Fort Myers Beach woman prepares for Tropical Storm Helene

For the last two years, WINK News has been the place to tell you about the highs and lows of what it has been like to rebuild on Fort Myers Beach.

On Tuesday, we went lot to lot to talk to and meet people, as Tropical Storm Helene makes its way north to Florida.

Sue Haynes has her work cut out for her. She has to move her RV, where she’s lived since Hurricane Ian, but the tricky part is in the back.

Sue has a lot of construction in her backyard. She is terrified of any storm surge, wind, and rain Helene may bring. It could ruin everything.

Haynes is finally rebuilding her home with the help of her sister and her sister’s boyfriend. Ian crumpled it up and left it in shambles, and starting over hasn’t been easy.

“It’s a struggle. We’re determined to get through it, but it’s emotional, and it’s backbreaking. We can’t just write a check and have someone do the work for us, but all we want is our home back,” Haynes said.

Tuesday morning, Haynes found a letter on the door of her RV parked in her lot. The note was from the town letting her know that she has to move all the equipment before the storm’s surge, wind and rain roars through the beach.

Haynes told us that reading it made her stomach drop.

“The anxiety is at a high level right now. I’m not sure how it’s going to go,” she said.

She knows the storm will not be Ian but told us she can’t help but worry. Her RV, her clothes, it’s all she has left, so she’s going to pack what she can in her car and drive it to her mother’s house.

“I have this fear that whatever I take is all I’m going to have, going to try to get through it. I’m gonna cry. I just want a home again,” she said.

Haynes told WINK News that while she’s terrified, she’s taking action, preparing and thinking positively. She said that while Ian took everything, the storm prepared her for anything.