Debris piles disappearing. Much of the catastrophic toll was foreseeable and preventable, an NBC News investigation found. Rent vouchers dont help. CBS4 News chief meteorologist Ivan Cabrera's weather outlook for South Florida. Peters had safely ridden that storm out at home, and she told her son she would be fine this time, too. Jim and Susan Helton sit int he back of a car outside a hotel in Fort Myers, Fla. Their home in Fort Myers beach was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. South Florida Sports Headlines Newsletter. I wish he would have called, said Stacy, who lives in Orlando. Undaunted, the hoary-headed seaman said he scraped together $3,000 from the Veterans Administration, Social Security, plus pension from his time in the Navy, and emptied his bank account to buy the aptly named Barnacle. Social media posts are capturing the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Ian, which made landfall near Cayo Costa on Sept. 28, The damage includes flooding, destruction to homes, businesses, vehicles and infrastructure, and possibly loss of live. Jay had given up on getting any storm compensation money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But hurry -- these way hot deals are selling way fast. Loss of buildings, vegetation could impact turtles, This year will be a challenge because of the missing buildings and vegetation that once blocked light from reaching the beach, Haverfield said. By then, the center was warning about surges as high as 12 feet. A fire burning near Venture Church in Naples off East Trail and North of Triable Boulevard Monday night. Because I'm just about out of gas.". County-by-county resources for renters facing eviction, OUR Florida - Emergency Rental Assistance Relief Program, Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development. They walk the beach at dawn each morning looking for the tracks of turtles who have nested. Lees has 2,700 people on it. FORT MYERS, FLA. No place in Florida seemed to have suffered more damage from Hurricane Ian than the town of Fort Myers Beach, located on Estero Island along the state's southwest coast. We are particularly concerned for everybody in Southwestern Florida, everyone that sustained significant damage from Hurricane Ian, Ross Giarratana from the National Weather Service said. We try to educate people on those worst-case scenarios and their vulnerability, said Cody Fritz, a storm surge specialist at the National Hurricane Center. "I think one of the biggest tips is to find that insurance policy, take a picture of it and put it on a phone, so you don't have to find it," Norberg said. She dialed 911 for help but was told it was too late; rescue operations were on hold until the storm passed, Jim said. Nobodys ever told me that, said Dunn, who teaches disaster response and management at the University of South Florida. One of the cheapest FWC certified wildlife lighting options that staff has found available online is the FEIT A19 Red Bulb that screws into classic Edison fixtures. And the county printed 48,000 all hazards guides for free distribution, Clayton wrote. Those at the National Weather Service want you to have things figured out so youre ready if or when a hurricane hits. Scores of people on Floridas southwest coast and others in flood-prone inland areas stayed to face the Category 4 storm or tried to run only when the water began to deluge roads and homes. April 28, There was nothing else we could really do, he said. But that calculation is wrong, experts say. In the meantime, he and his wife are thinking about Texas. CBS4's Ashley Dyer reports plenty of cars were also stalled out. Seven months to the day after Hurricane Ian completely demolished Fort Myers Beach, another familiar face is set to return to the Both Utterback, 54, and Pacyna, 74, had drowned. ", Destroyed houses and buildings are visible in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Friday. Before the news was confirmed, some locals had gotten a sneak peek when they spotted the store was listed as reopening on May 25 on Google earlier this week. Florida Gov. A view of the Matanzas Pass side of Estero Island, home to Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Fort Myers Beach is expected to take years to rebuild. Any death, whether its a car accident or storm surge, is tragic. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 Fort Myers Broadcasting. To make those arrangements is a little complicated to do at the last minute, he said. It's a blow he's not sure he can recover from. He felt the breeze through his beard, looked up at the stars, then climbed into his cabin and poured another rum and Coke. But, its what you need once the winds die down thats extra important. It wasnt supposed to be hitting us, Conway said. Landscaping. Jerry Springer, the one-time big city mayor whose namesake TV show unleashed chaos on weekday afternoons, has died at 79. The back door just blew off and the waters coming in, she wrote that afternoon. The next day, with phone lines down, he drove to her house and found her body. Its important to verify that the spectrum specifications of the bulb indicate 560 nm or greater. Giarratana knows the Southwest Florida area is vulnerable. Beginning May 1, some people with higher credit scores may actually end up paying a higher fee. Jay spent five months beneath a Fort Myers bridge before buying an old boat. New construction. That decision was partly based on initial forecasts for a hurricane that had weakened into a tropical storm, as well as Ians westward and inland approach into the county, said Jim Judge, Volusia Countys emergency management