A Fort Myers Beach business owner who packed her bags and moved from Nebraska months before Hurricane Ian slammed ashore shared her story of resilience Thursday.
"It was great to see the community come together [and] have a sense of normalcy," The RUDE Shrimp co-owner Lisa Lahners said.
She along with local and state officials called for preparedness amid the looming hurricane season.
Hosted by Sen. Rick Scott, the news conference saw other politicians and community leaders take the stand to share their thoughts ahead of this year's hurricane season, which begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
Lahners explained she and TJ Holzapfel opened The RUDE Shrimp, 450 Harbor Court, in March 2022 after moving in January from Nebraska to Fort Myers Beach.
They lost their home, and the building housing their eatery on floated away with the storm surge.
"As we all know, Sept. 28, [2022,] came and turned our world upside down," Lahners explained Thursday.
Lee County, which bore the brunt of the storm,had the highest number of deaths at 67, followed by 10 deaths each in Sarasota and Collier counties. The storm claimed the lives of 144 people.
Lahners said that after being in Southwest Florida for six months, they "weren't ready to pack up." She gasped and sighed as she recalled the destruction the storm brought nearly two years ago.
Sen. Rick Scott: Could take 6 years to rebuild
Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican and former governor of Florida for eight years, said he was recently on Mexico Beach, in Northwest Florida, which took between five and six years to rebuild since Hurricane Michael's impact in 2018.
He urged residents to visit ready.gov, a federal website that provides preparedness ahead of natural disasters.
"You can rebuild the house," Scott said. "You can't rebuild your life."
Sheriff Carmine Marceno: 'We prepare for the worst'
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said living in paradise comes with a cost.
"We pray for the best, but we prepare for the worst," Marceno said. "And we're ready at any given time."
Marceno said he remembers his first glance at Hurricane Ian's aftermath in September 2022 as if it happened yesterday. As Hurricane Ian approached Southwest Florida, it became a Category 5, but had fallen to a Category 4 by time it hit land.
"I looked at the shrimp boats that were stacked up on each other; buildings washed away; personal clothing; debris," Marceno said. "And when I got out of that helicopter, I couldn't believe what I looked at."
Marceno said nothing can be done during a storm and urged residents to plan ahead. He said they had approximately 6,500 calls to 911 when they redeployed after the 2022 storm. Of those, 3,000 calls were welfare checks, he noted.
"We had to identify the property and figure things out," Marceno said. "It's a lot of investigative time."
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis: 'Film the outside of your house'
Jimmy Patronis, state fire marshal and chief financial officer, urged residents to film the outside of their homes ahead of potential storms for documenting purposes.
"Point out what day it is, what time it is, and point out that there's no debris on your house," Patronis said.
Patronis compared creditors with "parasites" and urged residents not to sign paperwork in the heat of the moment.
FMB Fire Chief Scott Wirth: From staff of 10 to 1,000
Fort Myers Beach fire Chief Scott Wirth said after Hurricane Ian the fire district incremented from a staff of 10 to 1,000 first responders after firefighters from across the country pitched in to help.
"That doesn't happen by accident," Wirth said.
Wirth said that with many moving to Florida every day, most of them will have likely never experienced a hurricane before.
"We already know what we're gonna go if we have to get out of the way of the storm," Wirth said, as he urged residents to do the same.
Fort Myers Beach mayor Dan Allers: 'I got to see things that nobody should ever have to see'
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers said he made "one of the dumbest" choices by staying when Hurricane Ian. Thankfully, he said, he wasn't impacted.
"I got to see things that nobody should ever have to see," Allers said.
State Rep. Spencer Roach lost his home
State Rep. Spencer Roach, a Republican, said he lost his home after Hurricane Ian and lived in a trailer for about nine months.
"I'm a veteran of many, many, many hurricanes," Roach said. He added he was in Southwest Florida for Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads@tomasfrobeltran, Instagram@tomasfrobeltranand Facebook@tomasrodrigueznews.
