‘Still shell-shocked from Ian’ some Pine Island, Matlacha residents leave for Idalia
Eleven months and a day before Idalia became a Gulf Coast hurricane, Hurricane Ian shredded and soaked coastal Matlacha and Pine Island.
About 90% of Pine Island area homes and businesses suffered Ian-related damage and 20% sustained major damage, according to the Greater Pine Island Alliance, a long-term hurricane recovery group formed after Ian.
Hurricane Idalia triggered memories of Ian and the instability that remains for residents.
“People are still shell-shocked from Ian,” said Ben Mickuleit, chief of the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District, which distributed more than 4,000 sandbags by Tuesday.
“That lingering effect is not something that people can just ignore. It’s not something people can just get past,” said Erin Lollar-Lambert, executive director of the Greater Pine Island Alliance, which helped islanders prepare for Idalia’s potential threat. “We’re at 11 months and 1 day. It feels like it was yesterday.”
While it became clear Idalia would not make landfall in Southwest Florida, there were other worries for islanders, who fully realize the dangers of storm surge after last year.
“Water coming up is obviously a huge concern," said Lollar-Lambert. “We’ve got a king tide and we’ve got a blue moon. If you go down to St. James, the culverts are already filled. So where’s that water going to go?"
Many islanders are still in triage mode after Ian.
A blue tarp covers the roof of the bright blue historic Matlacha cottage Rachel Godbout shares with her husband. Houses on either side of them sank during Ian.
“There’s absolutely no reason why this home should have stood,” said Godbout, 42. “We were extremely lucky.”
Godbout did not wish to test that luck with Idalia. Recently, they discovered new holes in the roof. Early one morning, there was boom. Part of the ceiling had caved in.
They planned to evacuate to an inland Fort Myers hotel Tuesday with their 23-year-old Chihuahua and 20-year miniature pinscher. Near their front door were suitcases and dozens of luminary bags hand-painted with messages like Matlacha Strong for a Hurricane Ian remembrance event next month that Godbout is helping to plan. They were among the things she wanted to keep safe and dry.
After Ian, “I just don’t trust the house,” said Rachel Godbout.
“I don’t know how much more it can take,” said Dan Godbout.
Across Pine Island Road, Diane Cammick, had a similar thought. A few days ago, she returned to her 1947 salmon-colored Matlacha cottage after making repairs from flooding caused by Ian. It felt great to be home after nearly a year. The housewarming was short-lived.
On Tuesday, she headed to a neighbor’s house. If Idalia damaged Cammick's home, she didn't know how or if she would handle a second round of repairs. “At 72, you just can’t keep doing this.”
Connect with Janine Zeitlin at jzeitlin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ‘Shell-shocked from Ian’ some leave Pine Island, Matlacha for Idalia