director. Hurricane Ian killed at least 148 people in Florida, most of them in coastal communities where the danger of storm surge is well documented but not widely understood. And then we saw satellite pictures of the house, and we knew. That night, below a shot of sunset, he wrote, Success in your life is a result of self-satisfaction.. Six months after Hurricane Ian smashed his liveaboard sailboat into the mangroves, after a Coast Guard helicopter rescued him, after spending five months in a tent beneath a Fort Myers bridge, John Jay Burki, 76, finally has a home. Service agencies for older adults under contract with the state Department of Elder Affairs keep lists of people to help plan for storms and evacuate, and to conduct welfare checks on clients after a storm has passed. That began to change on Sunday, Sept. 25, when Ians projected path began shifting south, with a growing threat to Lee County. Take a walk on the beach to see if your propertys lighting is visible from the beach, and install wildlife friendly lighting now, rather than waiting for warning letters and enforcement citations,, Hatchlings are disorientated by both interior and exterior lights,, Weve documented 14 dead turtles, seven of them on Fort Myers Beach,, Some boat strikes, others, no definitive cause of death., She encountered Hurricane Ian debris that still remains on the beach in nesting habitat at her first attempt to nest. WebHurricane Ian, now downgraded to a tropical storm, hit Florida on Wednesday with 155 mph winds and heavy rainfall. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Fort Myers Beach was particularly hit hard by the 15-foot storm surge. Its hard to tell what this season will look like. He was sick of the grind of bureaucracy, tired of living on land. The stores will be closed by the end of June, so what can consumers expect in the coming weeks? Her son Robert DeMoss drove to her house soon after Lee Countys evacuation order was issued and begged her to come home with him about 15 minutes inland. One of the most common reasons people chose not to leave areas at high risk of storm surge was that they had survived hurricanes before unscathed. CBS4's News meteorologist Dave Warren and Jennifer Correa bring you the latest weather outlook for South Florida. An estimated 34,000 people stayed in emergency shelters. Chustz will patrol the beach at night to monitor light pollution on sea turtle nesting habitat. Hoffman, who has three kids and pets, took that as a sign that officials didnt see a big threat. At 2:30 p.m., he spoke to another relative, saying the water was 4 feet high and he had to hang up, Stacy said. progress with various recovery efforts continues to be made. But a local councilman didnt want tents on the beach. Of the 109 Rebuilding. Between May 1 and July 31 of last year, the town issued 220 warnings for lighting violations. Property owners are encouraged to be proactive. As Floridians, we just think weve got it. Elizabeth Dunn, who leads a Hillsborough County community emergency response team that knocks on doors to spread awareness of storm surge threats, said many residents, particularly older ones, still dont fully understand the danger of not evacuating high-risk areas. The Category 4 storm ripped through neighborhoods like Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach last Wednesday after making landfall nearby in Cayo Costa, a barrier island off the coast of Fort Myers. On Florida's east coast, residentsare working to prevent batteredbeachfront properties from collapsing into the ocean after first Ian, then Nicole ripped awaymountains of sand and seawalls. Each nesting sea turtle can return to the beach to nest up to three times in a season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He had heeded calls to leave before Irma because the Fort Myers Beach home he was living in at the time looked like it was held together by staples, he said. Theres a huge lesson for all of us in public health response and emergency management to learn from what weve seen here and ramp up our outreach efforts, she said. "I thought, you gave me one disaster, don't push it. Florida's unemployment rate remained at 2.6 percent in March, as service-related jobs continued to lead in new hiring and construction jobs fell for a third consecutive month. He found a lot on the beach where a house had been destroyed and the owner said he could stay as long as he helped clean up. This appears to contradict their own emergency management plan, which calls for evacuations of highest-risk areas with forecasts of 3 to 6 feet of storm surge. He tried to stay positive, but when he saw the boat inside his house and the damage done by the surge, his heart sank. Hes been stuck before. "I'm hanging in," he says. On Aug. 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed by Fort Myers Beach and made landfall at Cayo Costa. On the morning of Sept. 28, officials ordered people who hadnt left to shelter in place, because venturing out could put them at greater risk. Ian had also wrecked 97% of Fort Myers Beach's other buildings, including businesses and homes. The Town considers disorientations of sea turtle hatchlings from man-made lights as an irreparable and irreversible violation with a fine of up to $5,000. Lighting compliance is not in place yet, far from it, Haverfield said. Capt. But the water finally stopped rising. Lisa is forecast to strengthen before making landfall. The band is saying "peace out" after more than 50 years together. Over the previous 24 hours, the expected landfall had shifted about 80 miles south, according to the National Hurricane Center. Haverfield