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Tropical Storm Nicole will not be as intense as Ian, but the damage Ian did could make the effects of Nicole worse. Just like in Cape Coral, storm drains are filled up with debris, and ever since Ian, whenever it rains, the roads and streets of Cape Coral flood, making it a pain to get around the city. Six weeks after Hurricane Ian hit Cape Coral and in some places, you’d think the storm hit a few days ago. There’s so much debris, so many reminders of a storm that Cape Coral resident Barbara Becchino will never forget Ian. “I was home. The water came pouring in. I was trying to climb up a ladder to get on the roof. But I stayed in the house. It was a nightmare,” Becchino said. Debris getting cleaned up in Cape Coral. CREDIT: WINK News Becchino doesn’t want to deal with another storm headed toward Cape Coral, but Nicole isn’t considering Becchino’s desires as it moves closer to Florida. “My house was flooded. I’m in the process of you know repaired like everybody else it’s been a sad time,” Becchino said. Crews are still trying to clear away Ian’s mess while Nicole is pushing toward Florida. Drivers have noticed the drain inlets along Del Prado Boulevard are blocked by debris. Before Ian, the area typically saw flooding on Cape Coral Parkway. That begs the question, what happens with Nicole? That’s what Ryan Kassick thinks about when he drives around seeing all the debris in Cape Coral. “It’s just going to build up usually on lower points on the road it’s just going to puddle up and that’s dangerous because you can hydroplane,” Kassick said. For example, WINK News found a drain off Coronado and Del Prado, which is a Lee County-maintained intersection. A county spokesperson said FDOT will check the area out, something the county has been doing to its 100,000 outfalls in the county since Ian hit. For city inlets, Cape Coral public works crews regularly monitor and maintain them. “It’s such a mess. It’s so sad to see that. Everything was so beautiful,” Kassick said. Fortunately, it will be like that again, it’ll just take a little bit longer.