In Linda Loma, couple rides out Ian with dog in kayak

The Linda Loma community in south Fort Myers was devastated by Hurricane Ian.

The low-lying areas in the community were hit hard by flooding.

Chris Scott, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said it was frightening.

“We all just kind of went into a survival mode,” Scott said. “We stayed here and we rode it out. And the water came in so fast.”

Once the water started to flow in, Scott said she was focused on saving her pets.

“My dog can’t swim,” Scott said.

She opened her garage door and put her dog in the kayak to save him.

“Then my husband went back in the house to get our cat. And he got the cat up on a shelf. And then, at that point, we decided we were going to drown if we stayed in the garage, so we thought we had to get the garage door open,” Scott said.

They opened the garage door and the water really came in.

“And then we just rode it out for five hours with the dog in the kayak and with our life jackets on, standing in the garage in the storm, watching everything,” Scott said. “It was horrific.”

Their home and car were both damaged.

“We were so thankful we’re alive because we felt like we could have drowned,” Scott said.

After the storm, neighbors came together to check on one another.

One neighbor died after he fell and hit his head during the storm, Scott said.

“It’s very stressful. And I just want to thank everybody in the community, though, for all your prayers and all your donations and all your help. We’ve had several people come and volunteer and help us and we appreciate every bit of all the help we’ve gotten,” Scott said.