said she is concerned about the sea turtles encountering dangerous objects on the beaches left over from Hurricane Ian. The storm hit that afternoon. Michael Yost at the damaged home he was renting in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. The season wound up near normaldespite forecasts for above-average activity, but itwas notablefor the death and destruction wrought by Hurricanes Fiona, Ian and Nicole. Or maybe a boxer. The insurance industry in Florida has been battered in recent years by hurricanes in different parts of the state and some companies have failed, while others are raising rates or dropping customers. Throughout southwest Florida, there are tens of thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Ian with stories like the Heltons. A House plan to eliminate the business-recruitment agency Enterprise Florida and relocate tourism-marketing efforts also would lead to a change in the name of the state Department of Economic Opportunity. But in 2012, Tropical Storm Debby dumped his sailboat onto Gulfport Beach, where he stayed on the wrecked Promise for almost a month. Part of a destroyed mobile home park is pictured in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2022. How to make the most of your Orlando trip, How a gay bar made downtown Dunedins business culture bloom, Rays go from being no-hit to blowing out the White Sox, Struggling Florida high school seniors may get graduation reprieve, Beneath a Fort Myers bridge, a captain longs to return to sea. Experts said the decision about when to order an evacuation is hard to get right. During a storm, you will hear this, especially on social media: Why didnt they just leave? County governments also maintain registries of disabled people who may need to go to special-needs shelters during storms. Before the storm season starts, get the supplies you need to board up your home, know your evacuation zone, and plan for the worst. " We have a tentative reopening date of May 25 for the Fort Myers Beach location. It had been made for the 1985 John Candy movie Summer Rental, filmed around Tampa Bay. Many impaired older people are hard to reach because they are afraid of being forced to leave their homes. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. "Thinking Out Loud" and "Let's Get It On" were released decades apart, but some say they sound seamless when paired together. That system went into effect in southwest Florida ahead of Ian. Trump's last major visit to Scotland was in 2018, while he was still president, sparking a heavy security operation and several days of protests. Protected nationally since 1978 by the Endangered Species Act, loggerhead sea turtles were once much rarer on Fort Myers Beach. Your nonperishable food items really important to want to make sure that you have that those important documents on hand, flashlights, batteries, making sure all your devices are charged up as much as possible, Giarratana said. They were supposed to map out reasons why the death penalty would not be appropriate if a jury convicts Joseph Zieler, but they havent submitted those reasons yet. 2023 www.news-press.com. According to Lee County records, the coastline endured wind speeds of 145 mph and storm I like solitude, he said. Turtle Time has had to deal with a higher number of sea turtle deaths this year than normal, some of which are from boats, others which could be due to several red tide waves and impacts to the water from Hurricane Ian. The largest hurricane was Unnamed in He spent a few slow days carrying everything up the 10-foot ladder onto the deck, then down into the crowded cabin. The News-Press visual journalist Ricardo Rolon recently piloted a drone between 50- to 200-feet above southern Sanibel with views of the damaged lighthouse, Lighthouse Beach and the Gulf and river sides of the island. Homeless advocates have nowhere to put them. Lee County will be receiving more than $1.1 billion from the federal government as a boost to continue recovering from Hurricane Ian. The projected path continued moving south through Monday, the center said. No other span in the record books has as many storms listed among the nation's 50 deadliest hurricanes. Six months after Hurricane Ian stormed across Southwest Florida, people in many areas are still struggling to rebuild. But those efforts reach fewer than 13,000 people in a seven-county region with nearly 700,000 people over 60. The elevation of the $7.8 million berm will be more than 6 feet and will cover most of the beachside of the island. While Southwest Florida continues recovering from Hurricane Ian, this years hurricane season is a month away. Where the newly constructed berm is in place, sea turtles are less likely to reach Estero Boulevard., The Town of Fort Myers Beach is reminding all property owners to be conscientious about the lighting they are installing, Chustz said. Corden's farewell episode after an eight-year run showcased his trademark humor and included a thank you from President Biden. But people dont realize that for older adults who are isolated in their homes and are trying to fly under the radar its extremely difficult to leave, Rothhaar said. The nesting season lasts through October. They are giving out teddy bears to every child who rides with them, aiming to ease ambulance tensions. Tom James for WGCU/NPR Frustrated because you could not fuel up? What you do is up to you, Gleason said. Blinds must be shut from 9 p.m. to dawn to protect inside light from being visible from the beach in order to protect nesting sea turtles from disorientations, as well as their hatchlings. Ron DeSantis official travel records secret. They say they'll dispose of a property they loved, but which, like so much else on Fort Myers Beach, is now gone forever. The directive expanded throughout the day to include other imperiled areas. Some are preventable. Collson, 67, was alone and bedridden with knees so badly deteriorated that shed spent two years in nursing homes, including for much of the pandemic, when the facilities didnt allow visitors, her brother, Jim, said. The big surge didnt happen. Everything from traffic crashes to moving vulnerable populations can result in deaths, he said. ", "And the washing machine," his wife Susan adds. Thats why hurricane experts say preparing ahead of time is vital. