Florida’s barrier islands are battered by Hurricane Milton

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Christal Shola was one of dozens of people in a long stream of cars waiting to re-enter Fort Myers Beach on Thursday a few hours after Hurricane Milton slammed into the town. 

She intended to retire in the home on Estero Island, a barrier island on Florida’s Gulf Coast, but it was still under construction after Hurricane Ian ravaged it.

On Thursday, Shola returned to find shingles ripped from the roof, but most of the construction supplies stored on the first floor were spared despite some flooding and sand damage. 

“It’s heart-wrenching to have to keep going through this,” she said. “We have terrific neighbors, we all help each other, and the fact that we all love it here so much — we just keep doing it.”

Milton is the fifth hurricane to have hit the barrier islands in just two years. Residents say that despite the constant threat, rebuilding is worth it. 

“These things punch you in the gut, but you just pick yourself up,” Mayor Dan Allers said, adding that some residents have rebuilt their homes four times in recent years.

Milton spread destruction across Florida overnight, whipping up tornadoes in areas not accustomed to such ferocity and cutting power for more than 3.3 million energy customers. 

The storm killed at least 12 people and put 11 million at risk of flooding.

Local and federal officials have praised residents for taking evacuation warnings seriously and leaving at-risk communities, including the barrier islands, long before the storm hit. 

“I really want to thank the residents of the barrier islands for listening to us this time,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. “I went out there last night before the storm came in, and as they would say, it’s a ghost town out there, and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.”

Bridges to the barrier islands reopened earlier Thursday, but county officials said many homes and businesses do not have power or water, and some roads have not yet been cleared of debris and other hazards.

Other barrier islands remain inaccessible or have limited services for residents.

In Sanibel, residents with identification cards and business owners with permits could return during daylight hours, but city officials warned that a boil water notice and a curfew were in effect. The sewage system was not online, and residents were advised not to flush their toilets. 

In Bradenton Beach, homes were tattered and in pieces after the one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Appliances were strewn in the street, and a window frame sat on its side. Some of the damage was left over from Helene, but new destruction was visible throughout Sanibel Island, including one home that had been dragged from its foundation about a block down the street.

“It’s going to be a long haul for everybody,” said Mayor John Chappie, a seventh-generation resident of Bradenton Beach. “We’re going to get to work and we’re going to clean things back up again and be the great community that we are.”

Sam Brock reported from Fort Myers Beach and Alicia Victoria Lozano from Los Angeles.