Pine Island Eagle

RESOURCES

Temporary Pine Island bridge to be installed this week in wake of Hurrican Ian’s destructive path

From Staff & Wire Reports

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lee County Sheriff Car mine Marceno said the state will istall a temporary bridge this week to provide vehicles access to Pine Island.

“It’s not going to be a full bridge, you’re going to have to go over it probably at 5 miles an hour or something, but it’ll at least let people get in and off the island with their vehicles,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis made a visit to Cape Coral Monday night. He said

more than 1,900 rescues already have been made. USAR teams have been going door to door, to check on occupants, in areas that were hit hard by the storm, such as the barrier islands, he said, and emergency management teams continue to bring large quantities of water, food and supplies.

“The new construction in Florida seemed to have held up very well. I thought with some thing coming in at 155 miles per hour there would be roofs everywhere,” DeSantis said.

FEMA, federal partners continue Ian response

WASHINGTON – FEMA has approved more than $70 million for Florida survi vors to jumpstart recovery efforts, as Di saster Survivor Assistance Teams check on survivors, assist with federal disaster assistance applications and answer ques tions about types of federal assistance available. Teams are visiting shelters now to help survivors apply for assistance.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel with President Joe Biden to Florida today to survey heavily damaged areas and meet with response officials about ongoing efforts to help survivors and hard-hit communities.

Disaster Recovery Centers opened TUesday. Centers are accessible offices staffed by state, federal and volunteer organizations that let everyone access re covery information.

Operation Blue Roof is now available to homeowners in Charlotte and Lee coun ties. Homeowners can sign up online at blueroof.us or call 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1888-766-3258) for more information.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESIDENTS

• Beware of fraud and scams. All FEMA employees carry official identification. Federal and local disaster workers do not solicit or accept money. Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 right away if an inspector comes to your house, but you ha ven’t applied for assistance. This might be a sign of identity theft. Don’t trust those who offer financial help and then ask for money or personal information.

• Clean mold and flooded items. Make sure you disinfect anything that’s touched floodwater. Any structure that’s been flooded may have mold. Scrub mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water and dry completely.

• Be alert for rumors. Do your part to the stop the spread of rumors by finding and sharing information from trusted sources and discouraging others from sharing information from unverified sources. Find facts about common disas ter related rumors at FEMA.gov.

APPLY FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE

The fastest way to apply is through DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also apply through the FEMA mobile app or by call ing 1-800-621-3362. If you use a video relay service, captioned

ONLINE RESOURCES

• Federal Emergency Management Association: www.fema.gov

• Operation Blue Roof: www.blueroof.us

• Generator safety tips: www.ready.gov

• Safety checks: www.missingfl.gov

• Safe and found person reporting: www.safe.fl.gov

• Apply for federal assistance: www.disasterassistance.gov

• Flood insurance claims: www.floodsmart.gov

• Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov

• Veterans Affairs: www.va.gov

• To volunteer: www.volunteerflorida.org

• Only use a generator outdoors and far from open doors and windows. Genera tors help during a power outage but can present serious health and safety risks.. Visit ready.gov to learn how to use a gen erator safely.

STATE, FEDERAL RESPONSE ACTIONS

• Rescue efforts, with a focus on hospi tals, healthcare facilities and barrier island communities and power restoration contin ue to be a priority. More than 3,600 people and 185 pets have been rescued by state and federal teams. Visit missing.fl.gov if you or someone you know needs assistance or a safety check. Safe and found persons can be reported safe at safe.fl.gov.

• More than 2,600 FEMA staff are sup porting Ian response efforts. More than 1,300 other federal staff are assisting with the Ian response. More than 1,800 emer gency management personnel from 26 states were deployed to Florida through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

• The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating Combat Rubber Raiding Craft and civilian tour boats to evacuate survivors, provide food, water and medivac service on Pine Island. The National Guard and the Coast Guard are landing helicopters on barrier

islands to perform search-and-rescue mis sions. A Fish and Wildlife Service Incident Management Team and heavy equipment task force conducting road clearance, de bris removal and transportation of person nel and supplies to Sanibel Island to sup port first responder activities.

• Florida officials provided 4,000 gallons of diesel to Lee County to power emergen cy generators to supply water to nearby hospitals. The state is also delivering 1.2 million gallons of water from Lakeland to Fort Myers for hospitals without water.

• Field kitchens in the hardest hit coun ties are operational. Feeding partners distributed 96,000 meals and 1,000 MealsReady-to-Eat yesterday.

