We’re still trying to catch up with all the people we know who either have a “place”or a “home” in Southwest Florida. There is a difference, not that it mattered to Hurricane Ian. It was pretty much nondiscriminatory.
There’s plenty of bad news. We’ve heard about two of our local friends’ “places” in Fort Myers Beach. They can only wait until local authorities plow out a path on the streets and give people access to even go look at their properties. Thankfully they were not there. They only know that one’s structure is still up but another is not. In one case, their boat is “gone.” Nothing more, nothing less — just gone.
When they get the word they can even get to their place, one family plans to load up a trailer with tools and supplies and head south.
“We know there will not be enough contractors, so we just figure we will need to do it ourselves,” it was shared.
A chat with Gary Boone Tuesday had better news. He was preparing to head south to their place in Bradenton, a community that was once in Ian’s bullseye.
“We got lucky,” he said. “Some trees down and a bit of a mess, but our neighbors tell us all is well and it’s OK to come down.”
Contact was made with some former Bluffton residents who now have a “home” in North Port, about 30 minutes or so north of Fort Myers. John Stead, retired Caylor-Nickel Foundation executive, and his wife, Dr. Donna Blair, retired C-N obstetrician, moved down south permanently a number of years ago. We’ve stayed in touch.
I dialed their number sometime while the storm was raging, thinking maybe they had evacuated. But the phone rang twice and then went dead. “No cell service,” was my deduction. When I tried again Saturday afternoon, about three days after the storm, I got an answer. Donna picked up because John was driving. They were just then getting out of Dodge.
“Yes, thanks, we’re OK,” she reported.
They had decided to ride the storm out in their villa, having heard enough assurance that the brunt of the storm would come ashore just far enough south. But it was scary enough, indeed.
“The wind and the rain lasted so long,” she shared. They learned exactly what “zero visibility” means. Fortunately, when they needed to install some new windows last year, they chose to upgrade to hurricane-strength design, but the wind was so strong that water kept coming through their front door.
“John probably spent three or four hours just continually mopping up the water,” she said. “And we were fortunate; our door held. Some of our neighbors had to brace their door shut all that time.”
They did lose a tree in their yard that fortunately missed their lanai and there are a few shingles missing from their roof. No interior water damage. The electricity was out for about 24 hours and they had no running water for about two days.
Their son David, of local Norwell track-and-field fame during his high school days, had been living in Tampa but was recently transferred to Jacksonville in his career at PNC Bank. Their Tampa home had been sold; the closing has been scheduled for last Friday.
“They had been really worried because that’s where the storm was supposed to come ashore,” Donna continued. “But there was no damage and the house should close soon.”
John and Donna had previously planned this trip back to their native Michigan with a departure date of Friday. They waited until the water was back on before leaving. Their home is located about (normally) a five-minute drive to I-75. It took about two hours Saturday, but once they got on I-75, traffic was much better.
“It was stop-and-go,” Donna said.
“Mostly stop,” I could hear John in the background.
“Hey, are you watching the Michigan game?” he asked. “What’s the score?”
“Thirteen to nothing at halftime,” I replied after checking it out.
“Go Blue!” Not sure which one it was; probably both. More good news for them.
miller@news-banner.com
