Hurricane Ian Heroes: Recognizing some of the game-changers in Matlacha, Pine Island

We asked for Hurricane Hero nominations. We were amazed out how many emails we received. Our goal is to recognize as many of the Ian Heroes as possible. Here are some of the hero nominations for Pine Island and Matlacha:

Hero: Jim Stephens

'Going into action on his own'

My name is Randy Boyer, Bokeelia property owner and disaster response volunteer for Hope Force International & Samaritans Purse.

I am writing on behalf of a remarkable individual and candidate for your Hurricane Ian Heros article - Jim Stephens. You would never learn about Jim because he went into action to help hurricane victims without the aid of any organized group or assistance.

What makes Jim so special is that when Ian hit, Jim had zero social ties to Fort Myers, Matlacha or Pine Island. He didn’t own property here. He had never visited the area. He has never participated in any type of disaster relief effort. Jim did this at the age of 71.

Despite this, he didn’t wait to volunteer with any organized group, he just went into action by spending his own money and time over the next 10 1/2 months to serve the victims of Hurricane Ian.

In June of 2022, Jim was staying with friends in Clearwater and had never been to Pine Island or Matlacha.  When in Clearwater,  he was doing some volunteer fundraising for the Florida Dream Center, a non-profit recovery organization.  Through them, he heard of Pine Island.  As Jim describes it: “People there would often talk about how Pine Island was a great place to visit and even aided in their recovery because it was a 'common man’s' island.” He assumed (correctly!) that it was a place of no judgement and was (is) very inclusive. 

When Ian hit, Jim called his clients in Cincinnati, many of whom had homes on Sanibel and Bonita Springs, and told them that he would be staying in Florida to help Hurricane Ian victims.

“I told them as sad as things were, they had money to replace and rebuild and that I was in the right place at the right time for helping people who didn’t have their resources.  And we still are friends and have dinners together, despite me not helping them with their properties.”

Jim knew there were many opportunities to work with other organizations, but felt that he could help more quickly by just “doing it” by himself. With his own funds, he spent between $10,000 and $12,000 to buy eight chainsaws, as well as numerous rakes, shovels, hand saws, dumpster size waste bags, cat food, dog food, people food, propane, mold retardant, etc. As soon as the road and bridge to Matlacha was operating, he headed south at 4:10 a.m. on October 6, 2022 and arrived in Matlacha at 6:30am.  According to Jim: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was just heart wrenching.  My mind still hasn’t comprehended what I have witnessed.”

As he drove into Matlacha, Jim started talking to whomever he saw, asking how he could help.  He saw a person walking his dog and introduced himself and determined where he could drop his supplies and ended up connecting with Aaron from the American Legion and from the Cajun Navy as well.  They were able to drop supplies off in St. James City and Matlacha.

Jim then headed back to Clearwater to buy more supplies. Jim was driving 128 miles one way for the deliveries and back to work in Matlacha and Pine Island.  He made the round trip from Clearwater to Matlacha and Pine Island four times.

On his second trip, he got involved with food donations and rebuilding of the BBQ restaurant in Matlacha. For weeks he helped cook and distribute the free food provided there until the third week in March of 2023.

Through March of 2023, Jim lived in the partially destroyed First Baptist Church of Pine Island via the generosity of Pastor Jim Olson.  During that time he tarped several places, helped build a restaurant, participated in the BBQ restaurant’s food distribution work, he also would find people who needed work and would pay them to help with the volunteer work he was doing.

He also spent his own money to buy meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) each day for those willing to assist him in his efforts,  all in a place he had never been to, didn’t know anyone, and had certainly no idea what he was walking into, because Jim had never volunteered for any type of disaster relief in his life.

What is remarkable to me is that Jim didn’t wait.  He made decisions and acted on his own and through that, was able to help and encourage so many who were devastated by the storm.  And did I mention that he was 71 when he did all of this?

Submitted by: Randy Boyer

Hero: George Buonocore IV

‘A grand gesture’My grandson and sone of his buddies who own boats managed to buy and transport supplies to Pine Island right after the storm when they were cut off from the mainland.

They managed to secure funds and used their own.

They helped at the emergency supply center set up on the Island.

Submitted by: George Buonocore Jr.

Heroes: FSW Community of Friends

‘Lifelines touched our hearts’After Hurricane Ian struck our home on Pine Island and destroyed almost everything we owned, we had so many “heroes” in our corner that I can’t name only one; rather, it was my Florida Southwestern College community of friends who became those helping hands during our recovery.

When we returned to the area after evacuating twice, there was no road left in Matlacha to reach our house, so our friends, Wendy and Dana, immediately asked us to stay with them in town until we could assess the damage.

It was devastating.

In the meantime, those few days stretched into two weeks.  Then, a chain reaction of additional help came from Dan and Mary Ellen, who offered us a fully-furnished rental; Ellie and Bob who, in spite of their own damaged home on the Beach, came out to St. James City to assist with wheeling our life to the curb (and recently helped us find a new permanent home in town).

Even the College leadership provided a small grant for us to begin the process of starting over.

The many, many lifelines extended to us touched our hearts in every way, and we are incredibly grateful.

