Are residents of Fort Myers Beach prepared for another potential storm?

Every storm is different; when Tropical Storm Debby hit Southwest Florida in August, it left a mess on Fort Myers Beach.

The storm flooded roads and scattered sand all over Times Square.

Storm surge wasn’t an issue with Debby, but it’s expected to be with potential Tropical System 9.

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron was at Times Square in Fort Myers Beach to see if the residents felt prepared.

Which depends on how you define prepared.

Some people are ready to put out sandbags and strap down, while others plan to take the weather as it is.

Nature can be unpredictable, and with this storm waiting in the wings, many homeowners tell WINK they plan to wait just the same.

Picture-perfect sunsets are not the only thing on the horizon for southwest Florida.

“A big storm is going to push water up,” explained Bill Kubicek, whose mother lives on Fort Myers Beach. “I’m sure in other places on the street, there’ll be problems.”

Kubicek faced problems during Hurricane Ian when his mother stayed in her home on the island’s south end.

“It was a total mistake. Definitely. There were no tips or tricks,” said Kubicek. “The water was about halfway up the stairs, if you look at the stairs there, and all the way up the garages.”

Yet, looming storms don’t seem to bother Kubicek or his mother.

“I’m not that worried, to be honest, because the place is new, and everything’s like 14 feet in the air,” said Kubicek.

“All of the house is hurricane-proof, and all the windows are hurricane-proof, so I didn’t expect anything really bad to happen,” said Kubicek’s mother, Diane.

Measures the Bossert family hopes to help their half-constructed home survive on the island.

“There’s nothing you can do about nature, so you hope that your house is built well,” Mike Bossert said, “We purchased the land after Hurricane Ian pretty much devastated the previous properties.”

Bill Smith, the manager at Disaster Recovery Services, said, “We hope we never see it again. We can’t afford to see it again. But at the end of the day, you know it’s the reality here in southwest Florida.”

A reality Smith sees daily when working to fix houses damaged by weather.

“Get things off the first floor, move things to higher ground if you expect a water intrusion,” Smith explained. “Just get ready for the worst.”