Fires, buried in sand, roofs torn off

Betsy Ventura walked along the beach in front of the fallen Mucky Duck restaurant and surveyed the damage to her home island.

Ventura has been in the area since 1984 and is no newbie when it comes to hurricane damage, but this one has gone out of business: YOLO Watersports.

“My house was on Sanibel and was destroyed during Ian,” Ventura said. “And my mother lives on Captiva and I moved in with her. And during Helene it flooded and we had to do it again. So I’m expelled, twice removed.”

She and her family fled to LaBelle during Hurricane Milton, only to return to a devastated barrier island.

“It’s hard,” she said. “We took all our savings and rebuilt it after Ian and all our chips were on the island. After a disaster like this, you don’t want to make big decisions. Financially, I now have to go where it’s free.”

She said the family hopes her mother’s business and home will be repaired soon. Maybe one day she’ll have another house on Sanibel.

Drone video: A view of the South Seas in Captiva after the impact of Hurricane Milton

“We’re going to try to figure out how to get money to repair it because at this point it’s not worth anything,” Ventura said. “It’s just tragic.”

Captiva’s beaches are bare as all the sand has been pushed into the community.

Hurricane Helene destroyed much of the beach area just over two weeks ago, and waves from Hurricane Milton combined with storm surges to inundate the upscale island.

The South Seas at the north end of Captiva were devastated by Hurricane Milton as trees, debris and personal items were scattered through the mangrove canopy across the road.

More than a mile of the north end of the road was still impassable Friday afternoon with about 18 to 24 inches of sand covering the road.

The front half of a navy blue fiberglass stand-up paddleboard hung from a tree. It was surrounded by several yellow sit-on-top kayaks that had been moved at least 200 yards by the storm.

Two huts burned on Captiva

Dumpsters were piled up behind restaurants on Captiva, and a cottage near the island’s bay was still smoldering from a fire that started during Milton.

The smell of burning wood mixed with the afternoon breeze as dump trucks hauled sand around the island.

Houses on the northern end of the island were almost covered in sand. Many of these buildings have a first floor that begins about 1.5 meters above the ground. The gaps between the house and the ground were almost completely filled with beach sand.

Vicinity: Sanibel recovery efforts are underway as residents return after Hurricane Milton

“In some ways the sand caused more damage than Ian did to the structures on the north end of the island,” said Captiva property manager Ken Suarez. “I don’t know what normal is anymore, but I would say within a year you will see a drastic change. The homeowners and business owners here are no fun and get things done quickly.”

Suarez said he visited the island by boat on Thursday to look at some of the properties he manages.

“We went out on Thursday and saw the two Ventura Captiva units burned to the ground. They were still smoking. The amount of sand that came from the tidal wave is just incredible.”

John Sadlowki lives in New York most of the year, but this week he was here to be with his wife during the evacuation from South Seas.

Condominium roof torn off

Sadlowski is chairman of the board of a condominium community called Bayside Villas.

“I’ve looked at probably 60 to 70 percent of the top devices, but so far there’s only been one with water in it, and that’s amazing,” Sadlowski said. “My concern is that that’s my roof over there and it could be a lot worse than I imagine at this point.”

When did he finish Hurricane Ian repairs?

“I’ll let you know,” he said.

Captiva Fire Chief Jeff Pawul said he had not heard of any injuries on the island during the storm and that residents had mostly heeded all weather warnings.

“There were a lot fewer people there this time,” he said. “Our residents and most of our guests listened very well this time.”

Pawul and his crew evacuated the island due to Hurricane Milton. He said it was the only practical decision.

“There is no reason to jeopardize public safety if you can’t do anything,” Pawul said. “The only way we could do anything is if we evacuate and come back, but otherwise I’m putting my entire staff at risk for no reason.”

Fines and prison in third street sexual harassment trial

All arrests and criminal citations in St. Mary's County from 9/24/2024 to 10/3/2024 - Southern Maryl...

Kosovo Serbs plead not guilty over Banjska attack

Fires, buried in sand, roofs torn off

Two huts burned on Captiva

Condominium roof torn off

Related posts:

By Hudson Brooklyn

You Missed

No criminal charges against Asst Police Commissioner Brutus on first charge; SOCU awaits advice on recommended fees from “expansive” investigation

DEAD ICARUS (ex-ATREYU) Shares “1 Million Days” Ahead of Halloween Release of “Zealot”

Goldman Sachs reports strong financial results for the third quarter of 2024

2 police officers injured in car chase accident in Westlake, Los Angeles

Fires, buried in sand, roofs torn off

Two huts burned on Captiva

Condominium roof torn off

Related posts:

By Hudson Brooklyn

Related Post

No criminal charges against Asst Police Commissioner Brutus on first charge; SOCU awaits advice on recommended fees from “expansive” investigation

DEAD ICARUS (ex-ATREYU) Shares “1 Million Days” Ahead of Halloween Release of “Zealot”

Goldman Sachs reports strong financial results for the third quarter of 2024

You Missed

No criminal charges against Asst Police Commissioner Brutus on first charge; SOCU awaits advice on recommended fees from “expansive” investigation

DEAD ICARUS (ex-ATREYU) Shares “1 Million Days” Ahead of Halloween Release of “Zealot”

Goldman Sachs reports strong financial results for the third quarter of 2024

2 police officers injured in car chase accident in Westlake, Los Angeles