Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help

Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.

WINK News reporter Jillian Haggerty spoke with one of the couples who returned home to an unrecognizable home after Milton. They said they’ve never seen it look like this.

Joan and Felix Maroto have never dealt with something like this before; Milton left over a foot of sand behind. They even said Helene and Milton were much worse for them than Ian.

“Oh, much, much, much worse, I would prefer to have Ian than the other two,” Felix said.

90-year-old Felix and 83-year-old Joan Maroto have lived on Fort Myers Beach for over 30 years.

They said that, for them, the impact of Helene and Milton has far surpassed Ian’s, but it’s not just in terms of the damage; it’s also finding help to clean up the mess.

Joan said, “We are a little frustrated, tired, and beaten down. We lost a lot of pavers and bricks and whatever.”

Tired and feeling beaten down, the couple is physically unable to clear the sand and debris.

“We are not physically able to do heavy work,” Felix said.

The Marotos still have to figure out how to clean up their home; they said Fort Myers Beach is a family, and they are thankful that some of the neighbors have come to assist.

“The three men that came mucked out our garage and took out about 6 inches of sand out of our garage and water,” Joan explained.

When asked if they had anyone they could ask or if they’d reached out already, they said, “Fema today, and we are trying to hire somebody, but the answer is ‘We cannot do it now, maybe in a few weeks because the equipment is not available,'” they said.

So, for the time being, it will be a waiting game for the couple.

Until then, they’ll continue to shovel what they can, but they know there are others along Estero Boulevard dealing with the same situation.