North Fort Myers man: Street ‘became’ Caloosahatchee River during Ian

A North Fort Myers resident who saw WINK News visiting Sunrise Drive on Tuesday morning asked anchor Annette Montgomery to go see East North Shore Drive, another site of major flooding during Hurricane Ian.

Several street lights were out, and cars sat with their hoods and trunks open. Neighbors say that because their community is on the Caloosahatchee River, their yards were submerged in several feet of water within five minutes once Ian’s storm surge hit.

Randy told me Wi-Fi connection has been spotty. He’s going to fill out a FEMA application in his car. He said they’ve been receiving food/donations from his wife’s job (Truist Bank) and volunteers.
“We lost everything but we know so many people have it worse.” #Ian #Leecounty pic.twitter.com/ZoaRDjjaUN

— Annette Montgomery (@AnnettemTV) October 12, 2022

One neighbor, Randy Barchalk, lost everything: Both his RV and his home flooded. He says he wanted to evacuate, but he waited too long. Barchalk says he won’t make that mistake again.

“From my house to my across-the-street neighbor’s house was completely underwater,” Barchalk said. “We’re estimating about eight feet of water… based on what was in [the RV], so that water just flowed and it just flowed down here, all the way down. We tried to leave at one time. We should’ve never stayed—we learned our lesson. Ian has taught us a major lesson.”

Barchalk says his wife works at Truist Bank, which has been bringing the community food along with volunteers. When Ian struck, Barchalk says his community “became the Caloosahatchee River.”