'They are stranded there.' Pine Island resident who evacuated says she's worried about those who stayed on island

It took Helen Fox about a half hour to gather her clothing, medicine and water. She and her husband made the decision around lunchtime Tuesday to evacuate their home in Bokeelia on the north end of Pine Island.

Before leaving, she packed away photographs of their children and their own childhood, and other momentos collected over the years, placing them in plastic bins and even her washing machine.

“But the things that I found I was putting in waterproof containers, all the old mementos, old photographs, things from friends that you had accumulated over the years that you kind of take for granted when you live with them, but in an emergency you realize that's your life. That's the story of your life,” she said Friday morning from a friend’s home in Fort Myers, where they rode out the storm.

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Her voice caught briefly when speaking about them.

“It’s emotional to think about,” said Fox, who is the president of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association. “We were so fortunate compared to so many people.”

Fox doesn’t know how their house fared, but had asked one of her neighbors who stayed behind to check on it. As of Friday morning, she hadn’t heard yet, but knows he has a car that works and his house was still standing.

She worried about those who stayed behind. With roads getting on and off the island being impassable, she wondered how residents would get food, gas and other essentials.

“I feel for those islanders who are now stuck, whether their homes are intact or not,” she said. “They are stranded there.”

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While Pine Island is the largest island on the Gulf Coast, it’s home to a small community of about 10,000 permanent residents. Fox didn’t know how many residents stayed behind, but she knows of three families who rode out the storm. One friend said that they were glad to have stayed, but “would not recommend it to anybody.”

That was Scott Wilkinson, who rode out the storm with his wife Ophelia and dog Sammy in their octagonal home in Bokeelia.

“It’s pretty terrifying,” said Wilkinson, who is the civic association’s past president. “You can feel the windows starting to bow in a little bit. The garage doors were slamming back and forth a bit.”

If his house hadn’t been built in 2008, he wouldn’t have stayed. But next time, he’d check to make sure his generator works.

“I just hope I don’t have to go through it again,” he said.

The difficulty, or even inability, to communicate with cell service so spotty makes the waiting that much more distressing.

A reporter’s phone call to Wilkinson was the first he had received in days, but text messages from loved ones have come through. He hasn’t heard the latest on the relief efforts and many on the island are starved for information.

The food is melting in his refrigerator, so on the menu Friday night is steak tips and asparagus with the help of his gas stove. Otherwise, he is stocked with canned food and has a tank of gas with nowhere to go. But medication is something he’s worried about running out. Without power, he can’t lower his boat from the lift, so as far as he knows he is stuck.

“They’ve got to do something,” he said, hoping a temporary bridge be constructed soon. “They can’t just leave us here.”

Fox has been in communication with the Matlacha Civic Association’s president to “make Pine Island a priority.”

Fox was grateful that Gov. Ron DeSantis mentioned Pine Island as well as Sanibel in a recent news conference.

“We just don’t want anyone to forget the numbers of people who are out there,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: Evacuee worried about Pine Island, Florida residents