• The Department of Agriculture ap proved a waiver to allow purchase of hot foods with SNAP benefits and will is sue food replacement funds to impacted households. The Florida Department of Children and Families is operating Fam ily Resource Support Centers for access to resources and support. Centers are staffed with disaster recovery specialists.

RESOURCES TO JUMPSTART RECOVERY

• Florida survivors can apply for feder al assistance at www.disasterassistance. gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or

Fast Facts

telephone service, or other com munication services, please pro vide FEMA the specific number assigned for that service.

GET IMMEDIATE HELP

Find help with needs that FEMA is not authorized to pro

vide. Check with your local emergency management offi cials, voluntary agencies or by dialing your local 2-1-1.

I APPLIED FOR ASSISTANCE.

WHAT’S NEXT?

You will receive notification

LEE COUNTY EMERGENCY NUMBERS

American Red Corss

293-278-3401

Emergency Management 293-533-0622

Lee County Sheriff

239-477-1000

Health Department.................... 239-332-9501

Public Safety & EMS

Animal Services

239-533-3911

Poison Information 800-222-1222

General Emergency

911

by using the FEMA App. Survivors using a relay service, such as a video relay ser vice, captioned telephone service or oth ers, give the FEMA operator the number for that service. To reduce your wait time on phone, try calling early in the morning or later at night.

• FEMA National Flood Insurance Program policyholders can start a claim when evacuated. They should ask their agent about advance payments to receive up to $20,000. If you need help with reach ing your flood insurance agent or carrier, call 877-336-2627. Visit Floodsmart.gov to start a flood insurance claim,

• Small Business Administration di saster loans are available to businesses, homeowners, renters and nonprofit orga nizations in some Florida counties. The SBA opened a Business Recovery Center in Hillsborough County on Monday. Ap plicants may also apply at sba.gov under declaration #17644. For help, call 800-6592955 or send an email to DisasterCustom erService@sba.gov.

• Floridians who use Veterans Affairs medical centers and clinics and need ur gent care services should call 877-7413400. Find a list of open VA centers or pharmacy refill locations at VA.Gov.

See FEMA, page 7

letters from FEMA either by U.S. mail or by electronic corre spondence explaining your next steps. If you reported during the application process that you received damage and are not able to live in your primary residence, an inspector will con

tact you by phone to schedule an inspection. FEMA home inspec tions are conducted in-person; however, if you are apprehen sive due to ongoing COVID-19 uncertainties, you can request we conduct the inspection with out entering your home.

Feds vow major aid for hurricane victims amid rescues

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) —

With the death toll from Hur ricane Ian rising and hundreds of thousands of people without power in Florida and the Caroli nas, U.S. officials vowed Sunday to unleash a massive amount of federal disaster aid as crews scrambled to rescue people stranded by the storm.

Days after Ian tore through central Florida, carving a deadly path of destruction into the Car olinas, water levels continued rising in some flooded areas, in undating homes and streets that were passable just a day or two earlier.

With branches strewn across the grounds of St. Hillary’s Episcopal Church in Ft. Myers, the Rev. Charles Cannon recog nized the immense loss during his Sunday sermon but also gave thanks for what remained. That included the church’s stainedglass windows and steeple.

“People think they have lost everything, but you haven’t lost everything if you haven’t lost yourself,” he said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Arcadia on Sunday after noon, about 30 miles inland from where Ian made landfall. The rural area didn’t get the storm surge experienced by coastal

communities, but standing wa ter from floods remained four days after the storm.

“This is such a big storm, brought so much water, that you’re having basically what’s been a 500-year flood event,”

DeSantis said.

At least 68 people have been confirmed dead: 61 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba.

Fewer than 700,000 homes and businesses in Florida were still without electricity Sunday, down from a peak of 2.6 million.

The weakened storm wreaked havoc as it drifted north, with the remnants forming a nor’easter that is expected to dump rain on parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and southern Pennsyl vania, weather officials said.

In Virginia, rainfall on the al ready inundated Chesapeake Bay could lead to the most sig nificant tidal flooding event in the Hampton Roads region in the last 10 to 15 years, said Cody Poche, a National Weather Ser vice meteorologist. A handful of coastal Virginia school districts canceled classes Monday, and local officials urged residents to prepare.

Deanne Criswell, administra tor of the Federal Emergency

Management Agency, said the federal government is focusing first on victims in Florida, which took the brunt of one of the strongest storms to make land fall in the United States. Pres ident Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to visit Florida on Wednesday.

Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet. Officials warned that the situation in many areas isn’t expected to improve for several days because the rain that fell has nowhere to go.

Criswell told “Fox News Sun day” that the federal govern ment, including the Coast Guard and Department of Defense, had moved into position “the largest amount of search and rescue as sets that I think we’ve ever put in place before.”

