PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As Southwest Florida continues to clean up and rebuild, a week after Hurricane Ian struck, there is still much to be done. The scope of the storm's destruction is overwhelming, but small acts of human kindness are going a long way to ease the pain.
An American Red Cross official in Bucks County and a Northeast Philadelphia native who now lives in Port Charlotte and was caught in the hurricane's path share their first-hand accounts.
“It's catastrophic down there,” said Guy Triano, regional CEO for the American Red Cross based in Philadelphia. He says volunteers from Southeast Pennsylvania are helping people through some of the darkest moments of their lives.
“The amount of flooding that has happened, and displaced thousands of people — Florida is going to take months to rebound from this.”
It can be hard to imagine, without seeing it firsthand — losing a home because the water just took it away, or losing every possession because it is soaking wet and has to be thrown out.
“Flooding and water damage is a huge concern, and it's something that can't be prevented,” Triano said. “The only thing that we can do is help people rebound that have lost everything — and some of those people have very little.”
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Christine Dolan Turley, who grew up on Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philly, now manages a hotel in Port Charlotte, which, along with Fort Myers, took a direct hit from the storm.
“It's an extremely surreal experience down here right now, and I would give anything for a cheesesteak or something. I can't get any Eagles games, but I'm hearing the good news,” she said, adding a special hello to her hometown.
“It came directly through us,” she said. “The problem with the hurricane was it stayed over us for so long. Every time it would start to shift, winds would put it right back over us. And that is the cause of most of the flooding and damage.”
Turley said she has been overwhelmed by the kindness strangers are extending to each other since Ian blew through.
“I broke down crying last night. I stayed strong for a week,” she said.
Turley said the only thing her hotel is open for is Florida Power and Light or other workers. She said, as a courtesy, she took in some of the workers from another hotel in the area that was completely destroyed.
“One of these workers came up to me last night and just thanked me. I'm so used to getting grabbed here for things that people need. To be grabbed for just a thank-you made me very emotional,” she said.
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“He also asked about a restaurant that was up the street, and I asked him if he had any food. And he said, ‘Yes, what do you need?’ And I said, ‘I was trying to give you food.’ … And he just hugged me. You know, this is a total stranger,” Turley said, her voice beginning to tremble.
Gasoline is a precious commodity in her area right now, as well. And Turley said she witnessed more simple but heroic acts when she was in line for six hours — “It was 3.2 miles long,” she said — to get gas from a Wawa.
“The lady four cars in front of me ran out of gas in the line. And someone from the street that we were lined up on just came out with a gas can. … He gave up his gasoline for a woman he did not even know,” she said.
“And then someone else was walking down the entire three-mile line and handing out waters. For every one that is not dealing with it well, being selfish or grumpy, there's five that are just amazing.”
Both Triano and Turley say the key to being prepared is having an emergency kit ready to go. They say also, withdrawing cash is helpful, because using debit or credit cards in the aftermath of storms like this is often not an option.
Triano says the quickest and most efficient way to help the Red Cross get help and supplies to the people who need it most is to make a financial donation by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or visiting RedCross.org.