While there have not yet been any sea turtle nests spotted on Fort Myers Beach yet this season, Haverfield said sea turtles have hit the beaches in Captiva and Bonita Beach. Fort Myers Beach recovery efforts seven months after Then, in February, Lee County Sheriffs Office deputies ordered everyone out. Trump's last major visit to Scotland was in 2018, while he was still president, sparking a heavy security operation and several days of protests. Some said they didnt have enough warning, while others were unaware of the danger or lacked the resources to leave. Hurricane Conway described Utterback, who loved to bring people a smile by dressing up as a pirate, as the kindest, sweetest, big-hearted big kid.. Undaunted, the hoary-headed seaman said he scraped together $3,000 from the Veterans Administration, Social Security, plus pension from his time in the Navy, and emptied his bank account to buy the aptly named Barnacle. Of the 109 Seven people died, three of them in high-risk surge zones. After she returned home in April, a move made possible by daily help from a health aide, Collson vowed not to leave again, even if it meant putting off surgeries that could help her regain the ability to walk. Each spring without fail, female loggerhead sea turtles make their way back to Fort Myers Beach after months of swimming hundreds, if not thousands of miles out in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. Starting Monday after 9 p.m., outdoor lights must be turned off outside on Fort Myers Beach properties facing the beach each night, except for shielded amber lights that are downward directed, until dawn. He felt the breeze through his beard, looked up at the stars, then climbed into his cabin and poured another rum and Coke. hide caption. We knew it was not a good chance she made it.. The water got up to my neck. This morning, our One of the cheapest FWC certified wildlife lighting options that staff has found available online is the , that screws into classic Edison fixtures. Amber LED light is bright, but it has a wavelength that is long which sea turtles and other nocturnal species, including migratory birds, dont react to. The historic storm surge last fall from Hurricane Ian changed the way coastal risks are viewed. Hurricane Hurricane Ian hit Cat 5 in Gulf, was Floridas most expensive storm. April 28, 2023 Don't Miss Hatchlings from two nests on Big Hickory Island were also disorientated by lights from Fort Myers Beach, Haverfield said. Collson, 67, was alone and bedridden with knees so badly deteriorated that shed spent two years in nursing homes, including for much of the pandemic, when the facilities didnt allow visitors, her brother, Jim, said. NBC News has identified 148 deaths related to Hurricane Ian in Florida, based on public records obtained from local and state authorities (see the full methodology below). Chustz will patrol the beach at night to monitor light pollution on sea turtle nesting habitat. View from above: Drone video shows scope of Hurricane Ian The next day, with phone lines down, he drove to her house and found her body. All the more reason for the Town to pursue getting amber LEDs put in place. Beneath the Matanzas Pass Bridge, where Capt. One of the places severely damaged by Hurricane Ian was Fort Myers Beach, and seven months later, theres still more to do, but theyve come a long way. Mom, I cant come get you, DeMoss recalled saying. There, his new home sits on a slip of gravel. Hoffman and his family watched with alarm as the water rose around their house, cresting just short of the walls. Ian tore through a few hours later, bringing 150 mph winds and a wall of water higher than the area had seen for decades. Hurricane No other span in the record books has as many storms listed among the nation's 50 deadliest hurricanes. Rent vouchers dont help. On the morning of Sept. 28, officials ordered people who hadnt left to shelter in place, because venturing out could put them at greater risk. Lewis Kamb is a national FOIA reporter for NBC News, based in Seattle. Others underestimated their risks, particularly after Hurricane Irma in 2017, when many residents evacuated but returned to untouched homes, which clouded some peoples understanding of whether they had been in real peril. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent. The Town considers disorientations of sea turtle hatchlings from man-made lights as an irreparable and irreversible violation with a fine of up to $5,000. We are particularly concerned for everybody in Southwestern Florida, everyone that sustained significant damage from Hurricane Ian, Ross Giarratana from the National Weather Service said. Both Utterback, 54, and Pacyna, 74, had drowned. Hurricane Each nesting sea turtle can return to the beach to nest up to three times in a season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The investigation was based on a review of hundreds of death records, an examination of flood maps and interviews with survivors, victims relatives, service providers, disaster preparedness experts and current and former public officials. But hurry -- these way hot deals are selling way fast. Hurricane And if you are installing new windows, choose a NFRC light transmittance specification of 30% or less., The Sea Turtle Conservancy recommends Frontier Lighting & Synergy Lighting for lighting fixtures that protect sea turtles, Chustz said. When Turtle Time first started documenting nests in 1996, there were only 30 recorded. 