Certainly, Hurricane Ian was a nightmare of nature; but, the aftermath showed us the truth of Emerson’s quote that “A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.”

We consider ourselves very lucky have so many Hurricane Ian Heroes.

Submitted by: Professor Marty Ambrose/English Department

Hero: Dr. Karen Calkins, Physician, LPG

'Putting others first'Dr. Calkins’s home was destroyed on Pine Island. Being a St. James City resident, she was committed to helping her fellow Pine Islanders. She worked for days out of the Matlacha Pine Island Fire Department Station 1 where she assisted in stabilizing patients in need to prepare them for evacuation of the island due to the bridge’s structural issues.

Submitted by: Lee Health

Heroes: Nine helpers

‘I am eternally grateful’

Two nights after Ian, the following men who had come by boat from Naples, brought food, water, gas and a chainsaw to help clear a path to our front door.  They were a site to behold!  And clearly our heroes!

Jeremy Thompson, Josh Thompson, Dale Thompson, Rick Loy, Thomas Harrington and Brian Wayman.

The following men drove up from Naples with heavy equipment to help clean up shingles and other yard debris at my home in Bokeelia, plus cut up my palm tree that had fallen.  They wouldn't accept anything but a few sandwiches and drinks for their hard work.  I am eternally grateful to all of them!

Submitted by: Gloria Crosby

Heroes: Matlacha-Pine Island Fire Control District

‘A community coming together’My husband Scott Adema is a Captain of C shift and worked the storm and the days that followed. Scott and all of his co-workers left their own torn up houses behind to cut and move trees, to tarp roofs for people, to get people off the island including all their stuff and animals by boat. They supplied food, water and gas to people who stayed on the island. They ran calls, provided doctoral level help to islanders that stayed on the island, they stayed up all night and all day too. I know lots of fire departments did things but Pine Island Fire Department and Matlacha Fire control district went above and beyond what I saw other departments having to do. If a person called and needed anything, I mean anything as small as water dropped off, a firefighter went to their house. They gave out baby supplies. Just everything you can imagine. I want you to recognize the front-line support people at the department.

Submitted by: Lauren Joy Adema

Hero: Steve Powers

‘A Matlacha Hero’

Steve lived in the little trailer park at the base of the Matlacha bridge on the way to Pine Island. (Dolphin Mobile Home Park − the park that got demolished after the storm).He also owns Allin's Blinds Vert and Hurricane Shutters in the Cape.

He weathered the storm at his business and as soon as the weather permitted, he tried to race back to the island to check on his house and shrimp boat.  He was one of the first people to come across the breech in the road in Matlacha.

He saw all the devastation and could not believe it.

He immediately went and got his small boat that he was able to pull out of the water before to the storm.  He rushed to the D & D boat ramp and got out to the island.  He saw the devastation out there and talked with people that wanted off the island.  So for the next five days, before any help or aid could get out there, he was able to transport over 350 off the island.

He also was able to transport over $40k worth of bags of ice/ water food/ cloths/ shoes gas cans full of gas and generators out to his Matlacha friends and survivors. He transported ALL news media out and brought them back.

For five days he worked endlessly until the road was fixed and aid could reach the island.

At that time, he started looking for his own small shrimp boat and his yacht.  And he started to better assess the issues with his own home and tried to help removed debris in the park that his home was in. (The park ended up being demolished and he ended up being homeless. Five months latter he was able to get a FEMA camper.  He now lives in the camper with his daughter). One of the national news media reporters who stayed on the boat with him all day did a short article about him.

I think if you google Matlacha Captain it might come up.

Not only is he my son but he is and was a hero in Matlacha.

Several people out there now see him and call him Captain Steve and they still keep thanking him.  He wore a bright orange shirt every day, so people stated saying: Look for the boat with the guy in the orange shirt!

Submitted by: Lynda Allin

Heroes: Jeanette & Randy Kersey of St. James City, FL

'Doing whatever was asked of them'

The day after the hurricane, Randy and Jeanette made their way to St. James City by boat. They would leave before the sun came up and not return many times until after the sun went down.  After checking on their house, and realized it was at least still standing, but had sustained major damage, they went right to work helping OTHERS who had stayed on the Island during the hurricane.

For weeks Randy let the marina use his boat to transport gas, so the marina could sell gas to the Islanders, so they in turn could run their generators and vehicles. They helped out where ever they could, even though they needed help as well.

They handed out supplies, served food, drinks, snacks. They made the trip back and forth from Cape Coral, where they were staying with their daughter, back to the Island every day for weeks, doing whatever was asked of them...not thinking of their damaged home, which was in clear view every single day. They helped unload boats that brought donations to the Island. Most importantly, they listened to people talk and tell "their stories of survival", gave hugs and tried to reassure them it was going to be okay. When the local church took over, they didn't stop helping. They continued to volunteer at the local Baptist Church.

Randy and Jeanette have been "givers" all of their lives and when this hurricane happened to a place they have called home for most of their lives, they shined, just like they always do. They were in the trenches doing whatever needed to be done, never complaining, never putting themselves first. They are not only Hurricane IAN Heroes, but every day heroes.

Submitted by: Vickie Saez

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian recovery boosted by Pine Island, Matlacha heroes