Ian- the aftermath

                                   Hurricane Ian - the aftermath

          As we made our way southward, we could see various signs of Ian’s passage. In the low country of the Carolinas, flooding had caused havoc. Folks were still drying out. The beach areas of southeast Georgia had been spared. Everything there was open for business. Jekyll Island in particular seemed to have evaded major storm damage.

         It was in northern Florida that we first saw signs of damage. Jacksonville had significant flooding and was still digging out, two weeks later. Much of the central spine of Florida seemed in pretty good shape. Just east of Sarasota, Arcadia was inundated with rain. It experienced some heavy water damage. As we traversed southwards, we saw whole fleets of electrical repair trucks headed northward. These hardy storm warriors, from utility companies in twenty-six states, had probably been released from their mutual-assistance tasks and were headed wearily homeward. Except for the barrier islands, most of Florida now has power.

       As we crossed the Caloosahatchee, in Fort Myers, we began to see signs of the wind damage. Highway signs were bent in half, large advertising bill boards shredded. It announced that a pretty big wind had passed through. You can see hundreds of the thin slash pines, with their top section blown off. They stand like large toothpicks amidst their sylvan setting. Some of the hardier conifers were bent sideways, some twisted and broken. Two weeks of clean-up had tidied things up a bit.

      In our own complex in Estero, most of the palm fronds and damaged shrubs had been cleaned up. Sections of wrecked and bent fencing, and some minor structural damage to buildings, still need attention. We were fortunate. The new roofing, and hurricane resistant windows installed last year, had performed as advertised. We settled in again with near normal conditions.

       It is the barrier islands that are still in a state of havoc. Massive walls of water had swept over them and shattered wooden housing, washing it from their foundations. Much of Ft. Myers Beach and Sanibel Island looked like scenes of devastation, from a World War II movie.

     Engineers and construction technicians were performing miracles. The only causeway onto Sanibel island was now but a week away from opening, with temporary repairs. Apparently, the series of islands and bridges leading onto Sanibel, had taken the worst hit on the small earthen islands. The steel bridging is pretty much intact. Heavy earth movers were filling in the five empty and washed out spaces. There is no power or water on the island, so former residents will find only devastation. Some 80% of the residents didn’t have flood insurance. Their future is bleak. Most remain in temporary shelters on the mainland, applying to FEMA for whatever assistance they can get. God Bless them all.

     The same construction workers had reopened the only causeway to Pine Island. The process of rebuilding there will soon begin. St. James City, on the southern end of the island,  was all but washed away.

     And then, there is the seven-mile length of Ft. Myers Beach, Estero Island. Hundreds and hundreds of wooden structures had been shattered and washed away by the enormous force of the surging waters. Pictures of Hiroshima after the blast are the only thing similar that I have ever seen. Over 100 souls were lost on the islands, that they know of. A good-sized population of the homeless, that no one knows the size of, may well have been drowned and washed away. The final tally of the loss may never be known.

      Still, in the community at large, there is hope. Countless citizens have stepped forward with offers of material assistance. Like most communities in America, those that were spared know that they have to reach out and help those who weren’t, and do so with a willing heart.

       The rebuilding of the barrier islands will take years. Many of the residents will never return. But like the aftermath of all disasters in America, with help from neighbors, the government and generous citizens all across America, they will start over again.

                                                  -30-

                                            (683 words)

                                        Joseph Xavier Martin