CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – After Hurricane Milton, Raphaela Williams pleaded for help for Charlotte County’s Little Gasparilla Island, a barrier island with a seven-mile beach. It’s only reachable by boat. Cars aren’t allowed, so residents drive golf carts over thin sandy pathways.
Williams evacuated, and when she returned used a generator, Starlink, and Facebook to share photos of the destruction on the We Love LGI group. She reported the island’s chapel survived, some docks had vanished, there was tons of debris, and houses suffered heavy damage.
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“Looks like a train went through our downstairs and exited on the other side,” Williams wrote about her home.
Other residents and former island tourists asked Williams for updates about specific places on the island. Her photos on Thursday showed homes on stills that had crumbled. There was water and sand intrusion. Golf carts were thrown around like toys.
Across the harbor, on the mainland, William Meyers, of Charlotte County’s Rotonda West community, worried the island had been forgotten.
“No official or aid has reached us since Hurricane Milton hit. It’s like we no longer exist while others get the resources,” Meyers wrote in a GoFundMe. “The devastation is immense, and heavy machinery will be needed just to begin the recovery. It’s heartbreaking and traumatic to witness the destruction.”
Williams had similar concerns. She asked island residents returning to the island to check on their homes after Hurricane Milton to bring back work gloves with sizes for both men and women, “machines, propane, gas, food” and helping hands.
Rob Roberts shared aerial videos on Facebook after a flight over the island on Friday. These showed how the sand washed up from the shoreline.
The situation was starting to change on Saturday. Karress ORourke reported officials, including the Sheriff, were on the island. Williams shared a photo showing a few boxes with emergency-ready meals and water and announced the fuel dock was open for business, but only accepted cash.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released satellite images of the island on Saturday.
NOAA, tasked the National Ocean Service team with aerial surveys and the National Geodetic Survey team with imagery to determine flood damage and compare baseline coastal areas. The images support the response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.
Federal survey flights to capture images of Hurricane Milton’s destruction continued on Saturday to raise awareness.
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