SOUTH FORT MYERS, FL — Storm surges from Hurricane Ian left many Island Park residents with no choice but to demolish their homes and put their belongings on the curb.
Mom blogger Logan Thibodeau saw 8 to 10 feet of water rushing into her community south of Island Park Road. She made her family wear life jackets.
“I was here with my husband and 6 kids and I couldn’t even explain how quickly…we made sure it was close to the dock…oh , never been to the dock.
The storm surge engulfed most of the one-story houses facing the street. Others caught fire.
“I think there were two or three houses on our block that had smoke all over them,” she said. Our propane tank ripped off our house. So they are bubbling in the water. Think how lucky we are that all this didn’t go up. ”
Her house is one of the few that is at least partially still habitable. However, most of her family’s belongings cannot be recovered.
“This is all we’ve worked so hard for and built a life for, but it’s just that people lost their families,” said Thibodeau.
Like Mike Riley, many people in Island Park Village had to demolish their homes. Litter is found on nearly every street in the community.
“You can see the refrigerator, the TV, the furniture, everything is rotting. There’s some animals under here eating, and I think rats are eating. It’s not a good situation,” Riley said. rice field.
He is concerned about the danger garbage poses to residents.
“I was scared to stay here, so I went outside and got a tetanus shot. The air is toxic,” he said. “
A Lee County spokesperson said: 3 trucks Lee County has created a landing page with links to real-time hurricane debris removal statistics, status updates, and maps for Lee County. They can see their progress on the map.
Residents can speed up neighborhood cleaning by taking the following precautions:
Storm Wreckage:
- Create separate piles for plant debris, construction debris, and utensils.
- Do not bag storm debris or put it in a container.
- Contractors use heavy trucks, so keep mountains away from obstacles like mailboxes, utility meters, and overhead power lines. ”
