Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort MyersThe Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
About 1,300 Bahamians are still unaccounted for after Hurricane Dorian struck two weeks ago. (Credit: CNN) It takes just seconds here to be overwhelmed by the stench of death. More than two weeks after Hurricane Dorian wiped out entire neighborhoods, East Grand Bahama still looks like a war zone. The carnage is so widespread that even police officers can’t bear to see it. “Police say they don’t want to go there. It’s too hard on them to go see their own people,” said Patricia Freling, a Florida nurse who’s volunteering in East Grand Bahama. “They think there will be a lot of bodies. So we are preparing for everything.” Freling is part of a US medic team on an aid trip to Grand Bahama — a once gorgeous island of 51,000 residents before Dorian pulverized it. The team includes paramedics, nurses, a counselor and a retired US Marine. Mental health counselor Betsy Rosander is used to difficult circumstances. But today is different. “I think we are going to be seeing some real tough stuff,” she said. ‘Most people have not wanted to come here’ Brittany Reidy, right, debriefs her team in Freeport before heading to East Grand Bahama. (Credit: CNN) The medical team is led by 29-year-old Brittany Reidy, a nurse determined to help survivors in the most ravaged areas. “Most people have not wanted to come here,” Reidy said. “But we said, ‘Take us to the worst part.'” During the team’s hour-long drive from Freeport to the east end of Grand Bahama, the medics smell the carnage before they see it. “That is the smell of dead bodies,” Reidy said from the back of a pickup truck. The official death toll across the Bahamas is 52. But that number is expected to skyrocket, with 1,300 people still missing two weeks after the hurricane. Some may be trapped under mountains of rubble where houses once stood. Others may have been washed away in the storm surge, their bodies only recently surfacing on land. “My fear is that if no one stacked the bodies, they might still be there,” said Tanya Steinlage, an emergency pediatric nurse practitioner. This is Steinlage’s second aid trip to the Bahamas since Dorian struck. “When I got back the last time, I had to throw out my scrubs,” she said. “I couldn’t take it.” Steinlage said the bodies she encountered had most likely washed up during the storm surges because there were no standing structures anywhere in sight. “They need to bring cadaver dogs out here to find them,” she says. “Right now, they are just (considered) missing.” Long-term health hazards abound Just reaching this part of the Bahamas is a monumental feat. Grand Bahama Highway, a lifeline connecting the entire length of the island, was impassable in many places for days. Now that the highway has been cleared, the medics can reach places where residents had been trapped. They enter one house, but no one is inside. A water line on the wall suggests neck-deep ocean water had surged through the home. “The smell in there is just the mold from all the water,” Reidy said. Freetown Farm, the largest farm in East Grand Bahama, is destroyed. One employee died, and all 100 animals are either missing or dead. (Credit: CNN) Mold isn’t the only long-term heath risk after the storm. In various parts of East Grand Bahama, the stench of sewage fills the air. There’s no running water, and the risk of infection is rampant. Resident Patrice Higgs, 49, survived the storm in Mcleans’ Town Cay. But she cut herself sifting through the rubble. The medics gave her bandages, antibacterial soap and clean water. Another survivor tells the team he saw four people get washed away during the hurricane. But like many other residents, they’re nowhere to be found. “It’s tough,” Steinlage said. “We all went into medicine to help people. And when there are no living (people) to help, we have to redefine our sense of success.” The medics hope many of the missing residents evacuated, either before or after the storm. But they fear many are dead. By the end of their first day in East Grand Bahama, the medics identified at least 30 locations where they smelled corpses — even if they couldn’t see them. Helen Perry, a nurse practitioner and Army veteran, said she hopes cadaver dog teams would come and find the bodies. If they don’t, the decomposing bodies could lead to a cholera epidemic. “You just can’t leave them,” she said. Trying to rebuild from nothing Sean Russell is one of the luckier residents from East Grand Bahama. “I’m alive, and that’s all that matters,” he said. “Not everyone can say that.” But his house was destroyed, as were most of his belongings. “A loss of this magnitude is really tough.” Countless houses were shredded to pieces in the eastern half of Grand Bahama island. (Credit: CNN) Russell breaks down and grapples with flashbacks from the Category 5 hurricane that whipped 185-mph winds and pummeled his island for days. “No one would ever in their wildest dream would believe a storm would come like that,” he said. Now, everything he owns fits in a small overnight bag. On Tuesday, Russell paid $49.50 to board a ship that evacuated hurricane victims to Florida. When he stepped on the boat, he wasn’t sure exactly where he would stay in the United States. “I don’t know what the plan is. But I’m just going by faith,” he said. “We’re starting all over again, because I lost everything.” Russell later learned a volunteer family in Florida was willing to host him. But the long-term plan remains uncertain. The teacher said he would love to rebuild on East Grand Bahama. He’s bought another ticket to return by boat on October 1. But he knows that might not be possible. He has no job to return to, and the building he worked in is destroyed. “After this, I really don’t think the Bahamas will be the same,” he said. “It will not be the same.” The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.