Pittsburgh family that recently moved to Fort Myers recounts Hurricane Ian and aftermath
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Pittsburgh family that relocated to Fort Myers, Florida several years ago said they escaped the worst from Hurricane Ian, but the devastation they've seen is unbelievable.
KDKA's Jon Delano has known Bill and Louanne Davis for nearly 30 years. They were longtime residents of the South Hills before moving to Fort Myers.
Late Wednesday just before Ian struck, Louanne Davis sent an email saying they were hunkering down and then for several days, KDKA's Jon Delano heard nothing.
"This was one of the worst things I've seen in my life," Bill Davis told KDKA's Jon Delano on Monday.
The Davis family is just getting in touch after the hurricane struck late Wednesday night.
"The power's coming back on sporadically," says Bill Davis. "There's no water that you can drink, so we have to go get water."
"People have been getting up a 3 a.m. in the morning to try to get in line for gas," he added.
Bill Davis admits they are the lucky ones.
"We had a lot of damage, but it was never life-threatening damage for us. But I know people in Fort Myers Beach. There's been deaths, finding bodies floating the water, and there's still thousands unaccounted for," he says.
Bill Davis lost a car in flooded waters, a carport, and lots of downed trees, but his area, about 10 minutes from the coast, survived the rain and winds of 144 miles per hour.
"Our buildings are newer buildings. They were built with all the latest hurricane codes, hurricane windows," says Bill Davis.
As for criticism of local officials about warnings, he says the storm was unpredictable and many in Florida won't leave their homes.
"The Lee County Sheriff's Department and all their communications were great. They were telling everybody, 'Look, this is a big storm. You need to get out of here, especially in the coastal areas,'" Bill Davis said.
He says it will take years to bring the whole region back, but right now, people are just thankful to be alive.