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Seven lived. It is also just as important to draw your curtains close at night. FORT MYERS, Fla. As Hurricane Ian charged toward the western coast of Florida this week, the warnings from forecasters were growing more urgent. The boats owner had been hurt in a fire, or something Capt. You can never get prepared too early, Giarratana said. But in January, after all 260 closed, hundreds of people were forced onto the streets and into the woods. Life without purpose is meaningless! he typed beneath a sunrise photo he sent to friends April 8. Utterback began looking for ways for the couple to escape, while Conway tried to keep her head above the water as it rose toward the ceiling, she said. Jay said at the end of March, ranting about the boatyard owners. His body was found two days after the storm in a canal near his home. Plenty of people who stayed in the danger zone did so knowingly and willingly and some refused offers of help. Yost, the Fort Myers Beach man whod also decided to stay, said he learned that he was in the most dangerous surge zone only the night before Ian made landfall, when a radio broadcast informed him that his home was at risk of storm surge of more than 9 feet in a Category 4 hurricane. So that makes the need to prepare for hurricane season even more essential. The late September storm exposed shortcomings in how local governments communicate the risk posed by hurricanes, decide when to order evacuations and identify and help the most vulnerable residents. As Ian made its approach toward Floridas southwest coast, many residents thought of the last major storm to come through: Irma, a Category 3 hurricane in 2017, for which nearly 7 million people statewide evacuated. The deputies from the Sheriffs Office will help us in the event of a disoriented turtle on the street,, Where the newly constructed berm is in place, sea turtles are less likely to reach Estero Boulevard., conscientious about the lighting they are installing,, It is also just as important to draw your curtains close at night. Indoor lighting should be as far away from windows as possible. Im not going back to a home, she told her brother. Cleaning up in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian is underway in Fort Myers Beach. NBC News determined the precise locations of 86 of the 119 deaths and found that two-thirds were in areas the federal government deemed at elevated risk of storm surge in a Category 4 hurricane. These tracks were from a sea turtle's false crawl over the weekend on Bonita Beach. Michael Verdream moved last year from California to Matlacha, where he rented a one-story house and remodeled homes for a living. Hoffman and his family watched with alarm as the water rose around their house, cresting just short of the walls. I could cry right now but I'm not. Our team is working diligently to get the store prepped and ready for reopening," Lindsey Willis, Publix media relations manager, said in an email. A catastrophe modeling company estimates that insured losses will be over $60 billion and total damages may exceed $100 billion. The weekend before Ian hit Florida, forecasters projected that the storm posed the biggest threat to the Tampa area, north of Fort Myers, according to the National Hurricane Center. Being prepared for a hurricane is understanding that if youre in an evacuation zone and an evacuation is ordered, you carry out a disaster plan. But some of the hardest-hit areas might be out of the line of sight. The funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with 70% earmarked for median-income level areas and 30% for other uses, amount to about $1,338 per person in the county, per the [], Hurricane Ian has drawn powerful attention to an Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study of coastal storm risk management in Collier County that began after Hurricane Irma but was shelved before a final report was released. Hurricane Irma is the worst hurricane to have hit the Fort Myers-Naples area in recent history in 2017. Someone to travel around the world with me., Im going to do a TV show from every port. In a place with one of Americas highest risks of deadly storm surge, Collson was among the most vulnerable and overlooked. Amber LED light is bright, but it has a wavelength that is long which sea turtles and other nocturnal species, including migratory birds, dont react to. Theyre calling for a season that is just below normal. Michael Yost finds a chair amid the rubble of the destroyed home of his friend Mitch Pacyna. The morning the storm hit, Verdream, 66, told his niece Stacy Verdream that he planned to ride it out. Though there hasnt been a nesting yet on Fort Myers Beach, Haverfield said the false crawls (as it is known when a sea turtle emerges on the beach but doesnt lay eggs) on Bonita Beach over the weekend were exciting to see.. Anjali Nair / Nigel Chiwaya; Thomas Simonetti; NBC News. Heres why the Weeki Wachee River needs stronger protections | Editorial, Why well know a lot more about the Rays in a month, Top Tampa Bay area events for the week of May 1-7, A first look at the new $200M JW Marriott Clearwater Beach hotel, Tampa Bays zoos, aquariums and childrens museums: Whats coming this summer, 28 ways to celebrate Kentucky Derby Day in the Tampa Bay area, Bringing kids to Disney World? I never would have dare dreamed to have a hurricane like this hit Fort Myers Beach and for us to be on the worst side possible of it.. And if you are installing new windows, choose a NFRC light transmittance specification of 30% or less., Its important to verify that the spectrum specifications of the bulb indicate 560 nm or greater. 