Mike Walcher

Anita Cereceda, a native of Florida and former mayor of Fort Myers Beach, spoke of what she found when she returned to her home Sunday. Cereceda also owned three businesses of the island, and hopes one can be rebuilt.

Suncoast Estates, the community composed of mostly mobile homes in North Fort Myers, is coping with difficult living conditions and uncertainty after Hurricane Ian. But hundreds of people are getting help from the community center and other resources.

Pet owners who need care for their animals may feel lost right now, because so many local veterinary clinics are closed. But free emergency care is being offered at Terry Park in Fort Myers, thanks to a mobile clinic from the University of Florida.

Clean-up is beginning in earnest in downtown Fort Myers, flooded by Hurricane Ian. Another restaurant is open, and people are clearing water-logged items from buildings. At the same time a man in North Fort Myers is warning looters to stay away from vacant and damaged homes.

Thousands of Southwest Floridians are getting water, ice and food at distribution points and give-away locations across the region. The local government and some volunteer groups are operating the distributions of emergency supplies after Hurricane Ian.

Residents are looking at mobile home damage caused by Hurricane Ian. In North Fort Myers, site of a number of mobile home parks, the initial take is positive in some ways. However some manufactured homes did not survive the pounding wind of the storm.

To evacuate...or not. That's the dilemma facing thousands of people in Southwest Florida as Hurricane Ian approaches. Some decided to ride out the storm, while others loaded their cars and headed for higher ground.

Growth is affecting many parts of Southwest Florida, perhaps none more so than Hendry County and the City of LaBelle, about 30 miles east of Fort Myers. One real estate broker said people are moving inland to get away from high rents and home costs, and to flee heavy traffic and crime. But growth poses challenges to communities that have prided themselves on small town lifestyles.

Some Fort Myers city leaders are voicing concerns about the idea of allowing golf carts on some streets, under certain conditions. City council members want to get more information on how other communities have dealt with golf carts on streets. The idea remains alive with the support of Fort Myers City Councilman Fred Burson.

Lee County Commissioners, Tuesday, approved spending more than $273,000 to purchase an emergency call system that could be quickly set up to take 911 calls in case a natural or man-made disaster renders regular call center locations nonoperational.