Twins' Fort Myers complex hosting emergency service personnel, World Central Kitchen
Like much of Fort Myers in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Hammond Stadium is a dramatically different sight.
Gone are the ballplayers and fans. They’ve been replaced by emergency vehicles and tents.
Matlacha press conferences: Key figures from DeSantis, Marceno press conferences in Matlacha after Hurricane Ian
More: Hurricane Ian wiped out Pine Island and Matlacha
The Minnesota Twins’ home during spring training – and the home to the team’s Single-A affiliate, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels – opened up Lee County Sports Complex as an emergency staging area following the overwhelming effects of the storm.
On a recent MLB broadcast, Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said he believed everyone affiliated with his organization was accounted for, adding that the complex suffered wind damage and limited water damage.
READ: Damaged piers, homes and businesses: Hurricane Ian aftermath photos in Florida
LIVE UPDATES: Lee County sheriff Marceno: 35 deaths in Lee County
A part of the Fort Myers community for 30 years, the Twins are focused on efforts to help the community going forward, including the decision to allow emergency personnel to operate from the complex, according to St. Peter.
”I’m proud of that,” he said on a recent MLB broadcast. “I think it’s a good thing that the county and the Twins’ relationship is set up in a way that we can help support that community in this time of need.”
On Saturday, the stadium showed signs of the storm with downed trees and signage ripped down. But most critically, the parking lots and fields were filled with all kinds of emergency personnel – from state law enforcement to agents from the state Fish and Wildlife Commission and Forest Service.
Portable toilets lined the parking lots, along with tents, lawn chairs and clothing lines.
Nonprofit founded by José Andrés had space at Twins complex as well
The complex also had an area set up for World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit founded by chef José Andrés, offering hot meals in the wake of global disasters.
WCK was set up in Tampa before Ian hit and began serving meals after the storm was over, said Jason Collis, the nonprofit’s vice president of relief operations.
“This came through Lee County EOC,” he said. “They worked out with the Twins to allow us to use this as a home base here.”
WCK currently has three distribution centers in Southwest Florida with local food trucks and restaurants. They are located at South Trail Shopping Central in Fort Myers, Publix Cape Coral Landing and Port Charlotte Walmart.
The nonprofit also has a pair of food trucks at Lee Memorial Hospital, Collis said.
“To be able to offer a hot meal with dignity and comfort in a time of need makes us feel that we’re able to help, and our community outreach teams are going out into the communities and finding the forgotten,” he said.
More were ready to jump into action: A pair of emergency personnel were awaiting orders as they stood next to a cornhole set near the ballpark.
Ryan Quigley, of Hernando County, and Alex Scaglione, of Pasco County, got the call on noon Wednesday that their help was needed.
“For an incident of this size, I think they’ve done a pretty good job coordinating efforts,” Scaglione said.
Quigley could only imagine this experience must be like for emergency servicemen and women who live in the most devastated communities.
“Obviously, it’s all devastating, but for the guys that this is their home field, they’re going to work until they can’t work anymore,” he said.
Quigley has seen civilians stepping up, too.
“You got a lot of resources, you got a lot of people that are willing to help,” he said. “I know I got buddies from Brooksville bringing their excavators, their skid steers and loading their trucks down with water and supplies.”
They plan to be in Fort Myers for up to two weeks. They came down in six ambulance busses and a rehab center and are sleeping in the busses.
“We’ve been living it pretty good,” Scaglione said. “We’ve got TV, we’ve got satellite phone, we have a kitchen. We haven’t had it too bad.”
Still, it’s a mighty task for the foreseeable future, and helpers from across the state are prepared to pitch in any way they can.
“We’re just waiting to go to work,” Quigley said. “As soon as they say jump, we’re saying how high.”
Follow News-Press Sports Reporter Dustin Levy on Twitter: @DustinBLevy. For additional coverage of sports across Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Minnesota Twins: Spring training base serves as emergency staging area
