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But real estate agent and longtime resident Kevin Crouse says there are lots of newcomers. When will the Publix on Fort Myers Beach reopen? This week, major flooding is threatening that recovery. Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt says the height limit will be raised and new hotels and condo buildings will be taller. But I also drove through some vibrant neighborhoods. When things go wrong, those in power often promise to make it right. To say that this Publix is a cornerstone part of the community is an understatement. The rights-of-way along the roads are covered with construction debris and stuff and its just not the same experience. Along the South Texas Coastal Bend, heavy rains this week have brought major flooding, and concerns about drinking water supplies to cities including Corpus Christi, Port Aransas and Rockport. A police sergeant with the Golden Beach Police Department is recovering after being shot overnight Saturday during a pursuit of two suspects in a stolen vehicle, authorities said. "Thanks for coming," he said. Ms. Feucher, the deputy prefect for Saint-Martin, is convinced that some areas of the territory are just too dangerously exposed to the power of the most severe storms to be safely inhabitable. He owns a local chain of restaurants and has heard the insurance woes. City and county residents give each other a helping hand, New security system will greet Lee students come 2023-24 classes, Tracking the impact of U.S.-China tensions on global financial institutions, 'I'll lose my family.' Fort Myers Beach was particularly hit hard by the 15-foot storm surge. WebUpdate July 2021: Grand Case has been hit very hard by Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and is only slowly recovering from the damages. The amount of traffic on Sanibel and the Causeway, rebuilt in less than a month after Ian, its clear that the people of Sanibel can, and will, do whatever it takes for their community. Three-and-a-half years later, the mountains of debris are gone and rebuilding is well under way. I watched out my window ground-level homes go totally underwater, Tillo said. Charlie Doster was among those collecting the maximum 25 sheets. Property owners who live on the Towns side streets (not Estero Boulevard) can continue to place heavy storm-related debris curbside in the right of way for free pick up until further notice. On Oct. 19, 2022, three weeks after Ian washed away two major parts of the Causeway, Desantis announced it would reopen to the public. The right of way removal service for hurricane-related debris in Fort Myers Beach has been extended until further notice. When Irma had finally moved on, the family emerged from their hideaway to discover that the storm surge and wind had gouged holes in two sides of the house and had swept away Ms. Cartys sister from her home next door. All Rights Reserved.301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin of Sint Maarten said her government had insufficient fiscal, legal and environmental staff to help manage those aspects of recovery after Irma. "But I don't think it will be like Miami," he says. In Saint-Martin, a long simmering discontent loaded with racial and class tension is on the verge of boiling over. Anyone can read what you share. Published April 24, 2023 at 11:01 AM EDT. Sally made landfall at Gulf Shores on Sept. 16, pummeling the coast with fierce winds and as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain. According to Crowder Gulf Regional Manager Barton Holmes at todays meeting, more than 1.1 million cubic yards of debris has been collected from the right of way since Hurricane Ian. The French state runs a famously laborious bureaucracy that, according to residents, has slowed the rebuilding process. I think theres plenty of room for compromise.. Greg Allen/NPR A woman is accused of breaking into a retail store in Naples on Monday, April 3, hiding her identity by holding an umbrella while taking money from the business. On a recent visit, it looked like an artillery barrage had smashed into this small bungalow and a dozen or so other nearby cottages in a similar state of ruin, in what had been a pleasant vacation compound on a bluff above the Atlantic Ocean. Immediately after the storm blasted the island, President Emmanuel Macron of France promised a speedy recovery for the French side. When hotels are wrecked by a storm, business dries up, unemployment soars and government coffers suffer. Beaches: With much more unspoiled shoreline than Sint Maarten, the French sidedefinitely has the advantage for beaches, with popular Orient Bay Beach drawing crowds, and the peaceful Friars Bay and appropriately named Happy Bay providing all the white sands and blue waters youd expect on a Caribbean visit. It was a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States. The Takeaway: As storms become more destructive, hurricane recovery is as much about rethinking as it is rebuilding. Tourists on Great Bay Beach in Sint Maarten. Susan and Bruno are travel bloggers. Officials here say slow and inadequate insurance payouts are hurting recovery and forcing many long-time residents to sell and leave the island. I knew I'd be seeing a lot of change on the island, but I was heartened that the landing pattern was still the same. Part of HuffPost World News. Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West and leaders from top river cruise companies to get the latest updates on your clients Cruise North America with More Value Than Ever. Marie Abner in her partially destroyed home in the neighborhood of Sandy Ground in Saint-Martin. Its wonderful all the things youre doing, but talk to us., The Google search saying the store will reopen on May 25 is giving some people hope. ", "Twenty months ago, the room we're standing in had been ripped apart by the high winds and rain," Chun said. Because most of the damage on Fort Myers Beach came from storm surge, only those with flood insurance received significant insurance payouts. Should inmates in Texas be eligible for early parole if they exhibit good behavior? Considering the dire shape Saint-Martin was in right after the storm, with its infrastructure flattened, the fact that much of the territory is back on its feet confirms the aid has made a difference. After Hurricane Ian, many people wondered how Sanibel and its Causeway would come back and how long would it take? There is still lots of construction going on. So people like Keith Isaacson could sit down and enjoy a good meal again. An apartment complex in Saint-Martin that was ripped apart by the storm sits empty two years later. Cracking down on antisemitic acts in Florida, all the way from Isreal, after a new law protects people by hardening punishment for antisemitism. Several of the flood-prone coastal neighborhoods of greatest concern to Ms. Feucher have large low-income populations, and many residents suspect the French government is waging a veiled campaign to drive poor, black residents off their land through condemnation so it can be sold to developers. For generations, Fort Myers Beach catered to middle-income vacationers, many of them from the Midwest. The authorities turned a blind eye to the settlement, allowing it to grow, and now thousands of people live along the neighborhoods narrow streets and unpaved lanes. On a recent evening, Jah Bash, a Rastafarian farmer, said that the populations patience with an overbearing French state was wearing thin. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hurricane Ian: A birds eye view of SWFLs recovery one month later. The country will burn easily.. Here are some steps you must take if a client pays with a large amount of cash. "You had some fire sales there in the beginning," he says. We'd really like to see that school come back on the island. There was about 5,500 cars coming on the island. Many homes, too damaged to be repaired, are waiting to be demolished. Rios says hes watching how flood waters impact the ongoing rebuilding of the Key Allegro Bridge, which is the only access to an island containing 800 homes. This location was torn down and built back, brick by brick.. When is the reconstruction expected to begin? Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria left a trail of destruction when they swept over the Caribbean last September. April 28, A huge new resort, Margaritaville, was under construction when Ian hit. 2023 Texas Standard. Rising waters have also hidden potholes and sinkholes from the view of drivers, making the roadways in deep water areas treacherous. The top French official on the island says she wants more restrictions on construction in the areas most at risk to future storms, in order to protect lives and the economy. Status: All clear. They cast it aside. Ms. Feucher said she was trying to get the population to take the long view in these matters: that getting the rebuilding right, even if it takes time, could save lives in the next big storm. for more business re-openings. Cleanup and rebuilding continues are public access points, however. A week before the official start of hurricane season, meteorologists began tracking a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. The wastewater treatment plant has been affected some, but thats still working, he said. It made it difficult to find workers, caused supply problems and pushed up costs. A 15-foot storm surge knocked this house off its foundation on Fort Myers Beach. Hotel owner Tom Wood says when he returned to town a few days later, it looked like the test site for an atomic bomb. It's a story you hear often. WINK News asked if Isaacson would be going anywhere anytime soon. Can you drink tap water I had 15 feet of water and other parts of my property. Cdrick Andr, a community activist in Sandy Ground, one of the high-risk neighborhoods, views the matter as nothing less than an existential struggle for Saint-Martins working-class population. A Google search on Thursday showed the Publix with a message listed in orange saying the store would reopen on May 25. We want our little Publix on the island, Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said. "I think we got $700 you know which doesn't go far.". He made it through the night and into the next morning. One case in point: Mexico Beach, a town on the Florida Panhandle almost totally destroyed by a hurricane three years ago, is coming back. ADVISORIES. Recovery has been slow in places like Puerto @inOr, if you scroll through several pages of threads you will get lots of information. Many of us have been back, and posted comments or reports. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. Mexico Beach lost 75% of its structures to Hurricane Michael. This wasteland was on St. Martin, an island that took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma on Sept. 6, 2017, and where, two years later, recovery is still far from complete. I knew I needed to get to the off the island for medical attention, Tillo said. The new Driftwood Inn sits 6 feet higher than the previous one and is built to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Unfortunately, the Club Orient property was completely wiped out by hurricane Irma in September 2017. GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) Alabamas beaches have reopened, but the states coast has hardly recovered fully from the effects of Hurricane Sally last month. A police sergeant with the Golden Beach Police Department is recovering after being shot overnight Saturday during a pursuit of two suspects in a stolen vehicle, authorities said. Visitors still have limited options for getting to the sand because so many boardwalks and beach entry points were damaged, and residents in hard-hit Baldwin County are It's slated to open later this year. They post testing results online at, . Friday, for perhaps the first time, we know what happened behind closed doors in the days after Hurricane Ian. hide caption. Town officials are working on a new comprehensive plan that will