FORT MYERS, Fla. (WSVN) — Before making its way to Florida’s Big Bend, Tropical Storm Debby left its mark in cities like Fort Myers and others across the state’s west coast.
Residents in the area are now trying to dry off and move forward after back-to-back storms targeted their areas.
Crews were seen on Monday putting things back together in the “Time Square” area of the beaches as they removed heaps of sand that were blown onto walkways.
On Sunday, as the storm was hitting, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office deployed their “Swamp Buggy.” The vehicle navigated the flooded streets to help anyone in hard-to-reach places.
The buggy was able to assist stranded residents across the city.
Video shows cars stuck right in the road as people tried to navigate the waters.
Debby left behind flooded streets across the coastal city.
The Pecina Family, like so many others, were trapped by the dangerously-high waters.
“I tried to leave the island to go to the gym. I tried to go that way (but) my car couldn’t make it through the water, so we turned around and my dad came from that way and he said for as far as like a car, it’s not safe to travel off the island with a car so we’re here,” said a family member.
“I didn’t notice the tropical storm was going on until it started getting really dark and then I looked outside and said ‘Holy (expletive), this is really getting wild’ and then I’m asking my nephew ‘Are we safe?’ and he says ‘It’s like this all the time,’ and the next thing we know the search starts coming up and we’re booking it back to the room,” said another family member.
Just across the river in Cape Coral, several traffic lights went out during the massive flooding.
Jason, who lives nearby, was frustrated with this repeat problem. He said the city can’t keep the traffic lights operational during severe flooding and says they should have learned their lesson after storms washed the area out in January.
“The same areas, you know, usually over and over and we really wish they would do something about it. That’s Cape Coral for you,” said Jason.
Ahead of Debby’s landfall, Governor Ron Desantis declared a state of emergency for over 60 counties in Florida, including Fort Myers in Lee County.
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