Kelly Hayes
Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed the Florida Department of Transportation to assist Lee County to expedite emergency repairs to the roadways that access Pine Island.
FDOT will begin mobilizing equipment, materials and crews starting Sunday, and expect access to Pine Island to be restored by next Saturday. These repairs are needed for first responders and residents to access the island, as well as other recovery efforts such as power restoration and debris removal.
“The 9,000 residents of Pine Island — some still on the island and those not — are without power, water and other critical resources needed to recover from Hurricane Ian,” DeSantis said in a statement. “FDOT has the workforce and resources needed to quickly restore this road and bridge and allow these families access to their homes so they can start rebuilding their lives.”
Pine Island is the largest barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, and it has been largely cut off from the mainland. Hurricane Ian heavily damaged the only bridge to the island, leaving it only reachable by boat or air.
FDOT’s Cut and Toss crews have cleared over 88% of Florida’s roads making transportation corridors passable in most of the state. A temporary road will need to be put in place to reconnect access from the mainland to Pine Island. Once the temporary road is complete, FDOT crews will continue clearing the path through the island to provide safe drivable access for first responders, disaster recovery experts and residents.
“FDOT is committed to serving Florida communities and assisting our partners, especially in such challenging times. Lee County has been a tremendous partner throughout this crisis, and we are glad to support them as they accelerate work to rebuild their community,” FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue said in a statement. “The Department is proud to offer our expertise to be able to safely and quickly restore access to the island and get families the vital supplies and services they desperately need.”
Once immediate recovery efforts have subsided, permanent repairs will subsequently be constructed. While the permanent replacement is expected to take some time to complete, the temporary road and bridges will be a safe short-term option for immediate access.
Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday afternoon near Fort Myers at near-Category 5 strength, bringing with it torrential rain, tornadoes and massive storm surges that flooded a large swath of the Gulf Shore.
The hurricane became the fifth-most powerful to ever hit the U.S. after leveling areas in Fort Myers and Sarasota, leaving nearly 2.7 million people without power.
The hurricane has so far claimed 54 lives: 47 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba. Search and rescue efforts are underway. As of Saturday morning, the U. S. Coast Guard, federal, state and local search and rescue teams saved over 3,500 people and nearly 140 pets. The number of Federal teams supporting search and rescue operations has doubled.
