to leave the island to go to a friend’s home or hotel to shower or purchase food, supplies or other items could take longer than the time allowed to enter back onto the island

“They should let us come and go,” Gore said

Estero Boulevard are 96% complete, and 85% of side streets are complete, Dexter stated Florida Power and Light has installed 47 new streetlights as of Saturday

“It came up so fast,” Johnson said When the toilets started exploding, he took off from the highest window in the house in the bathroom with a bookpack containing his laptop, a hard drive for his personal computer and one change of clothes. He traveled through chest-high water to get back to his wife down the street, clutching onto homes as he traveled hoping not to get hit by debris “My concern was getting hitting hit by something I was worried about getting hit by a two-by-four ”

Mr Johnson would make it to safety

“My concern was getting hitting hit by something. I was worried about getting hit by a two-byfour,” Steve Johnson on escaping his home during Hurricane Ian in chest-high water

Johnson’s next-door neighbor wouldn’t be so lucky Daymon Utterback, 54, died after getting stuck in a window and after saving his fiancé Theresa Between Utterback’s home and the Johnson family’s house, the remains of the Hideaway Village Motel settled after floating down from Estero Boulevard

Several people staying at the hotel survived by clutching onto the debris from the hotel in between the two homes, Johnson said

One of them, Nishelle Harris-Miles, would be found dead under the debris Johnson said neighbors reported hearing yelling from the group during the hurricane

The day after the hurricane, Johnson returned to his home and saw the body of Utterback. “I put a towel over him,” he said

“He was a nice guy,” Johnson said “He was very happy, go lucky ” Known around town for dressing up like Captain Jack Sparrow the Johnny Depp pirate character from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Utterback worked at a tool and dye fabrication shop in Naples

Johnson said Utterback used to host pool parties in his backyard and was known for fishing for sharks

A couple in their 80’s on the street sur- vived by swimming all day and night and hanging onto a lanai inside their pool cage and treading water into the night, Johnson said

Cindy Johnson and Steve Johnson survey the damage behind their home on Seminole Way overlooking a canal. Their home was entirely flooded by Hurricane Ian and will need to be gutted. Nearby, a 40-year-old woman staying at the Hideaway Motel was found dead under debris from the Hideaway Motel that floated in the area behind their house.

The morning after the hurricane hit, the home of Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Roger Hernstadt burned down across the canal. The fire, which could be seen from behind their backyard, burned quick, according to the Johnsons The Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District has not responded to requests for information regarding the investigation into the fire as of the publication of this story Hernstadt declined to comment on it Riding out the stor m

F o r m e r F o r t M y e r s B e a c h M a y o r Tracey Gore stayed on the island with her husband Henry throughout the hurricane they lost the family’s pontoon boat “It’s All Good,” had to replace the subfloors of their home, suffered damage to their pool, and their presently out-of-commission shrimp boat “Lexi Joe” is stuck with her other boats on top of the property of Erickson and Jensen on San Carlos Island

“It was scary as hell,” Ms Gore said

“The reason locals stay is because of Hurricane Charley (in 2004) People couldn’t get back on the island for five days ”

Her 12-year-old Labrador mix Wojo collapsed and died on the shrimp boat docks in the days after the hurricane Gore thinks it was from the stress

“I’m luckier than most people,” she said “Our home was built two feet over the code That’s what saved us,” she said

See RECOVERING, page 11