HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. — Hardee County and areas along the Peace River felt the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Now six months later, the community is rebuilding, but there are some areas still struggling to get back to normal.
We were in Hardee County in the hours and days following Hurricane Ian and recently traveled back and toured the area with Hardee County Sheriff Vent Crawford.
Sheriff Crawford said they're doing "unbelievably well."
“But recovery is still in the process for displaced people,” added Sheriff Crawford.
Crawford said flooding was a big issue in the county. It caused damage to the sheriff’s office, and if the Peace River did not recede on the day and hour it did, deputies were getting ready to evacuate hundreds of inmates from the jail.
During our first trip to Hardee County following Hurricane Ian, we met Vicky Sanchez. Her home near the Peace River flooded, and the contents inside were mostly destroyed, except for some items in plastic bags.
“Coming through the back, the water was over my knee. I don't know how to describe it,” said Sanchez. “It hurts that everything was wiped out from under your feet in a matter of a night.”
Now six months later, we went back to Vicky’s neighborhood. Many homes along the street were still covered with blue tarps and when we stopped at Vicky’s home, no one was there.
But for every blue tarp, there were five new roofs.
Many of the iconic locations that made the news following Hurricane Ian are now doing much better, including the site where the bridge washed out State Road 64 and nearly claimed the life of a state trooper. Sheriff Crawford said it was repaired within weeks.
Although the rebuilding process is not complete, many people in Hardee County will say things are better now. But Sheriff Crawford would like to see it back to normal for all.
“The delay sometimes—it's just unbearable to those being affected. It's an understandable process but it's never quick enough and a lot of times that's painful,” he said.