Florida and its residents bore significant damage during both hurricanes Helene and Milton. And during those storms, across the state, people stepped up in every way imaginable: providing food, shelter, information, and comfort to those in need.
For Thanksgiving, the USA TODAY Network-Florida is honoring a handful of the local heroes who made a difference to their friends, family and neighbors this hurricane season.
On Pine Island and Matlacha, those two are Kevin and Jen Russell, the unofficial mayors of the island.
In early October, Hurricane Milton neared the western edge of Florida. As it wiggled and wobbled its way north, northeast, and sometimes east, where it would make landfall was uncertain. Slowly, slowly, its path took it northwards of Southwest Florida, leaving area residents on the dirty side of the storm.
For those who lived on barrier islands, this was bad news.
Those thin slices of sand, once home only to thickets of mangroves –– hardy, dense intertwining trees that protect mainland Florida from the worst of the winds and waves –– are now popular tourist destinations and home to thousands.
Pine Island, though it retains large mangrove barriers and is one of the few barrier islands made of coral rock, not sand, it is particularly vulnerable. Many of its blue-collar and elderly residents live in fragile mobile homes, easily damaged by high winds or flood.
Too, the island lacks a local government, and with it, the accompanying local informational structure. Despite names like Pine Island Center and St. James City, the five towns on Pine Island and Matlacha are, in fact, unincorporated communities governed by Lee County.
But one popular Facebook group, initially created as a tourist-friendly site that promoted local businesses, has instead turned into a vital line of communication with residents during storms and other emergencies.
The Russells are the administrators of the Facebook group Things to Do on Pine Island. Hurricane Ian in 2022 gave them a crash-course in how to vet info, keep in touch with sources, and disseminate information during a major hurricane. They stayed up for days, sleeping only a few hours at a time, manning the group from their Colorado summer home.
Now? They’re pros.
Jen, a former radio news director, runs the operation similar to a newsroom or an emergency operations center alongside Kevin.
“I think Ian really got us trained up for this kind of stuff: information in, information out, how to verify,” Jen said. “With the network of people we have providing information, we really know what we’re doing now.”
They’ve sourced information from friends, neighbors, and residents they initially connected with through their Facebook group, in addition to more official sources, such as the Pine Island / Matlacha Fire District.
As the years have gone by, Things to do on Pine Island has become a go-to site for getting and sharing information.
Just hours before Milton was forecasted to make landfall on Florida’s western shore, it was clear Pine Island and Matlacha would not emerge unscathed.
Forecasters had predicted Lee County would see 8-12 feet of storm surge as Hurricane Milton headed for land, and nowhere is storm surge more precarious than on Florida’s barrier islands.
On Pine Island and Matlacha, Milton’s surge hit worst in the early hours of Thursday morning, Oct. 10, when the tide was at its peak. The waters flooded over roads, lifted boats from their moorings and even knocked down a three-story building that had sustained significant damage two years earlier, when Hurricane Ian devastated the island.
A Facebook group turned lifeline
Through it all, reports came in to the Russells, who, in turn, verified the info and posted what was necessary to their Facebook group. They even set up a walkie-talkie app they used during Ian, too, to communicate with residents when cell service went down.
“People have no idea what is happening,” said Jen. So they turn to each other for answers.
Before the storm, the Russells leapt into action. They posted pleas from local officials and firefighters asking residents to evacuate. The days before the storm, they kept residents informed about where they could find sandbags, evacuation routes, and predicted storm surge heights.
They didn’t stop there.
During and after the storm, they shared videos, photos, and tidbits of information that sources both official and not across the island sent them of damage as it came in: rising waters, fires, power outages and more.
So often, sharing information on the Things to Do on Pine Island Facebook group during massive storms like Milton leads to an answer to residents’ questions, a solution to their problems. And the Russells weren’t about to let up. They served as a source not only for locals, but for reporters, who could check in with them via phone or Facebook for an up-to-date picture of what was happening on the barrier island.
A screenshot of a photo Kevin Russell posted to Things to Do on Pine Island in the days following Hurricane Milton.
Since, the Russells have kept residents informed on how they could file for FEMA assistance or apply for permits to rebuild, which local businesses had re-opened, advertised for fundraisers for those who lost belongings or homes to Milton and Helene, and cheered each other on.
One by one, parks, preserves, restaurants and stores re-opened. Things to Do on Pine Island welcomed each and every one back.
“This just shows you how tenacious and wonderful Pine Island is,” Kevin wrote on a collection of photos of residents out at local restaurants he posted to the Facebook group, just days after Milton rolled through. Low Key Tiki, Phuzzy’s Boat Shack, Salty Island Girls Cafe and Froggy’s all featured prominently in the post.
“We are rooting for Matlacha as it has suffered the worst of the storm’s injury,” Kevin said. “Even (through) hardships, most islanders pick themselves up, dust themselves off and work to ensure the island life is at its best.
“The tears flow as I write this, as I know it’s hard to move (through) the drama, the difficulties and obstacles islanders face,” he said, “But damn, it’s a good feeling when I see businesses and people get together to comfort each other and support each other.”
Kate Cimini is the Florida Investigative Reporter for the USA TODAY-Network Florida, based at The News-Press and The Naples Daily News. Contact her at 239-207-9369 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Milton, Helene, Ian: Facebook group lifeline to Pine Island residents