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Michael Verdream moved last year from California to Matlacha, where he rented a one-story house and remodeled homes for a living. He anchored offshore, rowed a dinghy to town when he needed cigarettes. Theres just me having to find peace with the fact that she has passed away and going through all those emotions and dealing with the phone call, DeMoss said. Jay is not entirely sure and had to unload it. Damaged mobile homes lie scattered after the passage of Hurricane Ian, in the San Carlos area of Fort Myers Beach, An emergency sand berm is built on Fort Myers Beach on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. NBC News reporters submitted more than 60 public records requests to local and state police agencies, medical examiners offices and emergency management agencies to collect 911 and emergency dispatch recordings, police reports, autopsy records and other documents to account for the dead. In mid-March, a few weeks after his story ran in the Tampa Bay Times, he caught a ride to the boatyard. They included Kristina Peters, 59, who chose to stay with her boyfriend in North Fort Myers, where they lived a baseballs throw away from the Gulf of Mexico. Each of those nests can contain up to 100 eggs. Ten years ago today, one of the most catastrophic storm events to hit Southwest Florida impacted Fort Myers Beach and those who lived or worked on it. When a young dolphin named Fergie found himself in a life-threatening situation, the dolphin explorer answered the call. As Florida approaches the start of hurricane season this summer, insurance experts say there are some things homeowners should be checking. Indoor lighting should be as far away from windows as possible. Fort Myers News-Press. But he only made it as far as Fort Myers. Hurricane Ian is going to be the strongest outreach messaging for southwest Florida ever, said Gleason, the Charlotte County spokesman. The late September storm exposed shortcomings in how local governments communicate the risk posed by hurricanes, decide when to order evacuations and identify and help the most vulnerable residents. After being grounded by Hurricane Ian, an aging sailor struggles to CBS4's Ivan Cabrera reports on the has the latest information on Tropical Depression 9. The Bay to Beach condo complex is at 740 Estero Boulevard, about a quarter mile north of the Fort Myers Beach pier where the rooftop fire with copious smoke was reported around 12:30 p.m. The stores will be closed by the end of June, so what can consumers expect in the coming weeks? 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Scientists say too many people still die in hurricanes, despite improved forecasts. Frustrated because you could not fuel up? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In Puerto Rico, Fiona dealt a blow to the long-term recovery effortsfrom Hurricane Maria five years ago, knocking out electricity to the entire island. In this CBS Miami special report, we take a look at a whole host of hurricane season topics from above average activity to complacency New construction. Facing a Dire Storm Forecast in Florida, Officials Delayed Evacuation He hadnt been on shore this long for 30 years. A Florida bill allowing the death penalty in child rape convictions now has the governor's signature, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning capital punishment in such cases. I was ready to say my last prayer and the water stopped and started receding, Conway said. So as Ian approached the coast, Yost didnt feel urgency to leave. Arbelo, 62, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., confirmed that her brother died after Hurricane Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph on Wednesday afternoon. And the Barnacles so much worse than I thought.. Seven months to the day after Hurricane Ian completely demolished Fort Myers Beach, another familiar face is set to return to the recovering community. But Im still searching for that female companion., Hell settle for a Pomeranian. He spent a few slow days carrying everything up the 10-foot ladder onto the deck, then down into the crowded cabin. The season wound up near normaldespite forecasts for above-average activity, but itwas notablefor the death and destruction wrought by Hurricanes Fiona, Ian and Nicole. Half were in places at risk of 9-foot storm surges or more. According to Lee County records, the coastline endured wind speeds of 145 mph and storm Most local beaches need sand in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Here's After his daughter was grown, he sold his house near Lake City and moved onto his first sailboat in 2006. At 7 a.m., Lee County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for the countys highest-risk areas. 2023 www.news-press.com. Im not going back to a home, she told her brother. likely sparing Tampa and St. Petersburg their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921. Sand from Immokalee is getting trucked in. We try to educate people on those worst-case scenarios and their vulnerability, said Cody Fritz, a storm surge specialist at the National Hurricane Center. Make a plan, and prepare for the worst, whether that means leaving town or deciding to stay with friends or family. 1:31 On the morning of Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa, Florida, a barrier island west of Fort Myers in Lee County. They hung up, and DeMoss hoped shed be fine. Beginning Monday from 9 p.m. to dawn each day through October, outdoor lighting is prohibited facing the beach except for shielded amber lights, and blinds must be closed. Efforts to convince people to move out of harm's way as a hurricane approaches face many hurdles. Lees has 2,700 people on it. We encourage people to use Amber LEDs, remove all furniture from the beach, keep dogs on a leash, do not disturb nests, no flash photography, Haverfield said. County governments also maintain registries of disabled people who may need to go to special-needs shelters during storms. Where the newly constructed berm is in place, sea turtles are less likely to reach Estero Boulevard., The Town of Fort Myers Beach is reminding all property owners to be conscientious about the lighting