The wait to return to Sanibel Island on Thursday was agonizing for residents and business owners, many of whom were still rebuilding from Hurricane Ian in 2022 and just digging out after Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
“The anxiety and PTSD with Ian, I swear every one of these is taking another five years off my life span,” said Sean Niesel, 34, who took over the Shalimar Beach Resort from his grandparents after it was battered by Hurricane Ian.
The resort still hasn’t recovered from the hurricane two years ago, and Mr. Niesel has been working to rebuild the property and reopen it to tourists. It has been under his family’s ownership for some 20 years.
He rushed to the resort as soon as officials opened the island to residents and business owners around 2:30 p.m.
“I’m alright,” he said. “There is cleanup to do, but for the most part, the structures held strong.”
Sanibel Island, off the coast of Southwest Florida, is renowned for its seashells and its commitment to environmental protection, with 70 percent of the island under conservation. The vast undeveloped tracts help to absorb storm water, but the island floods during storms of Milton’s magnitude.
Hurricane Milton left Sanibel in mixed condition overall. As of Thursday evening, low-lying areas remained underwater, while mounds of sand appeared like snowbanks along Sanibel-Captiva Road, a major island thoroughfare. The island remained without power and its wastewater system was down, though utility crews were hurrying to make repairs.
This year alone, Mr. Niesel has endured months of scares between Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton ever since breaking ground on the resort on March 28, his grandmother’s birthday.
“This whole summer has been storm prep — clean up, prep, clean up,” he said.
Wylie Griffin, 57, was supposed to have had the final inspection Thursday on her Sanibel Island home, which was finally ready for her to move back in after it was severely damaged in Hurricane Ian. She has been living with her mother for two years.
They battened down both of their Sanibel Island properties and evacuated to the mainland before Hurricane Milton arrived. To their relief and delight, the homes were OK when they were allowed back onto the island Thursday.
“It was dry,” Ms. Griffin said of her newly renovated home. “It’s unbelievable.”
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
