Scores drowned as they fled on foot, while in their cars or after seawater swallowed their homes. Fort Myers,Florida hurricanes When it comes to windows and glass slider doors, FWC sea turtle biologists have advised that turtle glass with 45% light transmittance may not be sufficient to adequately reduce light visibility to nesting and hatchling sea turtles. 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. "We'll see what happens tomorrow. Seven months to the day after Hurricane Ian completely demolished Fort Myers Beach, another familiar face is set to return to the recovering community. Hoffman and his family watched with alarm as the water rose around their house, cresting just short of the walls. The investigation was based on a review of hundreds of death records, an examination of flood maps and interviews with survivors, victims relatives, service providers, disaster preparedness experts and current and former public officials. When you live through it, then that message sinks in deep and forever.. I was ready to say my last prayer and the water stopped and started receding, Conway said. South Florida can expect heavy rains, gusty winds, and coastal flooding. WebFort Myers Beach, FL is in a very high risk hurricane zone. Hurricane and Tropical Storm Forecasts, News & Updates | Miami There is no one to blame. After the storm, he climbed out of his house and went looking for his two closest friends in Fort Myers Beach, Mitch Pacyna and Daymon Utterback. The home Michael Yost was renting in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Michael Yost in the bedroom of the damaged home he was renting in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. A downed palm tree in a canal in Matlacha, Fla., on Oct. 31. Fifteen of the organizations clients died in Ian. The next day, with phone lines down, he drove to her house and found her body. He's 84, long since retired and now is not sure what to do next. 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. We were just hoping for the best, Jim said. 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. 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.. A member of a search-and-rescue team confirms the discovery of a body in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sept. 30, two days after Hurricane Ian hit Florida's west coast. Or maybe a boxer. Arbelo, 62, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., confirmed that her brother died after Hurricane Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph on Wednesday afternoon. Hurricane season 2022 ends; Ian deadliest storm. Why so many In a letter to the judge, Trump's lawyers argued the judge has made "unfair and prejudicial" rulings against the former president. By the time Peters realized she was wrong, water had already started gushing into her home. She encountered Hurricane Ian debris that still remains on the beach in nesting habitat at her first attempt to nest. Susan says, "Neither do I much now today. The band is saying "peace out" after more than 50 years together. At the Placida boatyard, he has yet to repair his sailboats spreader, fix the in-board engine, buy an outboard one. He worked as an electrician, oysterman and fisherman. To taste the salty air and hear the wind chiming his sail rigging. Sand from Immokalee is getting trucked in. But those efforts reach fewer than 13,000 people in a seven-county region with nearly 700,000 people over 60. Throughout southwest Florida, there are tens of thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Ian with stories like the Heltons. County governments also maintain registries of disabled people who may need to go to special-needs shelters during storms. But the storm shifted east and weakened, and it arrived at low tide. 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. According to the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD), a man Like many Floridians, Capt. The big surge didnt happen. 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. Hurricane But Lee County had kept its schools open on Monday, Sept. 26, two days before Ians arrival, as did Charlotte County. Hurricane Jim Helton has been in Florida more than 40 years. They hung up, and DeMoss hoped shed be fine. There has been this assumption that everybody should be able to read these guides and get this information, but its not that simple, said Lindsay Peterson, a research assistant professor at the University of South Floridas School of Aging Studies. Landscaping. Hurricane This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lee Countys emergency management website says it can take 41 hours to evacuate people; Ian made landfall about 32 hours after the first evacuation order. The largest hurricane was Unnamed in But he only made it as far as Fort Myers. To make those arrangements is a little complicated to do at the last minute, he said. Hurricane Ian illustrated the challenges of protecting densely populated waterfront communities and exposed shortcomings in how local governments respond, an NBC News investigation found. Clayton, the countys spokeswoman, said in an email that the government held about two dozen hurricane seminars for the public from April to August. The History of Hurricanes in Southwest Florida - FEMA Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, South Florida Sports Headlines Newsletter. Ron DeSantis has announced he will travel to Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom as part of an international trade mission. ", Destroyed houses and buildings are visible in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Friday. Collsons body was found two days later, in the water several hundred feet from where she lived. Parts of southwest Florida have been left unrecognizable in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Ron DeSantis official travel records secret. Michael Verdream moved last year from California to Matlacha, where he rented a one-story house and remodeled homes for a living. Its not hard to remember the days immediately following Hurricane Ian and how tough they were. 