they are installing, Chustz said. Part of a destroyed mobile home park is pictured in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2022. Still, at the seven-month mark since the Category 4 storm hit, it can be difficult and painful to see the scars that remain in many places, including Sanibel Island, which IE 11 is not supported. Please note, filter wraps, gels, and colored party bulbs are not compliant, because the emit light that sea turtles are sensitive to.. Service agencies for older adults under contract with the state Department of Elder Affairs keep lists of people to help plan for storms and evacuate, and to conduct welfare checks on clients after a storm has passed. Workers talk atop a building that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Fort Myers Beach slowly recovers six months after He wound up spending his next Social Security check to stay at the boatyard through April. An emergency sand berm is built on Fort Myers Beach on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. An NBC News analysis found that 119 were attributed specifically to the flooding, winds and other dangerous conditions during the storm. Hurricane Many trees,signs and debris in streets but not any progress with various recovery efforts continues to be made. How to make the most of your Orlando trip, How a gay bar made downtown Dunedins business culture bloom, Rays go from being no-hit to blowing out the White Sox, Struggling Florida high school seniors may get graduation reprieve, Beneath a Fort Myers bridge, a captain longs to return to sea. Weve documented 14 dead turtles, seven of them on Fort Myers Beach, Haverfield said. The spot where Mitch Pacyna's home once stood, and where he died. This is something we talk about every year, how to reach people, he said. 0:04. The deputies from the Sheriffs Office will help us in the event of a disoriented turtle on the street, she said. Collsons body was found two days later, in the water several hundred feet from where she lived. Hurricane Ian one month later: Inside Floridas recovery, Overwhelmed medical examiners try to identify those killed by Hurricane Ian, After the storm, an autistic boy and his older brother drowned in a flooded canal. National Burrito Day is Thursday, April 6, and some restaurants across the U.S. are joining in the celebration by offering burrito deals. Then its: Oh, they called for a mandatory last time and nothing happened.. The storm hit that afternoon. But the storm shifted east and weakened, and it arrived at low tide. The city of Fort Myers Beach on Florida's southwest coast was leveled by Hurricane Ian, a local politician said late Thursday. They are giving out teddy bears to every child who rides with them, aiming to ease ambulance tensions. We are redoing []. To prepare for such moments, the National Hurricane Center produces maps that show how bad storm surge can be in any particular place on the U.S. coast. Hurricane season 2022 ends; Ian deadliest storm. Why so many Over the weekend, gunfire on Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers leaves the community shaken after a stray bullet hit a man on his way home from work. The bodies of Peggy Collson and Michael Verdream were found in Matlacha's canals. Nicole is expected to weaken to a depression early Friday, Additional weakening is forecast while Nicole moves over land. "We'll see what happens tomorrow. Jim Helton has been in Florida more than 40 years. 7 things to know about Fort Myers Beach's'functional paradise,' new damage estimates, No injuries in roof fire that raged at Fort Myers Beach condo building Saturday afternoon, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Nobodys ever told me that, said Dunn, who teaches disaster response and management at the University of South Florida. After months of repairs and planning, Publix officials confirmed Friday morning that the Estero Boulevard location is slated to reopen its doors on May 25. Theyre calling for a season that is just below normal. But in January, after all 260 closed, hundreds of people were forced onto the streets and into the woods. And that hurt." Scores drowned as they fled on foot, while in their cars or after seawater swallowed their homes. Its hard to tell what this season will look like. This appears to contradict their own emergency management plan, which calls for evacuations of highest-risk areas with forecasts of 3 to 6 feet of storm surge. In a letter to the judge, Trump's lawyers argued the judge has made "unfair and prejudicial" rulings against the former president. Early the next morning, Collson began to seriously worry. Scores of people on Floridas southwest coast and others in flood-prone inland areas stayed to face the Category 4 storm or tried to run only when the water began to deluge roads and homes. The boats owner had been hurt in a fire, or something Capt. In this CBS Miami special report, we take a look at a whole host of hurricane season topics from above average activity to complacency concerns. To taste the salty air and hear the wind chiming his sail rigging. He found a lot on the beach where a house had been destroyed and the owner said he could stay as long as he helped clean up. That decision was partly based on initial forecasts for a hurricane that had weakened into a tropical storm, as well as Ians westward and inland approach into the county, said Jim Judge, Volusia Countys emergency management director. Until then, his dreams will keep him afloat. Lee County will be receiving more than $1.1 billion from the federal government as a boost to continue recovering from Hurricane Ian. In some communities, homes spared in the storm are now flooding from rain-swollen rivers. When you live through it, then that message sinks in deep and forever.. The maps are supposed to help people understand their risk and plan what to do when big