FORT MYERS, Fla. — In Fort Myers, families we first visited back in October are still rebuilding from Hurricane Ian.
There are dozens of people who share their personal stories of feeling grateful after losing so much.
One family Florida 24 Network met with back in October was the Greenlings.
Their home saw the brunt of Hurricane Ian.
“We had three cars, I lost a Jeep, a Toyota and a Cadillac,” shared VickiLou Greenling.
Fast forward to now, and Greenling has got a new ride.
“This is what I have now,” she showed off her new car with a flourish.
She’s managed to stay positive.
Her home saw 7 to 8 feet of water that damaged everything inside. It’s a loss that could only be described as devastating.
“I’ve lived here 52 years, so I should have been seasoned. But I am preparing now,” said Greenling.
Someone else who is preparing for this upcoming hurricane season is Billy Wheeler.
“The water came to about right about here,” he pointed to a spot on the wall.
The motorcycle super fan lost everything below his two-story home, including six motorcycles, a truck and all his tools.
Wheeler approximates the damages to be about $300,000.
The roof was the only thing he was able to get fixed.
“That’s when I found out through my insurance that nothing under the house was covered,” Wheeler explained.
He furthered, “Other than that, I read my policy. You have to really read your policy and understand what they are telling you…I needed to get a whole other policy if I wanted to get stuff covered under the house.”
Since the storm, Wheeler, at 72 years old, has been trying to fix what he can.
“I’m just exhausted,” he shared with a slight smile. “But somebody’s got to do it. And the prices I’ve been getting to have it done, I really can’t afford it.”
So, he’s been moving slowly.
When we first met Wheeler, his beloved mancave was trashed, his shed was full of water and his neighbors' pools were strewn in his backyard.
“These are all new couches now,” Wheeler showed off his new purchases. “Because the other ones I had to get rid of. I put the fireplace, I put the floor. I mean, I really had it nice.”
While there are homeowners like Greenling and Wheeler who are fortunate enough to keep their homes, hundreds of homes across the City of Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach are left in complete ruin.
There are other plots of land where homes once stood and others that are ongoing construction work while homeowners try to recover whatever they can.
“It’s kind of funny because we all have the same story but different chapters. We aren’t all in the same boat. But when I think back, I think, how did we cope? How did we do this? But I am just grateful." said Greenling.
With tears in her eyes, Greenling continued, “I could choke up, I could choke up with the help we were given. I’m so grateful.”
The gratitude extends to Wheeler, who opened his home during the storm. And he did so not just for the Greenling family, but for every home on the block.
“That’s the whole thing, I guess,” said Wheeler. “Once you see how your neighbors are, I felt bad for a lot of them, but you can only do so much because you have your own stuff to do.”
For Wheeler, he spends his days working on his home.
Greenling has already replaced her kitchen and even got a shoe rack. However, she didn’t want our cameras to see the inside as she’s still awaiting a bedroom set, and wants to make her house feel like a home.
“It takes time. It takes time,” Greenling said with a sad nod.
The neighbors are just glad the worst is over and hope to start over and stay dry this hurricane season.
“I bite the bullet and I keep trucking on, no matter how much it hurts,” Wheeler furthered. “The next day, I get up and say, come on, you can do it again. And I do it.”
One step at a time.