FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Feeling increasingly isolated in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers Beach residents and renters continued to exit their devastated island by foot Sunday, four days after a 10-foot storm surge driven by 150 mph winds inundated Southwest Florida’s coastal communities.
All access to Estero Island from bridges on its south and north ends has been blocked by Lee County Sheriff’s deputies to prevent vehicles and visitors from interfering with search and rescue efforts. A growing fleet of bulldozers and dump trucks is clearing debris. Mounds of mud line Estero Boulevard, as people trickle out from their homes or buildings where they sought shelter wearing backpacks and towing suitcases filled with belongings they could salvage.
More who survived on six-mile long Estero Island are realizing it’s not feasible to stay in the place Gov. Ron DeSantis referred to as “ground zero.” They have no power, no water, no cell phone service and no idea when those will be restored.