Still, she cautioned that dan gers remain.

“We see so many more injuries and sometimes more fatalities after the storm,” Criswell said. “Standing water brings with it all kinds of hazards — it has debris, it could have power lines.”

More than 1,600 people have

been rescued statewide, accord ing to Florida’s emergency man agement agency.

In rural Seminole County, north of Orlando, residents donned waders, boots and bug spray to paddle to their flooded homes Sunday.

Ben Bertat found 4 inches (10 centimeters) of water in his house by Lake Harney after kayaking there.

“I think it’s going to get worse because all of this water has to get to the lake” said Bertat, pointing to the water flooding a nearby road. “With ground satu ration, all this swamp is full and it just can’t take any more water. It doesn’t look like it’s getting any lower.”

Gabriel Madlang kayaked through several feet of water on his street, delivering sandbags to stave off water creeping to ward his doorstep.

“My home is close to under water,” Madlang said. “Right now, I’m just going to sandbag as much as I can and hope and pray.”

The National Guard and the Coast Guard were flying in he licopters to Florida’s barrier islands to rescue people. On Sanibel Island, the lone bridge to the crescent-shaped island

collapsed, cutting off access by car for its 6,300 residents.

An aerial photo posted on so cial media of Sanibel’s Mad Hat ter Restaurant shows a mostly vacant patch of sand where the restaurant used to be.

“The Mad Hatter Restaurant, unfortunately, is out at sea right now,” the restaurant’s Facebook page reads, adding that the staff are all safe. “The best news from this devastating scene is that there is still land for us to rebuild.”

DeSantis said the state will start building a temporary structure this week to restore vehicle access to Pine Island, the largest of southwestern Flori da’s barrier islands devastated by the storm.

“It’s not going to be a full bridge, you’re going to have to go over it probably at 5 miles an hour or something, but it’ll at least let people get in and off the island with their vehicles,” De Santis said.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson on Sunday defended Lee County officials from accu sations that they were slow in ordering evacuations Tuesday ahead of the storm, a day later than some other counties in the area.

AP photo

The bridge leading from Fort Myers to Pine Island, Florida, is seen heavily damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Due to the damage, the island can only be reached by boat or air.

AP photo

People stand on the destroyed bridge to Pine Island as they view the damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Matlacha, Florida, on Sunday.

By boat and jet ski, volunteers assist in Ian rescue efforts

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP)

— There was no time to waste. As Hurricane Ian lashed south west Florida, Bryan Stern, a veteran of the U.S. military, and others began gathering crews, boats and even crowbars for the urgent task that would soon be at hand: rescuing hundreds of people who might get trapped by floodwaters.

“As soon as the sun came up, we started rolling,” said Stern, who last year put together a search-and-rescue team called Project Dynamo, which has un dertaken operations in Afghani stan, Ukraine and, now, Florida.

Project Dynamo has rescued more than 20 people, many of them elderly residents who became cut off when the Cat egory 4 storm washed away a bridge connecting the Florida mainland with Sanibel Island, a crescent-shaped sliver of shellstrewn sand popular with tour ists that is home to about 7,000 residents.

On a stretch of beach, etched into the sand, there were calls for immediate assistance: “Help,” “SOS.”

As local authorities contin ue reaching people isolated on barrier islands or trapped by floodwaters, others unwilling to be bystanders have sprung into action, sometimes risking their own safety or setting aside their own losses and travails to aid of ficial rescue operations. It isn’t a new phenomenon: Grassroots rescue groups have responded to past disasters, including af ter Hurricane Ida pounded Lou isiana last year.

Although some officials frown on people running their own rescue operations — espe cially in the early going if it’s not safe enough yet or if the rescuers lack training — others welcome every bit of help.

“It sort of restores your view of humanity. You see people chipping in and they aren’t getting paid for it,” said Tim Barrett, the training division chief for the Sanibel Fire De partment. “There’s even people whose homes are destroyed, but

they’re helping them. They’re still helping other people.”

It can be dangerous work. Hundreds of buildings were de stroyed by the ferocious storm, which lashed some areas with winds of 155 mph (249 kph) or more and pummeled the coast with ocean surge.

“We’re still working on res cuing people. I mean, this is just horrible that people have lost their lives. It’s horrible that people are still possibly stuck in rubble,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“But I’ve been talking to the sheriffs and first responders and they’re trying to get to these people as quickly as they can.,” he said. “They’ve been working to evacuate people that stayed on, places like Sanibel

and Pine Island and Fort Myers Beach.”

The storm has killed dozens of people in Florida and more bodies might still be recovered.

