Ian cut off residents of Florida's Pine Island. They are just now taking stock

Debbie Lewis and Diana Bisson, partners of 43 years, stand in the kitchen of what remains of their home in the Flamingo Bay neighborhood on Pine Island, Fla., on Monday. They are planning to leave the island as soon as the road out is passable. (Carlos Osorio for NPR)

PINE ISLAND, Fla. — Pine Island, a barrier island off of Florida's southwest coast, only had one link to the mainland — a bridge that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian and is now impassible.

Residents of the island have been largely cut off from the rest of the world since Ian made landfall last week. For them, the search and recovery effort is only just beginning.