Punta Gorda is grappling with the aftermath of two major hurricanes in just two weeks—first Hurricane Helene, and now Hurricane Milton.
As floodwaters receded into Charlotte Harbor on October 10, 2024, WGCU’s Tara Calligan spoke with reporter Mike Braun who was in the field as residents returned to assess their homes and businesses.
Tara Calligan
Mike, you're out in the field today after Hurricane Milton came through Southwest Florida. Where are you right now?
Mike Walcher
We're in Punta Gorda, right next to Charlotte Harbor, and this area here has taken a second hit in the past two-and-a-half weeks. First Helene, caused tremendous amount of flooding and property damage, loss of vehicles from that storm surge, and now Milton has hit. Again, second time, flooding and many homes have water.
Lot of cars have been pushed up into people's front yards, and some of the downtown businesses, such as the Celtic Ray Pub and Restaurant, flooded for the second time, and within the past three weeks, this time worse. We were there. The waters have gone, gone back down after the surge, but the water was a good four-and-a-half feet with Milton, after about four-feet from Helene, just a short time ago.
Tara Calligan
You were also able to speak with some residents as well. You'd mentioned to me that someone was considering, "this might be my last time. This might be my last hurricane season here in Florida."
Mike Walcher
Yeah, we just talked to a man named Roger Goode, 72 years-old. He is his home flooded with Helene. [He] had water up roughly to his, really up to his shoulder. First time in 45-years they've had that much.
They've had like an inch or two at times in 45 years, but not enough to discourage them or drive them out. Helene brought in water up to his shoulder. Milton, last night, brought in again, water up to his shoulder. He says this time it may be too much to rebuild. They may just, he and his wife, may just walk away. They may be done.
Tara Calligan
Where did you meet him? Was it at his was it at his home, or was it downtown?
Mike Walcher
Yeah, no, he was walking away from his home. He and his wife, they lost one of their two cars last night, and they don't quite know what to do. They were both. have been soaked, and they were just kind of walking downtown almost in a daze.
I talked to another woman, her house also flooded for the second time in the past two weeks, and she she is over there hoping to remediate and to rebuild from the flood. They had just gutted the inside of her house after Helene's flood of about two feet, I think, as she said, and then Milton brought in a little bit more overnight, so they will see how much can be covered by insurance, and start again with the remediation and see if they can possibly rebuild.
Tara Calligan
I know we'll have sound and some sights from you with those stories in it. Driving from where we are here on WGCU, we're on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers near Estero. What were the roadways like? As you were traveling over to Punta Gorda?
Mike Walcher
Roadways were fine. There was a reasonable amount of traffic on I -75 heading north. And, yeah, that's just the house we're right now pulling up to Roger Good's house. And, oh yeah, it is completely it's a mess. Anyway, the roads were good here in Punta Gorda. Everything downtown is coated with a sticky, gooey mud that's what's left.
As one man said at the Celtic Ray said, "it's like we got the bottom of Charlotte Harbor brought up and dumped right on us and left here." And yes, there's just an inch of sticky, gooey mud everywhere.
Tara Calligan
How would you describe the impacts of Hurricane Milton to Southwest Florida, just generally speaking, as you've been watching and covering this hurricane?
Mike Walcher
Well, yeah, we had a chance to drive around a little bit in Lee County and some in North Fort Myers also. And it's pretty clear that Lee County, at least many parts away from the coast, we can't get to the coast right now, but away from the coast, Lee County did reasonably well, but you don't see a lot of downed trees.
You see some palm fronds here or there, but we did not see, going through some mobile home communities and passed them, did not see the usual, huge, twisted metal from the roofs. Everything looked pretty decent and and there was minimal flooding. Charlotte County, different story. Certainly when you get close to Charlotte Harbor, that was clear. The surge here was quite severe.
There are sailboats and other boats that have been thrown, have been pushed out of the water, out of the Peace River, Charlotte Harbor, and dumped on the south side of the bank, which is the city park that runs along the shore of the harbor, South Shore in Punta Gorda, there were at least three of those that have been washed a good you know, 50 to 60 feet from the shoreline and then just dumped in the park.
Tara Calligan
Are you seeing long lines at gas stations? Are you seeing anything casually, as you're observing, even just driving by?
Mike Walcher
When we were in North Fort Myers, I was surprised there were a couple of gas stations that were open and selling, and the lines were not real long. We're talking, you know, eight or 10 cars lined up. That's pretty short by hurricane standards. And so people were gassing up. And that was not at seven in the morning. That was at 9:30-10 o'clock this morning. So, there is gas available now, I have not had a chance to check out the gas situation here at Charlotte County.
Mike Walcher
Several people are making the point that[Hurricane] Ian was more of a wind to that in Charlotte County. And sure, there was some flooding, of course, but it wasn't as bad as Helene and Milton the storm surge from these last two coming up Charlotte, Charlotte Harbor, I have just been devastating the wind, no t so much, but people are having to clear out parts of their houses and rip out a dry wall and put new flooring in, and all of those post flood things.
Tara Calligan
When you're speaking to residents, were they coming home after evacuating to an emergency shelter, or were they people who had sheltered in place?
Mike Walcher
Mostly the people who did evacuate. I haven't found anybody who tried to write it out here, but most of the people did evacuate are now coming back and seeing the damage, seeing what's happened with flooding, and they're walking around, seeing the boats in the park and all that kind of thing.
Tara Calligan
Mike, as we wrap up right now, tell me where you are currently and who you're going to speak with.
Mike Walcher
Okay, we're right now, we're on West Olympia. We are getting some video, actually for TV, of Roger Good's flooded house, and it was typical after storm surge. You see some water on the curb, but the water has drained back and gone back into the harbor, but the damage is done once it gets inside the house and is there for even a few hours.
The damage has been done, and the mold is there, and will start growing very quickly, and you've got to tear out everything, and dry it completely, and so on, and and that's what we're seeing along Olympia and some of the other streets here in the residential area. Punta Gorda.
Tara Calligan
Mike Walter, thank you so much for your time. Please stay safe out there, and we look forward to seeing you back at the station.
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