Matt Mengel and his friends said they had made seven res cues so far, most of them elder ly residents of Sanibel Island whom they reached on jet skis.

“We had gasoline. We had jet skis. We had water. We had food and snacks. And our mission was just to go find them, dead or alive,” he said.

He called the destruction of the area, where he has lived for seven years, heartbreaking. “It was sad to see our home get de stroyed and our favorite spots get destroyed.”

The group’s rescue missions began Friday when they hadn’t heard from a friend who lives and works on Sanibel Island.

That friend was found safe and sound, but they quickly found others who needed help.

Just as they were leaving, Mengel’s girlfriend heard a woman calling out for help. They responded and found a couple who desperately wanted to leave the island.

A Coast Guard helicopter was patrolling nearby, and Mengel — with the help of the Project Dynamo crew — began fran tically waving for attention. The helicopter spotted him and touched down on the beach to whisk the couple away.

“All I wanted to do was help,” Mengel said.

A local television station re counted how three siblings — Leah, Evan and Jayden Wickert — helped save about 30 people from rising floodwaters in a Na ples neighborhood.

Water had deepened to about 6 feet (nearly 2 meters) in their neighborhood, and folks were standing on whatever they could to keep their necks above water. The siblings used kayaks and boats to save people.

“There were a lot of people standing on their couches get ting out of the water,” Leah Wickert told WBBH-TV.

Betty Reynolds, 73, ex pressed appreciation for the men who came to her rescue after she spent days in her dam aged Sanibel Island home.

“You hate to leave a home you’ve lived in for 47 years,” she said, but said it filled with “lots and lots of mud.”

She said she didn’t evacuate before the storm because she and her home survived pre vious storms unscathed. But she said this one took her by surprise: “I just didn’t believe there was going to be so much storm surge.”

Reynolds was taken off the island Saturday while Stern and his Project Dynamo team were on another mission, having re ceived a text from a man who was concerned about his moth er.

Stern, whose cohorts are also military veterans, speaks quickly and is full of bravado. On a recent trip to Sanibel Is land, he landed a boat directly on the beach, jumped into the water as it hit the sand and ran ashore.

“It’s like D-Day,” he said af terward.

When there was no answer at the home of the woman whose son had texted, his team used a crowbar to enter, with the son’s permission.

Stern said he couldn’t stand by. His rescue project was borne out of his frustrations watching Americans and their allies struggle last year to get out of Afghanistan.

He has since turned his atten tion to helping people flee the war in Ukraine, where Stern and his team plan to return soon after what he called a brief “va cation” in Florida.

AP photo

Residents of Pine Island, Florida, leave the island by boat after Hurricane Ian left widespread damage across the island.

Frustration, desperation mount as Ian’s effects linger

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Days after the skies cleared and the winds died down in Florida, Hur ricane Ian’s effects persisted Mon day, as people faced another week without power and others were be ing rescued from homes inundated with lingering floodwaters.

Ten additional deaths were blamed on the storm in Florida as frustration and desperation mounted in the path the storm cut through state. And the hurri cane’s remnants, now a nor’eas ter, weren’t done with the U.S.

The mid-Atlantic and North east coasts were getting flooding rains. The storm’s onshore winds piled even more water into an al ready inundated Chesapeake Bay.

Norfolk and Virginia Beach declared states of emergency, although a shift in wind direc tion prevented potentially cat astrophic levels Monday, said Cody Poche, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia Coastal flooding temporarily shut down the only highway to part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and flooding was possible all the way to Long Island, the Na tional Weather Service said.

At least 78 people have been confirmed dead: 71 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three

in Cuba since Ian made landfall on the Caribbean island on Sept. 27 and in Florida a day later.

Search and rescue efforts were still ongoing Monday in Florida. More than 1,600 people have been rescued statewide, according to Florida’s emergency manage ment agency.

Washed-out bridges to barrier islands, flooded roadways, spotty cellphone service and a lack of water, electricity or the internet left hundreds of thousands isolat ed. The situation in many areas wasn’t expected to improve for several days because waterways were overflowing, leaving the rain that fell with nowhere to go.

In DeSoto County, northeast of Fort Myers, the Peace River and tributaries reached record high levels and boats were the only way to get supplies to many of the county’s 37,000 residents.

The county was prepared for strong winds after being hit by Hurricane Charley in 2004, but it was not prepared for so much rainfall, which amounted to a year’s worth of precipitation in two days, DeSoto County Com missioner J.C. Deriso said.

“This flood has been pretty cata strophic,” said Deriso, adding that officials hope to open one of the area’s main highways by Tuesday.

