Hurricane Ian: Some in downtown Fort Myers decide to stay in their apartments — or on their boats

Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
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As of Tuesday morning, Travis Weaver was planning to ride out Hurricane Ian on his sailboat moored in the Fort Myers Yacht Basin. "It's my home," he says. "It's all I've got."
As of Tuesday morning, Travis Weaver was planning to ride out Hurricane Ian on his sailboat moored in the Fort Myers Yacht Basin. "It's my home," he says. "It's all I've got."

As a light rain prickled the Caloosahatchee Tuesday morning, Travis Weaver was loading supplies.

The Buckingham-raised 31-year-old has been living in the Fort Myers Yacht basin for about seven months and plans to stay aboard his sailboat throughout the storm.

“I’m praying,” he says, “but I’m going to hang out here, see what happens, make sure my home doesn’t go away. That’s the one big thing – it’s my home. Everything I own is right here, so if it floats away or gets destroyed, I have nothing.”

In the parking lot of the 11-story Royal Palm Towers, Gini Urdaneta was lugging a case of water from her car to the lobby. Across from the river in evacuation zone A, only a few of the 101-unit building's windows were boarded up.

Previously: Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach prepare as Hurricane Ian approaches

Hurricane Ian: Lee County under hurricane warning as Ian continues to strengthen

Some of its residents, many who are older or disabled, remain at home, despite a Fort Myers firetruck cruising around the block, using its loudspeaker to urge people to evacuate.

As of Tuesday morning some of the first-floor windows were boarded up, while a few upper-story windows were crisscrossed with duct tape.

Though she’s planned to stay ay home, if things get worse, she says she’ll probably evacuate.

Royal Palm Tower resident Ana Baez isn't sure where she'll stay during Hurricane Ian, but she's pretty sure it won't be in her apartment building, which is directly across from the Caloosahatchee.
Royal Palm Tower resident Ana Baez isn't sure where she'll stay during Hurricane Ian, but she's pretty sure it won't be in her apartment building, which is directly across from the Caloosahatchee.

So will neighbor Ana Baez, who says some residents of the city-owned public housing complex have already left. What worries Baez are those who remain, she says: the older ones or people who use wheelchairs. “Those are the people who are in danger,” she said in Spanish.

So far, she says management has offered little in the way of support. “They haven’t come around, they haven’t explained, they haven’t held any meetings – nothing,” though someone – the city, she supposes – left some pallets of water in the back parking lot.

Urdaneta agrees. “It’s all up to the will of God,” she says. But she’s pretty sure she’ll go stay with her kids, just to be safe.

Those without transportation or anywhere to go can call United Way’s 211 hotline for help, said city spokeswoman Liz Bello-Matthews. "They can also visit our website (https://cityftmyers.com/1203/Prepare-for-Emergencies) for information," she said. Dunbar High School is the closest hurricane shelter, she said, and LeeTran was to have a bus running to it until 4 p.m. Tuesday,

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Ian: Some in Fort Myers ride out hurricane on boats, in homes