1:31 On the morning of Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa, Florida, a barrier island west of Fort Myers in Lee County. NBC News has identified 148 deaths related to Hurricane Ian in Florida, based on public records obtained from local and state authorities (see the full methodology below). Make a plan, and prepare for the worst, whether that means leaving town or deciding to stay with friends or family. FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. Few communities in the U.S. have seen the level of destruction Hurricane Ian brought to Fort Myers Beach. There wasnt much time to get out. Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo on Monday took the stand in his own defense during a civil trial. They had notice. On Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on Cayo Costa, a barrier island northwest of Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Fla., as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds With his slumped shoulders and back bent from an ancient injury, its hard to imagine Capt. They hung up, and DeMoss hoped shed be fine. Please note, filter wraps, gels, and colored , are not compliant, because the emit light that sea turtles are sensitive to., Efforts will focus on identifying problematic lights and educating property owners on solutions. 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If theres anything good that comes of this, its driving home that, you know, that these things really can kill people, said Bob Lee, a former Naples city manager. Of those violations, the town issued 44 citations with a total of $19,050 in fines. The transport team at Golisano Childrens Hospital is finding ways to make the ER ride less intimidating for young patients. Over the weekend, a female sea turtle visited Bonita Beach checking out the nesting sites, Haverfield said. It is human nature for people to measure their risk in a coming storm by comparing it to storms theyve weathered in the past. As wind and water battered her tiny home in the island community of Matlacha, Peggy Collson texted her brother in a panic. Trucks bobbed past. Craig Fugate, a former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a former director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said ordering evacuations carries its own risks. There were 109 loggerhead sea turtle nests recorded on Fort Myers Beach last year, up from 30 when Turtle Time first began tracking the nests. 0:51. Lewis Kamb is a national FOIA reporter for NBC News, based in Seattle. Many have moved to Florida in recent years from places where theyd never experienced hurricanes. Hurricane Ian illustrated the challenges of protecting densely populated waterfront communities and exposed shortcomings in how local governments respond, an NBC News investigation found. In recent years, a growing number of older people with impairments have been given the resources health aides, medical equipment, meal deliveries, paid caregivers to remain at home instead of spend the rest of their days in nursing homes or assisted living centers. Debris in front of a home in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Oct. 31. Utterback tried to get out the kitchen window but became trapped. Hed never been through a hurricane before, and he didnt have a car. and last updated 2023-04-26 18:10:08-04. One of the places severely damaged by Hurricane Ian was Fort Myers Beach, and seven months later, theres still more to do, but theyve come a long way. The order was in response to a change in Ians forecast path, which shifted to the south and put Ian on course for a direct hit on the Fort Myers region. We are banging our heads against the wall, because it keeps happening.. Irmas forecasts had originally put Fort Myers and the rest of Lee County at risk of a direct hit, with storm surges of up to 15 feet. This doesnt need to happen.. Sea turtle nesting season officially begins this Monday on Fort Myers Beach, with regulations in place to protect the threatened species. The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ended Wednesday. An accused killer is in court after his defense missed a deadline. This is something we talk about every year, how to reach people, he said. Then, in February, Lee County Sheriffs Office deputies ordered everyone out. I'm alive," Jim says, and then laughs. Amber LED light is bright, but it has a wavelength that is long which sea turtles and other nocturnal species, including migratory birds, dont react to. The agency uses the maps in public education campaigns around the country before the annual start of hurricane season. Not everything is going to be unfortunately fixed and like how it was last year, Giarratana said. May marks the start of mental health awareness month, and one group is working to help people understand how unresolved grief plays a role in mental health.
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