By Duhane Lindo, American Red Cross, Public Affairs

Fort Myers, Florida, was one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian. As recovery efforts progress, residents there seeking supplies and shelter from the Red Cross describe their ordeal as they try to manage the storm’s wrath.

Janice Greene has lived in Siesta Bay for 11 years and is no stranger to storms. Sitting in her assigned sleeping area, she explains, "We were going to evacuate. But there were no hotels available and nowhere to go.”

Janice and her son packed emergency bags in case they needed to flee and stayed tuned to their ham radio.

Then Ian arrived. 

“I’ve been in hurricanes all my life, but the noise was horrific,” Janice proclaimed. “I’ve never heard something like that. Stuff was flying by.”

Her son looked out the window and saw water moving toward the house from down the street carrying cars along with it.

“We grabbed our emergency bags and tried to escape to a fitness center that was next door for some higher ground," her voice cracked as she spoke. "All of a sudden, the water was up to my neck and then I went under. My son had a hold of me and he turned me around and we got back in the house.”

The house was flooding. Janice and her son did their best to stay above water.  But the water kept rising; they could do nothing more than pray for the storm to stop. Recalling the trauma, Janice tearfully said, "My son told me to let him give me a hug because this might be the last hug he'd give me."

Eventually, the water went down, but Janice and her son had nowhere to go, so they stayed in an uninhabitable house.

“My son was a one-man wrecking crew,” Janice described the work that followed. “He got all the carpet and furniture out all by himself.”

Her son found their American flag and put it on the post that used to support the now-destroyed porch. 

“God bless America,” he declared. Indeed, that day was bright and sunny with blue skies.

Janice spent two days at her house before seeking shelter at one of the Fort Myers Red Cross shelters.

Since Hurricane Ian hit Florida, the American Red Cross and our partners have been working tirelessly to provide food, shelter and comfort for people like Janice and her son facing the heartbreaking devastation left behind. On October 6, 2022, Thursday night, nearly 2,100 people sought refuge in 15 Red Cross and partner shelters across Florida.

“I’ve never been in this kind of situation in my whole life,” she says of the Red Cross. "But what I've seen here, these people must be born with wings because you have to have a different kind of heart to do the kind of work that they do."

To help people affected by Hurricane Ian, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word IAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation.