FORY MYERS, Fla. — Right now, Fort Myers is hurting following Hurricane Ian. A destination that brings people together from all over looks more like a disaster zone than a vacation destination.
People who live in Fort Myers Beach are escaping to San Carlos Island. It is on the mainland side of Mantanzas Pass. ABC Action News got a chance to go over to Fort Myers Beach, which is still closed to the public, as search and rescue operations continue.
“When you talk about searching when we are coming in. For a situation like this, we would call out. Also, listen to see if anyone would call out,” Explained Ignatius Carroll from the elite Miami Dade Search and Rescue Team.
Ignatius escorted us to the island. His team is hunting for signs of life in the debris, signs of survivors, or in the worst-case, closure. The group goes house by house, checking all the yards. They then mark it as searched, so other teams coming in know it is all clear. And what humans can’t do, cadaver dogs can.
From above, our drone captures the scope of the damage. While material things can be replaced, how do you replace the memories of what was or used to be?
“What we try to do for the community here is let them know the commitment of the search and rescue team, and that is to at least try to allow recognizing there is a rebuilding process,” said Ignatius.