Ian washed away bridges and roads to several barrier islands.

About 130 Florida Department of Transportation trucks started work on building a temporary bridge to Pine Island and by the end of the week should be finished on a struc ture drivers can carefully traverse at slow speeds, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news con ference Monday afternoon.

The governor said a similar temporary bridge is planned for nearby Sanibel, but it will take a little more time.

“They were talking about run ning ferries and stuff,” DeSantis said. “And honestly, you may be able to do that, but I think this is an easier thing, and I think people need their vehicles anyways.”

The first two days without power at his Punta Gorda home weren’t bad because he, his wife and 4-year-old daughter like to camp, Joe Gunn said.

But then they ran out of gas, Gunn said as he waited for an hour for $20 worth of premium fuel from a Bonita Springs sta tion, one of the few open in the area. The family then drove to get supplies and a hot meal.

Gunn was preparing for anoth er stressful night, worried some one might try to steal his supplies.

“I am constantly listening to the

generator. It’s pitch black outside of the house,” he said.

Across southwest Florida, resi dents whose homes were overrun by the sea or floods threw water logged mattresses, couches and other belongings into the street and tore out floors and cut into walls, hoping to dry the shells of their houses before mold set in.

“Everything that got water is starting to mold. We’re cutting all the drywall out, 2 feet up, trying to get things dried out to save the house and to protect it from more damage,” said Jeff Rioux, thank ful for several days of nice weath er and generators to run fans.

Neighbors helped each other where they could.

“I lost everything,” said Alice Pu jols, crying as she picked through the heaps of castaway clothes at a stranger’s home. “I’m just looking for what I can salvage.”

About 520,000 homes and busi nesses in Florida were still with out electricity Monday evening, down from a peak of 2.6 million. But that is still nearly the same amount of customers in all of Rhode Island.

Eric Silagy, Chairman and CEO of Florida Power & Light, said he understands the frustrations and emphasized that the utility’s crews are working to get power

restored as soon as possible. The utility provider — the largest in the state — expects to have power restored to 95% of the service ar eas affected by Hurricane Ian by the end of the day Friday, he said.

“If all goes well, we will be able to have all of our customers — the over 2 million that were impacted by this monster storm — essen tially restored,” Silagy said.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to visit Florida today. The president was in Puer to Rico on Monday, promising to “rebuild it all” after Hurricane Fiona knocked out all power to the island two weeks ago.

In Virginia, the U.S. Navy post poned the first-ever deployment of the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, according to a statement from the Navy’s 2nd Fleet. The carrier and other U.S. ships were scheduled to leave Norfolk on Monday for training exercises in the Atlantic Ocean with vessels from other NATO Countries.

After moving across Florida, Ian made another landfall in the U.S. in South Carolina as a much weaker hurricane. Officials said Monday that crews were finish ing removing sand from coastal roads and nearly all power had been restored.

AP photo

Volunteers Joe Lee from Fuel Relief Fund and Jason Duggar from Medic Corp distributes fuel to residents of Pine Island, Florida, on Tuesday.

AP photo

A person walks past some of the widespread damage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Pine Island, Flrodai, on Tuesday.

Pine Island residents recount horror, fear as Ian bore down

PINE ISLAND, Fla. (AP)

— Paramedics and volun teers with a group that rescues people after natu ral disasters went door to door Saturday on Florida’s devastated Pine Island, offering to evacuate res idents who spoke of the terror of riding out Hurri cane Ian in flooded homes and howling winds.

The largest barrier is land off Florida’s Gulf Coast, Pine Island has been largely cut off from the outside world. Ian heavily damaged the only bridge to the island, leaving it only reachable by boat or air. For many, the volunteers from the non-profit Medic Corps were the first people they have seen from outside the island in days.

Residents described the horror of being trapped in their homes as water kept rising. Joe Conforti became emotional as he recounted what happened, saying the water rose at least 8 to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters), and there were 4-foot (1.2-meter) waves in the streets.

“The water just kept pounding the house and we watched, boats, houses — we watched everything just go flying by,” he said, as he fought back tears. “We’ve lost so much at this point.”

Conforti said if it wasn’t for his wife, Dawn Confor ti, he wouldn’t have made it. He said: “I started to lose sensibility, because when the water’s at your door and it’s splashing on the door and you’re see ing how fast it’s moving, there’s no way you’re go ing to survive that.”

He said his wife had them get on top of a ta ble to keep from getting swept away by the water. The next day, he said, they brought food to an older gentleman who lived on

the next block, and they made sure to get him off the island on the first available boat.

