Hurricane Ian: Minnesota-based Polaris donates UTVs to Florida law enforcement
MINNEAPOLIS – Wednesday marked three weeks since Hurricane Ian tore across Florida.
The Category 4 storm made landfall with sustained winds of 150 mph, killing more than 100 people. The total cost of damage is still being added up, but officials say it will be in the billions and will take months, or years, for some places to recover.
"I keep telling people you can imagine your worst thing, make it worse, and it's still probably not right," said Bonita Beach resident Christine Warsop.
RELATED: Florida county sees spike in deadly infections caused by "flesh-eating" bacteria after Hurricane Ian
Warsop and her friend Laurie, who is a snowbird from Minnesota, would do anything to help their hurricane-ravaged community.
"We just can't sit back and do nothing for our community," Warsop said.
She went to the Lee County Sheriff's Office and asked them what they needed to continue their recovery and clean-up efforts. They told her another ATV would be helpful. After raising enough money to hopefully purchase one vehicle from Minnesota company Polaris, the company gave them an ever better deal. They donated five vehicles.
"It was amazing. We're still in shock," she said.
Just days later, the vehicles arrived in Lee County.
"Having these [Polaris UTVs] gives us the ability to drive over things that we normally couldn't," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. "That search-rescue-recovery, which is very critical, [the vehicles] are critical to our success."
Sheriff Marceno said they're also being used to patrol areas to prevent looting. As of Wednesday morning, he says they have had 37 incidents.
"We're going to protect people, make sure they're safe. We will utilize these [Polaris UTV-type] vehicles to get into the beach ends where some of the roadways have vanished," he said.
Polaris has a history of supporting disaster relief efforts, the company has donated nearly 70 vehicles in the last 10 years to the Salvation Army to help aid in disaster relief.
"For us it's about responding urgently and in a timely manner because after a disaster hits, that's where our vehicles can shine immediately when it's difficult to get other services to some of those locations that have been impacted," said Chris Judson, Polaris vice president and general manager of off road-utility.
The UTVs are not only connecting communities in Florida, but also across the country.
"It's nice to see people who don't have to be here or don't live here that want to help," Sheriff Marceno said.
The friends are still raising money via GoFundMe to continue their efforts and are looking to perhaps partner with a charity.