storms come and help local governments determine which areas should be evacuated. They say they'll dispose of a property they loved, but which, like so much else on Fort Myers Beach, is now gone forever. Last year, Turtle Time reported that some sea turtle hatchlings were found under condos and houses because the propertys lights disoriented them. Hurricane A friend helped him haul his donated bed, bookcase and boombox, his Mozart CDs and fishing poles, to the boatyard. NWS Yost, the Fort Myers Beach man whod also decided to stay, said he learned that he was in the most dangerous surge zone only the night before Ian made landfall, when a radio broadcast informed him that his home was at risk of storm surge of more than 9 feet in a Category 4 hurricane. In neighboring Charlotte County, where nine people died from Ian, spokesman Brian Gleason said the government conducts a variety of public outreach efforts, including workshops about flood and storm-surge risks for people in high-hazard coastal areas. It is responsible for an estimated 9.6% of current cases in US, Doctors seeing an uptick in 'pink eye' associated with this variant, Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Susan and Jim Helton are in Fort Myers now, at a hotel where there's no power or water. "It's critical to check on that property insurance right now," Robert Norberg of Arden Insurance in Lantana said. I never would have dare dreamed to have a hurricane like this hit Fort Myers Beach and for us to be on the worst side possible of it.. Fifteen of the organizations clients died in Ian. Six months after Hurricane Ian smashed his liveaboard sailboat into the mangroves, after a Coast Guard helicopter rescued him, after spending five months in a tent beneath a Fort Myers bridge, John Jay Burki, 76, finally has a home. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. More: View from above: Aerial video shows Fort Myers Beach scars six months after Ian, More: These 8 aerial photos of Fort Myers Beach reveal wounded landscape six months after Ian, This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel island hurricane damage documented in drone video, Mark H. Bickel and Ricardo Roln, Fort Myers News-Press. Fort Myers News-Press. Too many people still die in hurricanes, even after vast improvements in forecasting and communication, said disaster researcher Amber Silver. Your nonperishable food items really important to want to make sure that you have that those important documents on hand, flashlights, batteries, making sure all your devices are charged up as much as possible, Giarratana said. Corden's farewell episode after an eight-year run showcased his trademark humor and included a thank you from President Biden. Wreckage outside a residence on San Carlos Island in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Oct. 31. "Thinking Out Loud" and "Let's Get It On" were released decades apart, but some say they sound seamless when paired together. Her son Robert DeMoss drove to her house soon after Lee Countys evacuation order was issued and begged her to come home with him about 15 minutes inland. That, Jim Helton says, and the boat he found in the middle of his house. When it comes to windows and glass slider doors, FWC sea turtle biologists have advised that , with 45% light transmittance may not be sufficient to adequately reduce light visibility to nesting and hatchling sea turtles. Seven lived. He screamed at the storm from behind rattling windows. The Bay to Beach condo complex is at 740 Estero Boulevard, about a quarter mile north of the Fort Myers Beach pier where the rooftop fire with copious smoke was reported around 12:30 p.m. Last Updated: October 1, 2022, 11:37 PM ET. There is no one to be mad at. Hurricane and Tropical Storm Forecasts, News & Updates | Miami While Southwest Florida continues recovering from Hurricane Ian, this years hurricane season is a month away. Some boat strikes, others, no definitive cause of death.. Hes been stuck before. The number of people killed in Florida by Hurricane Ian rose to at least 101 on Monday, days after the storm made landfall at Category 4 strength, decimating coastal Much of the catastrophic toll was foreseeable and preventable, an NBC News investigation found. The order was in response to a change in Ians forecast path, which shifted to the south and put Ian on course for a direct hit on the Fort Myers region. File photo. Fort Myers Beach A South Florida man is facing serious charges Monday after police said he broke into a home and then exposed himself. They included 64 drownings, 19 deaths because of delayed medical care, nine falls and eight deaths due to oxygen machines failing because of power outages, as well as people who died from infections, car crashes and accidents. Though there hasnt been a nesting yet on Fort Myers Beach, Haverfield said the false crawls (as it is known when a sea turtle emerges on the beach but doesnt lay eggs) on Bonita Beach over the weekend were exciting to see.. Anjali Nair / Nigel Chiwaya; Thomas Simonetti; NBC News. Even if he was miles from the water. Some are preventable. 4 min read. Blinds must be shut from 9 p.m. to dawn to protect inside light from being visible from the beach in order to protect nesting sea turtles from disorientations, as well as their hatchlings. As Ian made its approach toward Floridas southwest coast, many residents thought of the last major storm to come through: Irma, a Category 3 hurricane in 2017, for which nearly 7 million people statewide evacuated. One of the places severely damaged by Hurricane Ian was Fort Myers Beach, and seven months later, theres still more to do, but theyve come a long way. There wasnt much time to get out. "I think one of the biggest tips is to find that insurance policy, take a picture of it and put it on a phone, so you don't have to find it," Norberg said.