Two days after Milton made landfall, those in Fort Myers Beach are still trying to move forward. On Friday, cars were able to pass through Fort Myers Beach to assess the damage and destruction.
“I was worried all the time that it was going to be another Ian.”
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Carol Donoghue is a landlord and a resident of Fort Myers Beach. She spent Friday cleaning up, and as she does so, she says she’s just grateful it’s not as bad as it could have been. “I was one of the luckier ones; we only had 26 inches.”
As she shows us her property, she shares, “So we lost all the appliances, washers, dryers, refrigerators, and all that, and of course the drywall has to be removed.”
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But the beach has an eerie feel. Houses on stilts can be seen flattened. Damage is almost everywhere you look, but you don’t know if it came from Ian, Helene, or Milton.
"It is hard. We still had debris on the street. This was one of the harder things from the storm. (It) was because, from Helene, we had all our debris on the street ready for the grapplers, and they didn’t have time to grab it. So, it’s spread all over the neighborhood again,” explains Carol.
On Friday, most of the businesses on the island were closed. Crews were seen removing sand from major roadways.
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Friday afternoon, 600 hot meals from World Central Kitchen were brought in, as food trucks still aren’t allowed on the island.
"We have a lot of hungry people without power, our power is being slowly restored,” shares Melody King.
King is a resident of the beach and the owner of the Facebook Page, ‘I love Fort Myers Beach, Florida.”
She further says, “But our residents are without simple needs like ice and food, and fuel.”
It’s why these neighbors are helping neighbors, in this time of need. "I hope that that spirit continues, and I know it will,” says Carol with a soft smile.
“And we are going to clean up and get back to normal,” she says.
Both Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island have opened back up to residents and any contractors or workers looking to help with cleanup and debris.
Officials ask that those who do not need to be there, please stay off the islands as they work to get things back in order.
