Assessing Hurricane Idalia’s damage in Matlacha

The roadways and bridges were all in question following the severe flooding in Matlacha, the day after Hurricane Idalia just missed the area, but now that it is out of our coast with most flooding receding, the cleanup begins.

“We’re just spraying out the house with some hydrogen peroxide, trying to prevent the mold,” said Carlos Bueno, a resident.

Bueno said that is the price he pays for living so close to the water, and still, he said it’s worth every penny.

“I’m very lucky, you know. We didn’t lose any foundation, no roof. You know, we got a little flooding. It happens, and we live in Florida. We’re on the water, so we got to do our best,” Bueno said.

And to help people like Carlos, the Beacon of Hope and United Way is handing out a bucket full of cleaning supplies to those who need it.

“And even after this little hurricane, we have a population of people that are dealing with that issue,” said Frank Berridge, from the Pine Island Community Church, “so I’m out here hard at it this morning and trying to meet the needs of our, you know, our fellow islanders.”

A small community helping each other, one bucket at a time.

By 3 p.m. Thursday, the United Way of Pine Island ran out of supplies to give away, but they will have more again Friday and Saturday at the Beacon of Hope starting at 10 a.m., until supplies last.