FAMILY SHARE THEIR REACTION TO TODAY’S NEWS. YOU’LL HEAR FROM THEM TONIGHT ON THE 10 O’CLOCK
NEWS.
>> COVERING IAN’S IMPACT MORE
THAN 2 WEEKS SINCE THE
CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE MADE
LANDFALL IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.
RESIDENTS. YOU TRYING TO
REBUILD, BUT IT’S A SLOW
PROCESS. GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
REVEALED TODAY ALL SCHOOL
DISTRICTS WILL RETURN TO THE
CLASSROOM BY TUESDAY. SOME
SCHOOLS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN FOR 3
WEEKS STRAIGHT NEWS, 4 JAX
REPORTER VIC MICOLUCCI HAS
SPENT THE WEEKEND THE HARDEST
HIT AREAS WHERE LOCAL TEAMS
ARE TRYING TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE WAKE OF
UNBELIEVABLE DAMAGE.
>> THIS WEATHER DOESN’T HELP
JUST SLOWING DOWN THE RECOVERY
EFFORTS. THERE IS SO MUCH WORK
TO BE DONE HERE IN SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA, BUT THERE ARE ALSO A
LOT OF RESOURCES. RESIDENTS
BANDING TOGETHER TO HELP EACH
OTHER AND THEN A STEADY STREAM
OF FIRST RESPONDERS FROM ALL
OVER, INCLUDING NORTHEAST
>> I HAVE NO RUNNING WATER AND
NO ELECTRICITY. WE FIRST MET
TINA THOMAS, YOU KNOW, 2 WEEKS
AGO. RIGHT AFTER HURRICANE IAN
RIPPED THROUGH FORT MYERS.
HERB ARE FLOODED AND HAS
SEVERE DAMAGE. BUT SINCE THEN,
SHE HAS USED IT AS A MEETING
PLACE FOR NEIGHBORS TO THIS
DAY. THEY COME HERE TO SHARE
FOOD AND SUPPLIES. JAY HAS
BEEN AN EMOTIONAL DAY. WHAT
HAD BEEN SO EMOTIONAL, JUST
CAUSE. IT’S BEEN.
>> OVER A WEEK NOW AND IT’S
JUST SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY’S
TRYING TO GET LIFE BACK TO
NORMAL AND THE DEVASTATION IS
SO BIG. AND SO LOOK STILL,
IT’S STILL DIRTY. IT’S STILL
LIKE NOTHING’S GETTING PICKED
UP. IT’S STILL LIKE WE’RE
WONDERING WHEN THAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
>> BUT EVERYBODY STILL COMES
HERE AND THEY COME WITH A
SMILE. SOME DROP BY TO COLLECT
OTHERS TO DONATE TOILETRIES,
CLOTHES, CAMPING SUPPLIES.
MANY RESIDENTS HERE LOST JUST
ABOUT EVERYTHING, BUT THEY’RE
WILLING TO SHARE THE LITTLE.
THEY HAVE LEFT.
>> THE OWNERS OF THIS FOOD
TRUCK DONATING THEIR KITCHEN
AND THEIR TIME. JAY WAS
AMAZING. THIS PLACE WAS JUST
EVERYBODY WAS HERE AND THEY
WERE LAUGHING AND AS SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA SLOWLY PUTS THE PIECES
BACK TOGETHER. THEY’RE GETTING
HELP FROM ALL OVER THE
DETECTIVE ALEX APONTE IS WITH
A TASK FORCE FROM SAINT JOHNS
AND PUTNAM COUNTIES HELPING
OUT DEPUTIES IN CHARLOTTE
COUNTY. SOME PEOPLE LEFT AND
THEY’RE NOT BACK YET TO.
>> COME CLEAN UP THEIR MESS
COMING FROM THE HURRICANE TO.
STEPH’S LEFT UNPROTECTED.
WE’VE GOTTEN CALLS WHERE
PEOPLE AS A CALLED INTO
DISPATCH AND WANTED TO
>> HAVE A DRIVE BY THEIR HOUSE
AS MOST PEOPLE HERE TRY TO
HELP ONE. ANOTHER CRIMINALS
ARE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF RESIDENTS, LOOTING AND
FRAUD HAPPENING AROUND THE
CLOCK. THESE DEPUTIES ON THE
LOOKOUT.
>> THEY’RE ANSWERING CALLS FOR
SERVICE, A PROACTIVE POLICING,
THE BURGLARIES OF INCREASE.
I’M SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT
WITH BUSINESSES BEING A, YOU
KNOW, MTN DESTROYED.
>> SO BURGLARY ARRESTS HAVE
BEEN VERY PREVALENT. WE CAUGHT
UP WITH THE SHERIFF ROB
HARDWICK AND GATOR DELOACH.
THEY’RE CHECKING ON THEIR
TEAMS, PLEDGING RESOURCES AS
LONG AS NEEDED.
>> AND IT GIVES OR OLDER THEIR
DEPUTIES AN OPPORTUNITY TO
COME, JUST STEP BACK AND TAKE
A BREATHER FOR A MINUTE. RELAX
YOUR CHECK ON THE FAMILY’S TO
THE EXTENT THAT THEY CAN.
>> DOWN THE ROAD IN LEE
COUNTY, JACKSONVILLE.
SHERIFF’S OFFICERS ARE HELPING
OUT CAMPING IN TENTS SO THEY
DON’T TAKE HOTEL ROOMS FROM
OTHERS. AND WE CAUGHT UP WITH
CREWS FROM CLAY COUNTY AND
NASSAU COUNTY.
>> THEY’RE ALL PITCHING IN,
HOWEVER THEY AND IF YOU’D LIKE
TO HELP, WE’VE GOT A LIST OF
THE NONPROFIT’S, THE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE MAKING
A DIFFERENCE DOWN HERE. WE’VE
POSTED THEIR LINKS ON OUR
WEBSITE NEWS 4 JAX DOT COM,
VIC MICOLUCCI CHANNEL 4, THE
LOCAL STATION.
>> AND WE WANT TO TELL YOU
ABOUT SOME OF THE RESOURCES
THAT ARE AVAILABLE NOW. IF YOU
WANT TO HELP SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA, THE FLORIDA DISASTER
FUND, THAT’S THE STATE’S
PRIVATE FUND ESTABLISHED TO
HELP COMMUNITIES AS THEY
RECOVER FOLLOWING EMERGENCIES.
VOLUNTEER FLORIDA TAKING
APPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTEERS TO
CLEAN UP AND REBUILD SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN.
THEY’RE TAKING DONATIONS,
HELPED SERVE MEALS TO
HURRICANE VICTIMS. THE
SALVATION ARMY ALSO TAKING
DONATIONS TO DELIVER FOOD
SUPPLIES AND SHELTER AS
NEEDED. WE’VE TEAMED UP WITH
THE RED CROSS TO COLLECT
DONATIONS FOR HURRICANE IAN
VICTIMS. SO FAR WE’VE RAISED
MORE THAN $31,000. THE LAST
DAY TO DONATE IS TOMORROW. SO