As most people already know, last week we had a major hurricane hit Southwest Florida (SWFL). Hurricane Ian was the fifth strongest hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. With an uncertain path, it made some changes last minute leaving lots of residents unprepared and scared of what was to come. As Ian made its way past SWFL it left a path of destruction and major flooding behind. With record-breaking storm surges, many were left without homes and vehicles, not only loosing all their material items but some even losing their lives. As someone who was born and raised in Naples, FL it’s heartbreaking to see a place that once was your home, tattered down to almost nothing. As residents try to recover what they have left there are many without anything left to recover. Many people are missing family members and pets, as well as not having access to food, water and power.
Sanibel Island has been cut off from the rest of Florida for the time being, having the one access road collapsed, they are unable to leave their homes or get resources. As most of Sanibel had major flooding reaching many homes’ ceilings, this has made it very hard for them. Waiting for the lifeboats to come to their rescue and bring them back to the mainland and for search and rescue teams to help find their loved ones.Â
To donate to help the Sanibel Island disaster relief, I recommend FISH of Sanibel Captiva at https://www.fishofsancap.org. FISH is one of the main fundraisers to help Sanibel grow and prosper as a community and has turned all its efforts to focus on disaster relief from Ian. They help with not only financial aid to those in need, but food programs and education programs.
The Fort Myers area and Fort Myers Beach were also hit quite hard, with boats from marinas being found in roadways and ocean wildlife being found in the middle of town, the devastation is widespread. Even the Hooters restaurant from Fort Myers beach was seen floating away amongst the flooding. Along the Fort Myers Beach coastline is a long road of debris and destruction. Most structures on Fort Myers Beach have either been completely torn down or flooded and need total reconstruction. Many refer to Fort Myers Beach as “gone.”
Unfortunately, these weren’t the only areas to face major destruction during Ian, there are many more towns facing this. To find some great fundraisers for families and small businesses in these areas GoFundMe has created a space for Hurricane Ian disaster relief fundraiser that they have verified and are standing by. You can find these fundraisers here: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/hurricane-relief/ian.Â
As the death toll for Ian rises it’s important to remember all of those that are still lost amongst the rubble. The Big Carlos Pass Bridge which connects South of Estero Island to Bonita Springs has also suffered damage making it currently uncrossable. With many students at Florida State University being from these affected areas, and even just being privileged to be in an unaffected area it’s also important for us to keep these places in our thoughts and do what we can to help. The Salvation Army is accepting donations as well as many other organizations. When donating make sure that it’s a legitimate organization that is transparent with where the money will be going, make sure to always read reports on these organizations and see their results from their charity prior to the hurricane. If unsure if an organization is legitimate or not, it’s also helpful to find affected people and donate directly to them. Hurricane Ian has definitely devastated the lives of many, but hopefully, if we can all come together, we can help them rebuild the lives they once had.Â
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