determine what the new version of Fort Myers Beach will be. For me, its a conspiracy to take over the island, said Mr. Bash, whose family has lived in Sandy Ground for five generations. After all, at least seven generations of her family had survived numerous hurricanes on this same patch of land, and she figured this time would be no different. And she is trying to convince the population of this, too. I was there to attend the St. Maarten/Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (Smart) for buyers, suppliers and industry partners who do business in the islands of the northeastern Caribbean. Grenada is a small island that packs a big punch, in part thanks to knock-out places to stay such as the Spice Island Beach Resort. On this anniversary, weve taken to the sky again, this time to In a town that had some 6,000 year-round residents, people here estimate that only a third or less have been able to return since the storm. Buildings will now have to be elevated to protect them from flooding in future storm events. Along the South Texas Coastal Bend, heavy rains this week have brought major flooding, and concerns about drinking water supplies to cities including Corpus Christi, Port Aransas and Rockport. Just the beautiful Oyster Bay Resort on Dawn Beach and the close-by Princess Heights are welcoming guests. We had to do things like put hurricane-proof windows in, had to put pilings down. hide caption. It would be an understatement to say they went on a mission. Mexico Beach has adopted one of the toughest building codes in Florida. They want to change everything: the way we live, the way we speak, the way we sex, the way we eat, said Mr. Andr, 42. The funding Puerto Rico did use was largely spent on emergency work projects, such as debris removal. Well have divers in the water next week, just to check the integrity of that bridge.. It was in October 2018 when Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach with 160 mile per hour winds and a 17-and-a-half-foot storm surge. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us, A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, Sensing Blood In The Water, Multiple Opponents Are Circling Ken Paxton, Afghans Who Helped U.S. The French government has set up a fund to buy out property owners living in the highest-risk flood zones, but Ms. Feucher insists that nobody will be forced to sell. It's now cleaner as of Feb. 27. Next month, the new Driftwood Inn will be welcoming guests. Changing mentalities is always difficult, she said. HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Golden Beach Police Sgt. In this series, The Times investigates to see if those promises were kept. One of his goals is to get more families back on the island. But Saint-Martins slow, if steady, recovery shows just how difficult coming back from a hurricane can be on a small island, with challenges that go well beyond just the size of financial aid packages. HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Golden Beach Police Sgt. A higher percentage of hotel rooms on the Dutch side, for example, are open again for business. Fort Myers Beach was one of the hardest hit areas. Noticeable in most of Saint-Martins neighbourhoods, Hurricane Irmas visit results are surprising. Aerial photos show the recovery of Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in late September 2022, on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The beaches are OK, but if you look at the south side of the dunes and the loss of sand, its pretty amazing.. Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith says those homes will be rebuilt and the city is working to add more. After a Caribbean Hurricane, the Battle Is Where, or Even Whether, to Rebuild, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/world/americas/hurricane-irma-saint-martin.html. The focus of her mission, backed by Paris, is a push for more severe restrictions on construction and land use in the areas at greatest risk of damage during major storms, like that bluff with the pulverized cottages. Pastor Shawn Critser of Beach Baptist Church operates a forklift moving supplies into his damaged church. Hi inOr, Many of us have been back on the island since Irma, some of us several times. Here are links to a few posts you may find helpful. https:// A collapsed home south of Toronita Avenue Beach Park in Wilbur-By-The-Sea, Fla., Friday, December 2, 2022. We were told that it was going to go to Tampa for every day, Tillo said. The oldest church on the island, Chapel by the Sea, also now is just ruins. ", Doug Miller grills up free food to give to weary homeowners and workers at Beach Baptist Church on Fort Myers Beach. After buying Seabourn Odyssey, Japanese cruise line to put focus on U.S. River lines put more sports-related cruise options in play, Returning to St. Maarten/Martin, 20 months after Hurricane Irma, IGLTA conference is returning to an LGBTQ-friendly Puerto Rico, Challenges ahead for Caribbean tourism, CHTA survey says, Caribbean tourism outlook: Very good and getting better, Celebrity chef's visit inspires a dining series at Pineapple Beach Club Antigua, Anguilla is out to improve first impressions, Rays of 'Sunshine' brighten Puerto Rico's tourism outlook for 2023, Leaders gathering in Jamaica to take on tourism's challenges. Its been two years since the Florida Panhandle town of Mexico Beach was leveled by Category 5 Hurricane Michael. According to Miami-Dade Urban Search and Rescue records, 5,126 structures on Sanibel were considered damaged., Red tide, blue-green algae, and other water bacteria issues are monitored by, The State of Florida. Although the new code requires buildings to be more resilient, the town retained its height and density limits. But that state largess may have undermined private initiative during this reconstruction period. While the French state may seem overbearing to some in Saint-Martin, whose residents are French citizens, its people are entitled to all the protections of Frances generous social net. She was