Pine Island companies want your business

PINE ISLAND, Fla. – If you drive through Pine Island two years after Hurricane Ian, you'll see signs of progress and hope. Restaurant area reopened, bridges under construction and people working on the island. What you may not see or realize from the main street is that so many people are still struggling to get back on their feet.

Erin Lollar Lambert sees the difficulties firsthand. She is executive director of the Greater Pine Island Alliance, a long-term recovery group on the island that helps people still living in crisis.

“We still have so many people who are 100% displaced,” Lambert explained. “The other day we got a call that we had to clear out and gut a house. We have survivors living in active form. “We have young families living in RVs and trailers because their homes are not yet solvent,” she said.

Erin's team at GPIA says it's not uncommon to meet Islanders who have no idea there's still help out there available to them.

“We hear this all the time, but people have no idea that resources still exist,” she said.

“We have the underinsured, we have the uninsured, we have the elderly who are still in the brain fog of the storm and can't process that there are things that need to be demonstrated,” Lambert said.

It’s not just homeowners who face these challenges. Two years later, local businesses are trying to get back to “normal.” The Waterfront Restaurant in Saint James City reopened just six months ago. They want people to drive to Saint James City to visit them and the owner of Blue Dog in Matlacha confirms that.

John Lynch lost so much in his restaurant during Ian. There was several meters of water inside the building.

“There’s salt water in here for about six hours, just like in a washing machine. Anything four feet or deeper was simply ruined by salt water,” John recalls.

Despite the overwhelming loss, he was fortunate to be able to salvage a few things at Blue Dog.

“We had walls, we had a roof and we were lucky, more than anything. So we immediately felt like we needed to rebuild,” he said.

Just three and a half months later, the Blue Dog was operational again. As we talked about the emotions he was experiencing during this time, one thing in particular stood out to us. John thought about the people.

“The community was great. And we had neighbors who lost everything that came and helped us, and they lost everything.” He gave me goosebumps as he talked about how great the community was.

As the rebuilding of Pine Island continues and there is still a long road ahead, John encourages everyone to remember those still suffering from the effects of the storm.

“There are people who still suffer every day. So while most places around Southwest Florida, Pine Island, Matlacha, Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach have returned, these people are still in the thick of it and you can do everything you can to support them and help them,” he said.

Lollar Lambert says she's in it for the long haul.

“We will continue to do so until we have returned all survivors to a safe, sanitary and protected environment. The road to recovery is long, but together we are stronger than the recovery.”

If you would like to learn more about the Greater Pine Island Alliance – whether you need help with your home or business or would like to donate time, supplies or money – click here.