“He lost everything,” Joe Conforti said of the man. “He said that if we didn’t bring him the food, he was going to take his life that night because it was so bad.”

Some residents shed tears as Medic Corps volunteers came to their doors and asked if they wanted to be evacuated on Saturday. Some declined the offer for now and asked for another day to pack their belongings. But others were anxious to get away immediately.

Helen Koch blew her husband a kiss and mouthed the words “I love you” as she sat inside the Medic Corps helicopter that lifted her and seven of the couple’s 17 dogs to safety from the decimated island. The dogs were in cages, strapped to the out side of the helicopter as it took off.

Her husband, Paul Koch, stayed behind with the other dogs, and planned to leave the isolated is land on a second trip. He told The Associated Press that days earlier, he didn’t think they would make it, as the major hurricane raged and the house began taking on water.

Pine Island has long been known for its quiet, small-town atmosphere and mangrove trees. It’s a popular destination for fishing, kayaking and ca noeing. Now, bleak scenes of destruction are every where in this shattered paradise.

Houses have been re duced to splinters and boats have been tossed onto roadways. The island has no power, and no run ning water – save for a few hours on Friday when one resident said they

were able to take a show er. A community of mobile homes was destroyed.

The Medic Corps volun teers went to one house to search for a woman who was known to have stayed behind during the storm and has had no contact with her friends since. In side the woman’s house, heavy furniture had been toppled over and her be longings were tossed about. There was no sign of the woman, raising fears she had been sucked out of her home by the storm surge.

Linda Hanshaw said the tight-knit island communi ty is amazing and “every one I know who hasn’t left is trying to leave.”

But that wasn’t true for everyone. Kathleen Russell was trying to per suade her elderly husband to leave, but he didn’t want to budge just yet. The cou ple kept declining offers to evacuate. The couple said they were not ready, but might be willing to leave on Sunday.

Claire St. Leger said she had nine people in her house, including neigh bors, as the storm came in.

“I thought for sure we were all dying,” she said. “I just sat in an in side room with pillows, I crossed myself so many times, I thought for sure we were dying. Water kept rising.”

Medic Corps is a non profit group of pilots, para medics, doctors, a former Navy SEAL and other volunteers that responds to natural disasters and gets people to safety. Ac cording to the organiza tion’s website, it began in 2013 in response to Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines and in 2017 it began deploying aircraft and responders to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

AP photo

A boat sits on a dock following Hurricane Ian in Pine Island, Florida.

AP photo

Linda Newman, a resident of Pine Island who rode out the storm on the island and recently lost her husband, waits to be evacuated in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on Pine Island.

IAN

There are 28 different pods in affected areas across Florida, includ ing 8 of them here in Lee County. Non-profit organizations, he said, naming, Florida Bap tist, Disaster Relief, Red Cross and World Central Kitchen, which have lent a tremendous amount of support de livering hot meals. 1.6 million gallons of fuel has been delivered to south Florida, although many gas stations that are too small to require generators, are without power. Statewide, he said, approximately 95 percent of utility cus tomers (over 2.1 mil lion) have had power restored so far.

“You saw major flood ing, you saw major in terruptions to critical infrastructure…by and large (those places) were in Southwest Florida,” DeSantis said, calling it a massive effort to get the power back on across the state.

Now it’s time to bring all the resources to ev eryone here, he said, re porting that 375 Starlink devices have been in stalled, to support inter net access to impacted areas. The satellites, cur

FEMA

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• Mental health resourc es are available. Survivors experiencing emotional distress can call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990. The national hotline pro vides free 24/7, crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotion al distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. Deaf and Hard of

rently positioned over Southwest Florida, will allow phones and other devices online access. Other action being taken, he said, is the temporary bridge fix for Pine Island, which will allow cars to travel safely back and forth between the island and the mainland.

“They’re going to be able to get that done relatively quickly. This is not necessarily going to be a bridge you’re go ing to want to go over at 45 miles per hour over maybe, but at least you have connectivity to the mainland. Their goal is to have it completed by the end of this week… You’re going to now be able to have those res idents be able to get back to (the mainland). They’re offering evac uations for those resi dents, but most of them want to be on the is land. They just want to be able to go back and forth, so we’re gonna be able to do that, and I’m happy to do that… We also are going to try something similar for the causeway, going to Sanibel Island. So right now, Florida Depart ment of Transportation is putting together a plan for a temporary fix, and there is a request for bids–emergency re quest for bids for the work,” DeSantis said.

Lee Counry superintendent provides update

School District of Lee County Su perintendent Dr. Christopher Berni er provided families with an update via social earlier this week.