'Critical' to check property insurance now as hurricane season nears He contrasted the delay to what happened during Hurricane Irma, when the countys evacuation order was announced three days before landfall. When storms and hurricanes come into the county from the east, officials typically mandate coastal areas to evacuate because those storms bring deadly surges off the Atlantic, he said. The water is rising, she told him. Hurricane season 2022 included widespread destruction fromFiona and Ian. He has no idea whose boat it is or what it will take to remove it and the rest of the rubble that used to be his home. Some people dont understand the extremes of the risks sometimes and whats possible.. But that calculation is wrong, experts say. As wind and water battered her tiny home in the island community of Matlacha, Peggy Collson texted her brother in a panic. 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. 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. Fort Myers Beach recovery efforts seven months after Conway described Utterback, who loved to bring people a smile by dressing up as a pirate, as the kindest, sweetest, big-hearted big kid.. Thirty-three of the Lee County deaths were in the federal governments documented storm surge danger zone; 28 of those were in the most hazardous areas on barrier islands and directly along the coast. Carlos Osorio for NPR 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. They were now on their own. According to Lee County records, the coastline endured wind speeds of 145 mph and storm Hurricane Ian one month later: Inside Floridas recovery, Overwhelmed medical examiners try to identify those killed by Hurricane Ian, After the storm, an autistic boy and his older brother drowned in a flooded canal. I wish he would have called, said Stacy, who lives in Orlando. 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.. 7 things to know about Fort Myers Beach's'functional paradise,' new damage estimates, No injuries in roof fire that raged at Fort Myers Beach condo building Saturday afternoon, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. He was glad to make coffee on a real stove each morning and have ice in his rum and Cokes at night. CBS4's News meteorologist Dave Warren and Jennifer Correa bring you the latest weather outlook for South Florida. "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. "I've had a good life and he threw me this curve. But Im still searching for that female companion., Hell settle for a Pomeranian. Many have moved to Florida in recent years from places where theyd never experienced hurricanes. The bill for that passed unanimously in the Statehouse, its making its way to the Florida Senate. 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, Chustz advised residents in an email. 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. 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. FORT MYERS Haverfield, who lost her home off island in Fort Myers to Hurricane Ian like many others on Fort Myers Beach, said thankfully most of my volunteers have joyfully returned.. They really gave us a lot of heads up during Irma. It's also very important to try and keep a copy of your policy handy and safe. A Miami man is facing serious charges Monday after police said he made threats to kill or harm police officers on social media. 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 Utterbacks body stuck in a window. 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? Weather officials say they're retiring the names Fiona and Ian from the rotating list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names because of the death and destruction caused by the most recent storms with those names. FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. Few communities in the U.S. have seen the level of destruction Hurricane Ian brought to Fort Myers Beach. The deputies from the Sheriffs Office will help us in the event of a disoriented turtle on the street, she said. Wayfair has extended its biggest sale of the year through tonight. 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. This storm showed us that we dont, said Jeannine Joy, the president and CEO of United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades counties. 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. CBS4's Ashley Dyer reports plenty of cars were also stalled out. 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 Some boat strikes, others, no definitive cause of death.. Michael Yost finds a chair amid the rubble of the destroyed home of his friend Mitch Pacyna. About 10% of the homeless had lived on boats that were destroyed. He tried to stay positive, but when he saw the boat inside his house and the damage done by the surge, his heart sank. An emergency sand berm is built on Fort Myers Beach on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. This is preventable, she said. Right now, there are multiple major violations that will need to be ameliorated by May 1., to wander further inland, possibly onto Estero Boulevard. That began to change on Sunday, Sept. 25, when Ians projected path began shifting south, with a growing threat to Lee County. Workers talk atop a building that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Michael Yost's two closest friends in Fort Myers Beach drowned in Hurricane Ian. Nigel Chiwaya is the Senior Editor, Data Viz for NBC News Digital. Over the weekend, gunfire on Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers leaves the community shaken after a stray bullet hit a man on his way home from work. As Florida approaches the start of hurricane season this summer, insurance experts say there are some things homeowners should be checking. As each day passes since Hurricane Ian slammed Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, progress with various recovery efforts continues to be made. Local and county officials in southwest Florida, one of the fastest-growing regions of the country, are well aware of the danger. The result has led many homeowners to state-backed Citizens Insurance. But in 2012, Tropical Storm Debby dumped his sailboat onto Gulfport Beach, where he stayed on the wrecked Promise for almost a month. 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. Indoor lighting should be as far away from windows as possible. That night, below a shot of sunset, he wrote, Success in your life is a result of self-satisfaction.. "Don't be surprised when you see that high hurricane deductible when the claim time comes," Norberg said. Many trees,signs and debris in streets but not any Sea turtle nesting season officially begins this Monday on Fort Myers Beach, with regulations in place to protect the threatened species. 0:04. Residents who evacuated and were briefly able to return to their homes are stunned by how little remains. Susan and Jim Helton are in Fort Myers now, at a hotel where there's no power or water. Cleaning up in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian is underway in Fort Myers Beach. Rebuilding. The countys emergency management director also hosted a media day with local news outlets and the county issued multiple warnings and notices on its website and on social media in the days and hours before the storm. Lisa is forecast to strengthen before making landfall. "I thought, you gave me one disaster, don't push it. But the shelter didnt have any beds available, just a wheelchair. It is human nature for people to measure their risk in a coming storm by comparing it to storms theyve weathered in the past. It slowed over Volusia County, dumping nearly 21 inches of rain in some areas and bringing gusts of up to 96 mph that battered coastal zones with near king tides, he said. There wasnt much time to get out. NBC News reporters submitted more than 60 public records requests to local and state police agencies, medical examiners offices and emergency management agencies to collect 911 and emergency dispatch recordings, police reports, autopsy records and other documents to account for the dead. Facing a Dire Storm Forecast in Florida, Officials Delayed Evacuation Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Preparing for the 2023 Hurricane Season - winknews.com And the Barnacles so much worse than I thought.. Homeless advocates have nowhere to put them. As a Category 4 hurricane, Irma caused more than $64 billion in The guy told him: It hasnt been floating in quite a few years.. The bodies of Peggy Collson and Michael Verdream were found in Matlacha's canals. Fort Myers Beach Six months after Hurricane Ian stormed across Southwest Florida, people in many areas are still struggling to rebuild. The Bay to Beach condo complex is at 740 Estero Boulevard, about a quarter mile north of the Fort Myers Beach pier where the rooftop fire with copious smoke was reported around 12:30 p.m. It wasnt supposed to be hitting us, Conway said. Seven months to the day after Hurricane Ian completely demolished Fort Myers Beach, another familiar face is set to return to the recovering community. 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. Of the 109 nests recorded on Fort Myers Beach last year, 11 of those nests had hatchlings which disoriented due to lighting violations on Fort Myers Beach. Each of those nests can contain up to 100 eggs. Ian was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the U.S. in the past 20 years. Lee County, which took a direct hit from Ian, waited until the day before the storm a day longer than neighboring counties to issue a mandatory evacuation order. Yost went looking for Pacyna after the storm and was told by a neighbor that he hadn't survived. Last year, there were 109 loggerhead sea turtle nests documented on Fort Myers Beach, Haverfield said. If passed, Hurricane Tax Relief Week would be May 27. They are giving out teddy bears to every child who rides with them, aiming to ease ambulance tensions. Life without purpose is meaningless! he typed beneath a sunrise photo he sent to friends April 8. They matched those records to the Florida Department of Law Enforcements official list of hurricane deaths and did additional reporting to find out where hurricane victims died or were fatally injured, whenever possible. Sand from Immokalee is getting trucked in. Hoffman, who has three kids and pets, took that as a sign that officials didnt see a big threat. 0:04. The berm is being built to protect National Burrito Day is Thursday, April 6, and some restaurants across the U.S. are joining in the celebration by offering burrito deals. And that hurt." Trucks bobbed past. Property owners are encouraged to be proactive. It seemed like in this one, it was like, OK, tomorrow you gotta get out of here, Yost said. Hurricane Ians high death toll in Florida exposes safety gaps - NBC If one encounters a sea turtle or hatchlings on the beach, they should stay clear as to not interfere with their nesting or hatchling process. and last updated 2023-04-26 18:10:08-04. I would have gone and picked him up.. Lee County officials declined requests for interviews about how they prepare residents for hurricanes, communicate risks and decide the timing of evacuation orders. By dawn on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Ians projected path put Lee County in the storms crosshairs. Early the next morning, Collson began to seriously worry. Based on those records, NBC News determined an overall count of 148 deaths related to Hurricane Ian and analyzed 119 of those deaths that were caused by the flooding, winds and other dangerous conditions during the storm. The home of Kristina Peters, who died along with her boyfriend, Joel Jackson, during Hurricane Ian, in North Fort Myers, Fla. Before Ian hit, Peters' son begged her to leave. 