SAN CARLOS ISLAND, Fla — Devastation in Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian’s destruction is palpable.
ABC Action News reporter Heather Leigh, and photojournalist Michael Brantley spoke to residents and heard their stories for days.
You can hear the ringing of security systems off in the distance, helicopters in the air, and debris sloshing up against the side of mangled boat docks and shorelines. You can also see the despair in people's faces as they look around in awe of Mother Nature and the sheer power it can produce.
In San Carlos island, at the base of the bridge that takes people to Ft. Myers Bridge, debris and destruction are everywhere. Temple Condon’s voice shook as she told Heather and Michael about her home.
“I’ve lived here for 20 years, and I never thought it would be wiped out,” she said through tears.
There are boats in every nook of this quaint beach town, and personal items from people’s homes are strewn about inside and outside local businesses, which are mostly shells of what they were.
“Times Square is gone, most of the small structures at least along the beach are all gone, damage everywhere, literally everywhere,” Todd Richardson said. Heather and Michael caught up with him and his wife as they walked down the bridge coming from the island.
Hurricane Ian’s power can’t be ignored.
“I had a lot of confidence this wasn’t going to be a direct hit,” Douglas Liston said.
Liston felt that power as the storm surge tossed his boat around town, eventually into a house.
“When you’re in 100-mile plus winds, it is scary,” he said. Heather asked him if there were moments he thought he might not make it. “Yeah, if the boat goes down, there’s was no way to survive the amount of water that was around and all of the debris.”
The crew found Condon washing what is left of her clothes in a bucket of water. She knew those items might be all she had left.
“It looked like a mud puddle, and by 6:30, it came and rose. You can see the top of the trailer,” she told us, pointing to a water line at the top of the trailer. “I came here because my mom came here, and it was so beautiful. And now it’s a disaster.”
As some residents of Ft. Myers beach carry their salvageable belongings to safety, others head towards the island to bring food and water to those still trapped there.
“I’m going to stay as long as I can’t. We have people coming over from Miami to help some,” Joe Fernandez said. He rode out the storm in his business on the second floor with several of his dogs. “This is what I can do for my community.”
Others want to assure family members who aren’t on the ground here to be patient as they try to get in touch with loved ones.
“There is no cell service,” Natalie Richardson said. “Chances are they are fine, they just can’t communicate. We can get some messages in, but we can’t get anything out. We can’t make any calls.”
Resiliency seemed to kick in like second nature during times like this. Even Condon knows help is out there.
“I know somebody is going to come,” she said. When Heather asked her if anyone had come yet, she said no, and her eyes began to well up.
“I’ve got faith.” she continued.
Down the road, a man who lost his boat is ready to hop in another.
“I’m a merchant marine. I'm looking for a boat to help people in Sanibel,” he yelled to another boater across the water. “If you know anybody that's got a boat, there's got to be a lot of people that need to get to a hospital."
Those who were on the island who saw the aftermath are asking you don’t forget them.
“Tell all your people to pray for the ones you know over there, and pray for the ones you don’t, because it’s bad,” Richardson said.