one of 11 people who died on the French side of the island, according to the local authorities. The rebuilt Driftwood Inn is the first major business to reopen in Mexico Beach since Hurricane Michael. Cranes, bulldozers and construction gear still line the periphery, but the welcome I got upon arrival from the immigration officer was genuine, warm and appreciative. If people on Florida's Panhandle needed a reminder about their vulnerability, they got it last month. Nearly two years after hurricane Irma hit Saint Martin, Orient Beach is bouncing back quite nicely. The venue for Smart was the two-resort Sonesta complex, a five-minute ride from the airport. Destroyed boats in Simpson Bay Lagoon along the boundary between Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin. climate change has made hurricanes more destructive. We love our Publix. The wounds from the 2017 hurricane season were still too fresh. "That's no longer the case. While Irma battered the island for just a matter of hours, Ms. Feucher predicted that it could take up to three more years for the territory to fully recover. Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria left a trail of destruction when they swept over the Caribbean last September. U.S. Virgin Islands. What I saw was an island destination that has come a long, long way since Sept. 6, 2017. Hurricane recovery is hard anywhere. The southern Volusia coastline was devastated by CORRECTION: A previous version of this story included a photo from Martinique. Its wonderful all the things youre doing, but talk to us.. "Individual houses (are) coming back tenfold," Wood says. A powerful storm surge flattened structures in coastal areas, helping make it the third costliest hurricane on record after only Katrina and Harvey. "And we upped [the building code] to 140 mile-an-hour wind," Cathey says. They pulled up their socks and got on with it, said Lorraine Talmi, board president of the Sint Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association. Many here see it as the end of an era. The hotel has been reopened, though some rooms are still unavailable for guests as of Feb. 27. After the Causeway reopened, 5,500 people were coming onto the island every day, and now that number has risen to 8,000. Greg Allen/NPR But it was probably two years in.". Now, by Ian it's just magnified to such a degree that we have tomake sure people who want to work and live here can afford to. And you can see just driving through town, our town is taller. The News-Press visual journalist Ricardo Rolon recently piloted a drone between 50- to 200-feet above southern Sanibel with views of the damaged lighthouse, Lighthouse Beach and the Gulf and river sides of the island. Cdrick Andr is a community activist in Sandy Ground. Everything was brown, the dirt, the mud everywhere. He may be 80 but the U.S. Navy veteran has a masters and is quite tech-savvy. Doug Miller grills up free food to give to weary homeowners and workers at Beach Baptist Church on Fort Myers Beach. Greg Allen/NPR "And I've talked to two that have had a positive outcome. Thank you for continuing to reach out and help keep your viewers informed throughout the coming weeks., The same applies for their other store at the corner of Summerlin Road and San Carlos Boulevard. A street full of debris in Orient Bay on Sept. 7, after the passage of Hurricane Irma. Because most of the damage on Fort Myers Beach came from storm surge, only those with flood insurance received significant insurance payouts. hide caption. "On the front of the church," he says, "you see this beautiful pristine stained-glass window that was perfectly untouched. FEMA has obligated about $28 billion to help the island recover from this damage. And they said notice Im limping, and Ive got all these heavy bags. Thank you. We are grateful for our customers and look forward to reopening the Fort Myers location. What will the new Club Orient look like? Hurricane Irma made clear that natural disasters not only obliterate structures and lives; they can also expose deep socioeconomic fault lines. It was crazy.. But the threat of hurricanes, climate change and rising seas is not discouraging development along the coasts. April 28, 2023 FORT MYERS Here's how Fort Myers Beach, Southwest Florida are recovering 6 months after Hurricane Ian Kim Luciani USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA 0:00 2:11 On Sept. Visitors still have limited options for getting to the sand because so many boardwalks and beach entry points were damaged, and residents in hard-hit Baldwin County are complaining about the response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The French side of the island was a different scene. The Mercure hotel in Marigot was surrounded by water and debris on Sept. 6, after Hurricane Irma. "Everything on the beachside was gone," he says. Rockport, Texas continues to recover from Hurricane Harvey. And I said, Yes, thatd be great, Tillo said. Pastor Shawn Critser says with the help of a developer, the rebuilt church complex will include workforce housing. Six months later, the wall remains broken. That's no longer the case. Year hurricane damage sustained: 2018. If anything happen, we leave the home. As with many places in the Caribbean, the economy is over-reliant on a single industry tourism for jobs and tax revenue. The half-sunken hulls of storm-scuttled ships. MUST WATCH: Aerial tour of SWFL seven months post-Hurricane Ian, Official opening day scheduled for Fort Myers Beach Publix, Fort Myers Beach, FL Publix Structural Analysis, Man arrested after throwing Bud Light can at woman & children in San Carlos Park, Clewiston man dead after car crash in Alva, Panthers oust record-setting Bruins 4-3 in OT in Game 7, Forecast: Warm, sunny and less humid weather Monday, One victim from Downtown Fort Myers shooting identified. In contrast, Sint Maarten has developed a more laissez-faire culture, helping to accelerate the rebuilding process. hide caption.

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