He said the district is partnering with Miami-Dade Public Schools to provide food distribution including fresh fruit, juices, snacks and pack aged sandwiches on Wednesday, Oct 5.

Students, families, staff or any one who is in critical need are en couraged to stop by 2855 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Bernier said as the district con tinues reaching out to all person nel and families, they are working with Lee County Emergency Man agement in support of all recovery efforts.

“Our teams have been working day and night with a focus on get ting our schools ready to reopen, and taking care of this communi ty,” Bernier said.

All schools in the district have been assessed for damage, and of ficials are tracking water and pow er services at each location.

Bernier said some schools are ready to reopen, some need mini mal to significant work, while oth ers may not be salvageable.

“As expected, there are a few (schools) that have damage that may be beyond repair,” Bernier said.

Building inspectors are at dis trict schools putting together comprehensive assessments.

“We are in the middle of an his toric event,” Bernier said. “We

were ground zero for (Hurri cane) Ian. We were, and still are, significantly impacted. However this is not going to stop us from opening our schools as soon as we can.”

The district announced last week they would be closed at least until Friday, Oct. 7. No other announcements involving

reopening dates were reported. Bernier said the district is work ing with the Florida Department of Education at potentially relo cating students, teachers, and staff for schools that suffered severe damage.

The first school board meet ing since the storm takes place on today.

Hearing callers can use a videophone or ASL Now.

• If you need assistance locating a missing friend or relative call the Red Cross at 800-733-2767 and provide as much detail as you can to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one(s). You can also complete a form at missing.fl.gov for your self or with the last known location of your loved one(s).

• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has free reuni

fication assistance for children and families im pacted by disasters. If you or someone you know is missing a child related to a disaster or any other inci dent, please immediately call 911 and then 800-THELOST for assistance.

• If you need assistance with damage from Hur ricane Ian, call the Crisis Cleanup Hotline at 800451-1954. You will be con nected to volunteers from local relief organizations, community groups and faith communities.

• When lives are upend ed by a flood or hurricane, treasured possessions such as family heirlooms, photos and other keep sakes become more cher ished. FEMA.gov has mul tilingual resources to help salvage hurricane and flood-damaged items.

• FEMA published an Ian webpage that includes information on how to do nate, volunteer, dispel ru mors and find assistance. The page is available in multiple languages.

• The Internal Revenue

Service announced Hur ricane Ian survivors now have until Feb. 15, 2023, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

To make the most of your contributions, follow guide lines for donating and vol unteering responsibly.

• To volunteer as part of the Hurricane Ian recov ery, visit Florida’s official volunteer portal at Volun teerFlorida.org. A list of agencies with volunteer

opportunities can be found on the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website at www. nvoad.org.

• Cash is the best do nation. After a disaster, people always want to help, but it’s important to donate responsibly. When people support volun tary organizations with financial contributions, re sponse organizations can purchase what they need. Find national and local charities at www.nvoad. org.

Dr. Christopher Bernier

Scene From Hurricane Ian

Gerry Arnold leaves Pine Is land, Florida, after gathering a few belongings from his home after Hurricane Ian.

AP photos

Residents pick up free perishable food items at a Publix in Pine Island, Florida, on Tuesday.

Destruction at the bridge leading to Pine Island is seen in the af termath of Hurricane Ian.

Residents who rode out the storm arrive at a dock to evacuate by boat in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on Florida’s Pine Is land on Sunday.

Destruction at the bridge leading to Pine Island is seen in the af termath of Hurricane Ian in Matlacha, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

Residents of Pine Island, Florida., wait in their cars to receive free perishable food items from Publix on Tuesday.

Fast News

FOOD AND WATER

Pine Island Fire Department, Station 1 will be giving out food and water from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 5700 Pine Island Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922.

REPLACEMENT DRIVER’S LICENS ES

The Florida Department of Highway and Safety and Motor Vehicles has de ployed Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW) mobile units to Lee County to provide residents with no-fee replace ment driver licenses, identification cards, and titles. Additional FLOW mobiles are available to assist impacted communi ties, and any future location information on these additional FLOW mobiles will be released as soon as it is available.

The FLOW mobiles in Lee County will be located at: Hertz Arena

11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero, FL 33928

Hours of Operation: 8:30am – 4:30pm, seven days a week

Dates, locations, and hours of oper ation for FLOW mobiles are subject to change and will be announced through FLHSMV social media channels.

FLOW mobiles will provide the fol lowing services:

• Renew or obtain an original Florida driver license and/or ID card;

• Replace a driver license and/or ID card;

• Change a name or address on a driver license and/or ID card;

• Renew or replace a vehicle regis tration;

• Replace a lost vehicle title; and

• Obtain or renew a disabled person parking permit.

