FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Velema lived under a bridge for four days, waiting to get to Fort Myers Beach on Florida’s Estera Island to find out if his vacation home survived Hurricane Jan. On Friday, he was extremely frustrated as he continued to wait for a travel permit.
“They say it’s because of rescue and recovery work,” Velema said of the closure. He came from Little Falls, New Jersey, with a pass he got at the beginning of hurricane season that was supposed to allow him to the island after the storm.
Velema said he was considering making the crossing by kayak at night. He is in touch with friends in other parts of the country who are awaiting his word to head south. Their waiting is a reminder that the death toll, already on 101may still grow.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy said no one would be allowed back in until emergency crews had finished “searching for people who are injured or may need help in the rubble, as well as people who have passed by” in the city of just over 7000 inhabitants. First responders need space and time to do their jobs, and “any additional vehicular and pedestrian traffic interferes with and delays their efforts,” the statement said. They have not set a date when residents can return.
The Florida Medical Examiner’s Office has reported 92 storm-related deaths in Florida. Most were in hard-hit Lee County, which includes the greater Fort Myers area and nearby Gulf Coast islands. At least half of the state’s confirmed victims were 65 or older, and more than two-thirds were 50 or older. Five people also died in North Carolina, three in Cuba and one in Virginia.
Ian, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph), is unleashed showers of rain and caused extensive flooding and damage. The flood turned the streets into raging rivers. Backyard of waterways flowed into the neighborhood, sometimes more than a dozen feet (3.5 meters), throwing boats into yards and driveways. Beaches disappeared as ocean waves pushed shorelines far inland. Officials estimate the storm caused billions of dollars in damage.
Fort Myers Beach residents James Berry and Jeff Silcock, like Velema, have passes to the island and also waited under the bridge to go home, but neither was as upset as Velema.
“They’re still looking for bodies and the investigation is ongoing,” Silcock said. “I totally understand why they’re not letting anyone in.”
