Lee County residents trapped on flooded street

Reporter: Ashley French Writer: Tim Belizaire
Published: Updated:
Wildcat Drive Flooding
Credit: WINK News

It’s been over a week since Hurricane Debby made landfall along the Florida Coast. It’s left many homes, businesses and roads damaged.

Some roads are still recovering when Debby passed by Southwest Florida as a tropical storm.

One of the roads that’s still suffering from the storm’s aftermath is Wildcat Drive near Lehigh Acres.

Some residents claimed emergency responders couldn’t get through due to the road conditions.

One resident said that around midnight Sunday morning, 911 was called after someone was found unresponsive in their home.

They needed a flight medic to further assist, making the response time longer than it would be.

That person is doing OK and was responsive by the time medics arrived, according to the resident.

The road conditions are not only bad for first responders but for everyone who lives along Wildcat Drive. This is due to the large puddles from Debby.

Some drivers who live here can’t drive through the water since it may cause damage to their cars.

Jimmy Smith is one of the residents who has a four-wheel drive vehicle and he has lived in the community for years. He said he worries for the neighbors who live in this community.

“We have elderly people who can’t leave the property,” said Smith. “We were working on the road today and a couple came by that haven’t been off their property in a week. They can’t leave because they have a van and you’re not getting through here without a four-wheel drive.”

The road is a county non-maintained road.

This means that the residents have to pay out-of-pocket to get the roads repaired.

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