Charlotte County bracing for potentially severe weather

With the threat of flooding, communities in Charlotte County are bracing for what’s to come.

It’s no secret that this area of Punta Gorda got hit pretty hard by Ian, and now WINK spoke with homeowners who are finally on the other side of it.

It’s been a long, hard challenge, but on Friday, the conversation with them was much happier than it was after Idalia.

Picking up the pieces of your home after a natural disaster can be grueling, and it’s what many people have had to do in Charlotte County and all of southwest Florida with back-to-back storms hitting within the last 15 months.

People WINK talked to say they are watching the weather with coastal flood warnings up north.

Dave Gammon said he is weeks away from his home being fully repaired after the floors, walls, kitchen, and bathroom were wiped out during Idalia, as well as two of his cars.

“Just hope. There’s nothing you can really do. It’s not like you can lift your house when it’s going up. I’m not worried about it, doesn’t flood very often. It’s always flooded here once every 50 years or something like that. We should be okay,” he said.

As the coastal flood warnings approach Tampa just north of here this weekend, people here said each storm is unpredictable, and many of them are still finishing the devastating emotional process of cleaning up after Idalia. Still, they’re thankful they’re almost done.