Hurricane Ian — One Year Later: Come Together
Pine Island residents step forward to help each other
When Hurricane Ian ravaged Pine Island, Matlacha Pine Island Fire Control District Chief Ben Mickuleit said islanders themselves, through their own selfless and tireless commitment to Pine Island, became instrumental in helping efforts in the midst of the chaos.
“I think that the community as a whole came together and wanted to help however they could. The biggest help we received was the outpouring of support. Our question was ‘What can we do for you’ and the response was, ‘No, no, what can we do for you?’ That was a moral boost for us. The way they supported us and gave back,” Mickuleit said.
The district had followed protocol, planning for the worst case scenario by sending half the equipment and vehicles to the mainland in case of flooding.
When the road on the other side of Matlacha Bridge was taken out, the fire department was in need of help.
Many Pine Islanders stepped forward, offering their own vehicles or boats to be used to transport patients from their homes to the make-shift med-bay where they could then be helicoptered out or sent by boat to hospitals or medical centers on the mainland.
“If people wanted to evacuate the island, we had a helicopter, but a lot of times we transported them from Station 1 to the Yucatan Restaurant and then transported them via boat off island where they were met by LeeTran or some other transportation system to bring them either to a hospital or bring them to a shelter,” Mickuleit said.
This program was established by day two after the hurricane, emphasizing the department’s need for community support, he said.
Residents came together, collecting hurricane supplies and anything useful they had on hand.
“They were willing to give whatever they had to pretty much anybody — it was neighbors helping neighbors,” Mickuleit said.
Assistant EMS Chief Cody Allen said there were multiple reports coming in from various island neighborhoods about residents sharing from their own rations of food and supplies.
“There were numerous stories of different communities, even within communities, helping each other and spreading whatever they had to their neighbors,” Allen said.
Mickuleit hopes and believes the close-knit community can continue to grow together to handle anything that comes through Pine Island.
“It’s been a year. I hope that we as a community, don’t forget how close we were and we continue to be that close, because that’s how we accomplish things — as a team,” Mickuleit said.
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC, please email pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com