In this Fort Myers neighborhood, many Black residents have faced the devastation of Hurricane Ian on their own. They say authorities are ignoring them — to focus on helping affluent seaside communities.
Earline McCoy has lived next door since 1969. She's seen a lot of hurricanes come through here in the last five decades. But this one tops them all, she admits.
The roof on the back side of her house heaved up and down in the fierce winds, causing the drywall ceiling to give way and collapse. Lucky for her, she's insured. Outside nearby Dunbar High School, which is being used as a temporary shelter, Sheddrick Jacobs and his wife Sheneka wait for a bus to take them to the centralized shelter, with power and water, at the Hertz Arena in Estero.
As the storm closed in, she evacuated to nearby Naples,"but they got hit just as bad, and I lost my truck there."