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. The agency uses the maps in public education campaigns around the country before the annual start of hurricane season. It is also just as important to draw your curtains close at night. But in January, after all 260 closed, hundreds of people were forced onto the streets and into the woods. 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. 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. Some have diagnosed cognitive decline that makes it hard for them to plan ahead or make decisions about whether to evacuate. 0:51. That experience influenced many peoples decisions not to flee Hurricane Ian. Over the weekend, a female sea turtle visited Bonita Beach checking out the nesting sites, Haverfield said. 0:51. Mom, I cant come get you, DeMoss recalled saying. She's a former New Yorker and was in Manhattan on 9/11. Some had physical or cognitive conditions that made it more difficult for them to seek help before the hurricane arrived, or they chose to stay home because they feared ending up in nursing homes if they sought help, aging services providers said. Fort Myers Beach, FL - Hurricane Information & Risks | Homefacts 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. Beneath the Matanzas Pass Bridge, where Capt. The projected path continued moving south through Monday, the center said. "I'm hanging in," he says. Got married five times. "Sometimes that can be a savings, as well if the company has overstated your replacement costs," Norberg said. List of Florida hurricanes (19001949) - Wikipedia Hes been stuck before. In this CBS Miami special report, we take a look at a whole host of hurricane season topics from above average activity to complacency concerns. By then, the center was warning about surges as high as 12 feet. An accused killer is in court after his defense missed a deadline. He felt the breeze through his beard, looked up at the stars, then climbed into his cabin and poured another rum and Coke. It was devastated by Irmas winds, but many people in the area had returned to undamaged homes. 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. April 28, Usually, theres a Hurricane Tax Relief Week ahead of hurricane season. They devote huge amounts of time and resources to preparing for hurricanes, with public education campaigns that include free preparedness guides, phone calls, door-to-door canvassing and pre-registration for special needs evacuation shelters. The stores will be closed by the end of June, so what can consumers expect in the coming weeks? (The 29 other deaths were in post-storm accidents and suicides, in addition to one homicide in which a contractor was shot.) Theresa Conway and Daymon Utterback on the day Utterback proposed. Not everything is going to be unfortunately fixed and like how it was last year, Giarratana said. The advisory stretches from Bill Baggs State Park, north to the Venetian Causeway, from the mainland to the west to the beaches on the east. Days after Disney sued Florida's governor in federal court for what it described as retaliation for opposing the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, members of Disney World's governing board made up of Gov. Ians forecast called for heavy rains, but ultimately, the storm brought more rainfall than expected, and with stronger winds, Judge said. A South Florida man is facing serious charges Monday after police said he broke into a home and then exposed himself. 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. By the time the evacuation orders came, Hoffman recalled thinking, it was too late. Efforts to convince people to move out of harm's way as a hurricane approaches face many hurdles. Hurricane Hurricane Ian hit Cat 5 in Gulf, was Floridas most expensive storm. LANTANA, Fla. As Florida approaches the start of hurricane season on June 1, insurance experts said there are some things homeowners should be checking. Still, at the seven-month mark since the Category 4 storm hit, it can be difficult and painful to see the scars that remain in many places, including Sanibel Island, which along with Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island and parts of Cape Coral and Fort Myers neighborhoods along the Caloosahatchess River, absorbed the brunt of Ian. Most local beaches need sand in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Here's 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. Collson told her brother she didnt want to ride out the storm that way she wasnt comfortable requiring so much help with so many people around her. An emergency sand berm is built on Fort Myers Beach on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. After she returned home in April, a move made possible by daily help from a health aide, Collson vowed not to leave again, even if it meant putting off surgeries that could help her regain the ability to walk. 4 min read. But guess what, a higher power came in and said, 'Go ahead, press that button one more time and see if she can take it.' 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. Turtle time is here | News, Sports, Jobs - FORT MYERS - Beach This doesnt need to happen.. Corden's farewell episode after an eight-year run showcased his trademark humor and included a thank you from President Biden. Duo arrested for robbing man leaving Fort Myers dollar store Still, county officials said they made the right call. While there have not yet been any sea turtle nests spotted on Fort Myers Beach yet this season, Haverfield said sea turtles have hit the beaches in Captiva and Bonita Beach. The berm is being built to protect properties from storm surge associated with tropical weather or hurricanes. Collson, an avid cook who liked to kid and laugh, stuck firmly to her decision not to leave home, Jim said.
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