Jan Wesner Childs
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One month after Hurricane Ian, some spots in places like Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island still look much the way they did the day after the storm passed.
Condominium complexes are completely gone. Homes stripped from their foundations. Roofs ripped off. Streets covered in sand. No electricity. No running water.
Much of what still stands was damaged by up to 15 feet of storm surge that left a wet, festering, moldy mess, some of it contaminated with raw sewage.
“We just thought, 3 feet of water," Fort Myers Beach resident Kimberly Scherman told Spectrum 13. "We didn’t think it was going to cover our whole damn house."
(MORE: Hurricane Ian Lands Final Blow To Architectural Icon In Florida)
Scherman and her husband rode out the storm in their home, and she says they are lucky not to be among the more than 115 people whose deaths have been connected to the storm, many of them due to drowning.
"This was my first hurricane, and it’s going to be my last — because it’s just too much," Scherman said.
She's one of thousands of residents trying to come to grips with what happened, and figure out the way forward.
“I think it’s still up in the air with a lot of people,” Len Lemmer, a Ft. Myers Beach resident and business owner, told the Ft. Myers News-Press. “It will be years and years before it’s back to any semblance of normal.”
On nearby Sanibel Island, Mayor Holly Smith echoed that sentiment But, she told ABC News, the progress so far is "nothing short of miraculous." The causeway to the island is reopened, and at least one grocery store is up and running.
"We're resolved to get back together and build this Sanibel again," Smith said.
Here's a look at some key recovery efforts in Southwest Florida and other parts of the state affected by Ian.
More Than $1.5 Billion In Federal Aid So Far
The Federal Emergency Management Administration has distributed $1.56 billion in grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments to people in Florida. FEMA home inspectors have carried out more than 170,000 inspections as part of the application process.
The agency says Ian is one of the "largest disaster recovery missions in recent history."
“Even for a state that is no stranger to hurricanes, this was enormous,” FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Tom McCool said in a news release Friday. "It presented challenges for our partners at the state, local and federal level unlike any we have seen for many years."
FEMA has helped house thousands of people in hotels and is sending trailers as temporary housing. The state is also working to provide trailers and other temporary housing through a new program under the Florida Department of Emergency Management.
But the FEMA efforts are not without criticism. Some residents say they are frustrated by what they view as a slow and cumbersome process.
The deadline to request FEMA aid is Nov. 28. Information on how to apply is available at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Aid Extended To Dozens Of Counties
While Southwest Florida saw the worst of the destruction, FEMA aid has been extended more than 25 counties, many of which are in areas of Central Florida that are still dealing with flooding from the storm.
Counties where individual assistance is available are: Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia.
Debris piles are seen in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida.Blue Roofs, Other Programs Help Residents
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed more than 15,000 "blue roofs," which are reinforced temporary covers over homes. The Corps has about 2,000 people assisting with rebuilding efforts. Their efforts have included temporary generators, water pumps and assessing ports and beaches.
Groups like the Salvation Army and American Red Cross have feeding teams and volunteers deployed to the area, and organizations like Team Rubicon are helping with cleanup and rebuilding.
More Than A Million Cubic Yards Of Debris
Lee County alone has collected more than 29,000 loads of waste, including everything from tree limbs to pieces of homes. Recent video from the Corps of Engineers showed some of the operation in action. So far, federal funding is paying for the cleanup.
Early Voting Extended
Accommodations are being made for registered voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota Counties ahead of the upcoming Nov. 8 elections.
Early voting was authorized to start sooner and last through Election Day, and voters can request a mail in ballot by phone to be sent to an address other than what's listed in their record.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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