MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — With the amount of damage left in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, clean-up is going to take months and rebuilding could take years. While federal and state resources quickly flooded into the hardest hit counties of Southwest Florida, some residents in a neighborhood tucked between Hardee and Manatee counties said they feel overlooked.
It’s a quiet rural area of Myakka City, just south of the Mosaic phosphate mines, known as the Myakka Head.
“There's still a lot of people that need help; older people they have trees in their yards down that they can't do and they can't pay to have them removed because they can't afford it,” explained Myakka homeowner Pamela Boyd.
Boyd drove her neighbor 45 minutes to find help at what is now the nearest FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Bradenton.
“I have a lady that's 82, she has cancer, and I've known her for a while and now this is just overwhelming her,” Boyd said. “Her roof was leaking now, she's got more than 13 trees in her yard that needs to come out… and she can't afford to pay to have all that done.”
Boyd said FEMA representatives gave her neighbor the number for the volunteer-based Crisis Clean Up Hotline, which closed on November 4th-- the day before.
Boyd explained that many residents in Myakka have been cut off from communication when cell towers and internet service went down.
ABC Action News in-depth reporter Stassy Olmos drove the homes off State Route 64 and Duette Road and met homeowner Garrett Ramy.
“We had no communications out here. Sprint and T Mobile are still down,” said Ramy.
He still has trees and a power line down in his yard.
“I have a damage to the roof of the house damage to the barn,” Ramy said. “We're looking at about approximately $100,000 in real estate damage and then about $20,000 in personal property loss.”
Ramy’s insurance company tarped the roof of his home and his barn, but he said many residents there are retired and can’t afford insurance.
“My neighbor right over here… you know, he, he lost a lot. His roof's leaking also. He doesn't have homeowners insurance. You know, he's on a very limited income,” he explained.
He adds that he had questions that weren’t answered at a county community meeting at the beginning of November.
“For example, the Army Corps of Engineers roof program was not available to us,” Ramy said. “Also the Governor's… $5 million program that was going to help homeowners be relieved from their insurance deductibles-- that was not available in Manatee County.”
On top of the damages, Manatee County notified Myakka residents on October 13 the department of health found “a substantial number of private wells in the area were contaminated from the floodwaters.”
The county had notified all Manatee residents of possible contamination in wells after flooding on Oct. 4.
The county began offering free testing through the Department of Health in Manatee and also opened a free water distribution, shower, and laundry site at the Myakka Community Center.
Boyd said everything is taking a toll on residents’ mental health.
“They need some crews that have volunteering or some kind of assistance to help the people,” Boyd said. “Because they're getting depressed, it's getting to where some of them are almost into a breakdown.
Olmos reached out to agencies involved in disaster response, from FEMA to the Governor’s office, to ask what is being done for residents in Manatee who still need help.
The Governor’s office asked for the contacts of residents we spoke to so they can reach out and find out what their exact needs are.
While the governor's office did not respond when we asked about the financial insurance deductible help available to certain counties, we found that in his original release announcing the funds, Governor Ron DeSantis said it was for Ian victims living in the "hardest hit counties" of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Lee, and Sarasota.
A spokesperson for Manatee County said FEMA was at the Myakka Community Center for weeks, but now residents should visit the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at John Marble Park in Brandenton, the same one that Boyd and her neighbor went to.
FEMA’s external affairs told us that Manatee residents are eligible for what’s called their Individual Assistance Program, which provides rental assistance and housing for those displaced, as well as funds to help make a house “safe, sanitary, and functional.”
FEMA funds the Army Corps. of Engineers Blue Roof Program, which tarps roofs free of charge after natural disasters and therefore selects the counties eligible per requests from the state emergency management. This criteria includes the number of structures and "how many can be made ‘safe for habitability with the blue roof program,'" according to a FEMA spokesperson.
We also spoke with the Director Of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), Kevin Guthrie, who explained that Manatee is not a county eligible for private property debris removal help from FEMA, so it may come down to volunteer organizations.
“The best recourse at this point in time, I would tell individuals, is, to contact your insurance company. If your insurance company does not cover it, then reach out to your local emergency management agency so that they can work with local nonprofits inside of Manatee County and maybe inside the region to assist you,” Guthrie advised.
For residents in Southwest Florida who still need debris picked up, FDEM has an application still open. They can only go on private property in Lee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.
“We’re not looking for a handout from the government… But what we are looking for is acknowledgment,” Ramy exclaimed.
Most recent well tests from the Department of Health in Manatee obtained on November 14 show 553 mapped wells that were tested:
- 353 are satisfactory
- 156 are unsatisfactory
- 44 are still contaminated
Because the wells are private, it is up to each resident to clean and sanitize their well after flooding contamination.
We asked Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan and Manatee DOH what they are finding in the water.
Logan responded in an email, “When a well is flooded, there is the potential that flood waters could enter the well causing bacteriological contamination. Bacteriological contaminated wells can cause gastrointestinal illness such as diarrhea and vomiting if the water is consumed. It could also lead to infections of open cuts is used for bathing and showering. The only way to verify that the water is safe is to have it tested. Tests are conducted for coliform and e-coli bacteria. FDOH- Manatee is providing residents sterile sample bottles and instructions on how to collect a sample from their well. We have established a collection point for residents to bring samples to be carried to a state-certified lab for analysis. We provide the resident with the results when the lab has completed the analysis. Well, results which are absent of bacteria are bacteriologically safe.”
We asked if chemicals from Mosaic’s nearby phosphate mine were a concern.
“No. Survey is for bacteriological contamination,” Logan clarified.
The only public notice of pollution report from Mosaic on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website from Hurricane Ian is a submission from Four Corner’s Mine on 9/30/2022 stating:
“Ongoing stormwater release from facility stormwater BMPs was discovered during post-storm survey as a result of excessive rainfall and regional scale flooding during and after Hurricane Ian. Site access remains limited due to ongoing flooding in the area.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management also said that they will be sending specialists to test about 200 private wells-- a mission delayed due to Hurricane Nicole.
To contact the Manatee County Emergency Management office, call (941) 749-3500 or email: emdo@mymanatee.org.
The Myakka City Community Center is located at 10060 Wauchula Rd in Myakka City. The facilities will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until the wells are safe to use.
