FORT MYERS BEACH
Fort Myers Beach says it will begin allowing more residents onto the island starting Sunday morning.
Starting Sunday, residents who live between the Great Carlos Pass Bridge and the Beach Theater on the island’s south side, and those who live between Times Square and Bowditch Point Park on the north end of the island, will be allowed to return starting at 7 a.m. Sunday. .
Residents between the Beach Theater and Publix can enter after 8 a.m., between Publix and Town Hall at 9 a.m., and residents from Town Hall to Times Square after 10 a.m.
At a press conference Saturday, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach said the island has no water, no power, and no garbage collection. The fire service also said that there are no safe structures at the moment.
Residents who want to go back to see the damage are expected to leave the island by 7 p.m., when the overnight curfew begins.
This change also means a change for the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District. They are returning to normal fire service operations after spending the last week on search and rescue and recovery missions on the island.
“The challenges this storm has created and continues to create for our city, this area and all of our lives are beyond words,” Chief Ron Martin said in a news release Saturday. “But the people who make up your fire district stepped up to the plate, along with the much-appreciated help of our out-of-state friends.”
“It’s time for us to get back to what we need to do – respond to your calls for help, which includes supporting ongoing efforts to find our neighbors and loved ones who can no longer call for help,” Martin said.
The transition provides for the transfer of work on the access of city residents to the management of the city management. As residents return, the fire department says the need for emergency services also returns.