The Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise is working to help those affected by Hurricane Ian. President Bill Morris called for volunteers to join Rotary District 6960’s hurricane relief efforts, and the club responded.
Morris led the team to Fort Myers Beach to witness the devastation of Hurricane Ian. Morris explains: The water was in the middle of his second floor windows in the houses and left a lot of debris when exiting. “
Morris previously did hurricane relief work in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. He described a different landscape of Fort Myers. “Katrina was a Category 5, staying in Louisiana and Mississippi for 24 hours with a 28-foot storm surge for miles. It cleared about two blocks that were completely gone. , the shoreline was almost empty.Ian was a Category 4 about 16 feet tall.It didn’t so much as sweep things, it simply wrecked them, leaving piles of debris in the shells of buildings.Big difference. Fort Myers Beach has boats all over the trees, yards and buildings.Even the big boats bound for Key West were dropped on dry land by Ian.
Traffic slowly moved into the beach area as most contractors, residents and volunteers were all forced to use one route. blocked for
The team spent a full day clearing the debris from their longtime home. The work involved removing all kitchen utensils from the elevated house, as the storm surge had destroyed everything.
Upon approaching the house, another crew, led by Morris, cleared wet drywall and garden debris from the Goodland and Marco Island homes. Local homes were not seriously damaged, and both public services were fully restored when Rotarians assisted. In contrast, the power company was installing all-new utility poles and power lines in Fort Myers in the hope that power would be restored soon.
Rotarians were introduced to the Goodland home by Shelley Morrison in collaboration with the Goodland Civic Association. Sherry also brought tools to help with cleaning and trimming wet drywall. Other Goodlanders stopped by to help while the Rotarians worked. “It was definitely different from Fort Myers Beach,” said Morris.
Sunrise Rotary continues to help those in need.
The Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise is a diverse group focused on local businesses and community service. It consists of a cross-section of the Marco Island Area community and welcomes new members. Meet at Stonewalls American Bistro at 7am on Tuesday mornings. To become a Rotarian or to learn more about the Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise and its activities, please contact Bill Morris at wgm@wgmorrislaw.com or visit the Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise website at www.marcoislandsunriserotary.org .
