North Port, Fla. Families in Hurricane Ian-ravaged areas north of Fort Myers were still grappling with dangerous conditions, waterlogged homes and rescue efforts.
While the water had receded to a great extent straight hit cape coral And its neighboring city, some 50 miles north, with distressed residents still trapped inside their homes – some of whom needed medical attention.
Mary Simon, a 44-year-old nurse, stood at the water’s edge on South Cranberry Boulevard, asking anyone with a boat, kayak, or paddle board to help her diabetic relatives, who were stranded three blocks away. Were.
“They are stranded for almost three days. They have no food or water,” Simon told The Post.
“I hate to say it, she really wasn’t ready to be trapped.”
Simon feared that his sister, 37-year-old Charlotte Pierre, and his two diabetic children, Jania, 12, and Jayasiha, 11, might slip into a coma or die if they were not rescued quickly.
Simon says she wants to help, but cannot navigate the treacherous flood waters.
“I’m thinking of walking into his house, but I don’t know how deep it is and I’m not a swimmer,” she said.
Hurricanes ravaged the area with record-breaking winds on Wednesday and Thursday, she said, adding that Pierre became frantic as all three of his home phones ran out of batteries.
“I can’t call him,” she said, with her sister also turning to social media for help.
“This morning he used my nephew’s phone to ask for help on Facebook, but now all the phones are dead and they don’t have a generator to charge,” Simon said.
She said her relatives likely had enough meds – but food was just as important.
“He probably has medicine but taking medicine without food is not as safe as a diabetic. She’s probably not taking her medicine so her sugar doesn’t drop,” Simon said.
“Their diabetes can be life-threatening. They cannot control it without food,” she said.
North Port Police said on Friday that rescue teams were rushing to help those trapped in floodwaters.
“The rescue operation is on. Hundreds have already been brought to dry ground,” the department tweeted,
The water will continue to rise in some areas. If you need to get out, call 911. Assistance will continue as needed. Thank you to everyone who has come to support the efforts.”
Meanwhile medical care had become scarce. In neighboring Charlotte County, all hospitals except for Shorepoint Health Port Charlotte were closed due to the storm, putting a huge strain on the emergency room.
One woman, Pat, had been waiting for three hours to treat her 88-year-old mother after she was bitten by the animal.
They had to line up outside the hospital because the inpatient waiting room was full, with at least 60 people in front of them, but was glad to have an open hospital in the end.
She told The Post: “This is the only hospital open. We tried to go to Venice and all the roads were under water. [Others] were closed.
“We were driving for three hours before we met [here].Nobody knows anything.
“There was a lack of communication. Not even the radio is telling what’s going on. It’s a madhouse here.
“It’s very, very, very crowded.”
Other patients said they too had waited for hours in the Florida heat and had no electricity, water or WiFi in their homes.
Thomas, a construction worker, described how the ceiling of his bedroom collapsed and later badly cut his leg while clearing storm debris.
He said: “I went to the hospital across the street, but they are closed because the roof has collapsed.
“I will just have to wait but there are a lot of people ahead of me so it is going to take some time.
“I’m in pain. It’s burning.
“There’s chaos right now.”