FLOW mobiles also offer FLHSMV’s other critical safety services such as registering emergency contact infor mation. No driving knowledge or skills tests are provided from mobile units. For a list of what to bring, please vis it flhsmv.gov/whattobring. Customers renewing a credential, updating an ad dress, or renewing a registration may also visit FLHSMV’s MyDMV Portal to renew online.

DEBRIS

Lee County on Monday will open four sites for residents who want to haul yard waste or construction and demolition debris. Visit www.leegov. com/storm and scroll to “Solid Waste.” Those who do not want to haul their own will receive pickup from the coun ty’s contracted debris hauler as part of post-storm recovery.

Lee County Solid Waste garbage col

lection will resume Monday on the nor mally scheduled day for all routes in Lee County franchise areas that are ac cessible to collection trucks. This col lection is for household garbage only, everyday trash items and all spoiled food. Collection of recycling will re sume at a later time.

PETS

Lee County Domestic Animal Ser vices is coordinating with University of Florida to deploy a mobile veteri nary clinic to assist with medical needs of displaced pets.

Animal Control Officers are actively in the Fort Myers Beach area and sur rounding areas for recovery and are mobilizing recovery efforts in the Pine Island area.

LCDAS will be setting up food distri bution sites for pet owners in need of assistance.

Check www.leegov.com/storm and follow Lee County Domestic Animal Services on Facebook.

Shelters: Please do not bring donated items to hurricane shelters. Monetary donations can be made at www.leegov. com/storm; click on the red “donate” button.

HELP FOR ISLANDERS

Residents of Pine Island and Sani bel who want to leave the islands can use a service the U.S. Coast Guard is offering. USCG continues to help with waterborne-operations, transporting people off those islands.

Lee County uses LeeTran to shuttle

islanders to one of its open hurricane shelters, where food, water and con nections to services are available. De tails are available at www.leegov.com/ storm under “transportation.”

Additional information and updates from Lee County:

Afternoon update: Watch the latest press conference with Lee County of ficials at https://youtu.be/VsEv5Plwl pU. Follow @Lee County Government on Facebook, www.facebook.com/lee countyflbocc.

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH VIBRIO VULNIFICUS

Flood waters and standing waters following a hurricane pose many risks, including infectious diseases such as Vibrio vulnificus. For that reason, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County (DOH-Lee) is urging the public to take precautions against infection and illness caused by Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that usually lives in warm, brackish sea water. These bacteria typically grow faster during warmer months. Sewage spills in coastal waters, like those caused by Hurricane Ian, may increase bacteria levels. People with open wounds, cuts, or scratches can be exposed to Vibrio vulnificus through direct contact with sea water or brack ish water. Brackish water is a mixture of fresh and sea water and is often found where rivers meet the sea. Vib rio vulnificus can also cause disease in those who eat raw or undercooked oys ters and shellfish. Vibrio vulnificus has

the potential to cause severe illness or death.

Vibrio vulnificus can cause an infec tion of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm sea water. These in fections may lead to skin breakdown and ulcers. Anyone can get a Vibrio vul nificus infection; however, infections can be severe for people with weak ened immune systems, especially peo ple who have chronic liver disease or take medications that lowers the body’s ability to fight germs. Vibrio vulnificus can invade the bloodstream, causing a severe life-threatening illness with symptoms like fever, chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and blis tering skin lesions. Vibrio vulnificus is not spread person-to-person.

If someone is concerned that they may have been exposed to Vibrio vul nificus and are experiencing the above symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately. Individuals with wound infections should also seek care promptly.

DOH-Lee recommends the following tips to stay healthy and safe:

• If you have open wounds, cuts, or scratches, stay out of flood water, standing water, sea water and brackish water, if possible.

• Immediately clean and mon itor wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and clean running water or bot tled water after contact with flood wa ter, standing water, sea water, brackish water or raw or undercooked seafood and its juices.

• Cover your wounds with a wa terproof bandage if it could come in contact with flood water, standing wa ter, sea water or brackish water.

• Seek immediate medical care if a wound develops redness, swelling, or oozing, or other signs of infection such as fever, increasing pain, short ness of breath, fast or high heart rate, or confusion or disorientation.

For more information on Vibrio vul nificus, please visit the Florida Depart ment of Health’s Vibrio vulnificus web site.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accred ited by the Public Health Accredita tion Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, coun ty and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @Healthy Fla and on Facebook. For more infor mation about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.Florida Health.gov.

AP photo

A power line rests on the ground after Hurricane Ian left behind widespread damage across Pine Island, Florida, on Tuesday.