Registering Hurricane Ian Survivors for Aid in Fort Myers, Florida

Southern  |  October 12, 2022
On October 10, 2022, 13 days after Hurricane Ian struck, Fort Myers Beach in Florida is still in a state of disarray. Photo/Qihua Luo.

Written by Qihua Luo
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska

The Lee County Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Fort Myers, Florida, was extremely busy on Monday, October 10, thirteen days after Hurricane Ian struck the area. People came and went, cars filling the parking lot while long queues formed at all the service windows inside the DRC.

Relief supplies are stacked outside the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida. Photo/Qihua Luo

Tzu Chi USA volunteers were also officially stationed inside the DRC that day to listen to residents impacted by the disaster and collect information to ensure the upcoming distribution of cash cards will efficiently and accurately address their needs. Early that morning, Sean Lo, Tzu Chi USA Southern Region’s Executive Director, arrived in the hall with volunteers Shuyi Bai and Yihong Yang to set up a station to meet disaster survivors. 

Once the team finished their preparations and people began to arrive, they were very curious about the small area by the DRC  Information Desk and approached, asking one question after another. After a brief introduction of Tzu Chi’s missions and what Tzu Chi USA can do to help them, everyone took out their cellphones or sat down to fill in registration information with the guidance of volunteers. 

By 6 PM, Tzu Chi had received 43 valid applications. This needs assessment will continue for a week. After consolidating and evaluating all the information gathered, Tzu Chi will begin distributing cash cards to registered disaster survivors without delay.

Everyone Has a Story to Tell

As Hurricane Ian survivors arrived at the Lee County DRC, each had a story to tell. Molt came to the Tzu Chi table with a lady whose tired and sad facial expression spoke volumes. While she filled out her data, Molt showed the volunteers a video a friend recorded showing the hurricane-induced flood surge that furiously destroyed the neighborhood across the street from him. The flooding was like a wave, instantly inundating the whole area, with residents retreating to their roofs for safety if they could. 

Molt sadly recounted that he lost five friends due to the hurricane. Before he could finish his story, his companion called out to him, barely having the energy to finish the application. Molt completed the paperwork and then helped her stand up. The volunteers didn’t dare to ask what was going on; all they could do, with tears in their eyes, was to make a firm vow to give the survivors real help.

The volunteers received several people with disabilities at their help station. Others who showed up had nowhere to stay after Hurricane Ian damaged their residence, forced to cope with dire living conditions, with even meeting the most basic needs being problematic. Moreover, no longer having a fixed address made seeking aid even more complicated. 

Linda came with her boyfriend, and their body odor betrayed the couple’s current challenges. The hurricane damage left the house they were renting unlivable, and they were sleeping in their car, forced to seek public places for showers and toilets. Their personal hygiene issues were humbling, highlighting humanity’s powerlessness against fate. Linda begged the volunteers for help, as they desperately lacked a place to live. They thanked Tzu Chi again and again for the Foundation’s compassion.

Karen, another Hurricane Ian impacted resident, depends on a wheelchair as her leg is disabled, and she can’t use her left arm freely either. It seemed unimaginable that she lived alone, yet her situation was even worse at the moment, which she tried to keep to herself.  

A DRC staff member pushed Karen’s wheelchair to the Tzu Chi station and told the volunteers that she was a lovely person, requesting that they take good care of her. The staff member also repeatedly told Karen to wait for him to pick her up when she had finished registering. She seemed to know every staff member at DRC well and was constantly being greeted and helped. 

However, Karen didn’t want anyone to know she’d been living in her car since the hurricane; she stammered for a long time before saying anything. Nor did she ask for help from Tzu Chi volunteers after filling out her information, and instead wheeled herself away bravely. The volunteers respected her boundaries and interacted with every disaster survivor in the same way, there to assist without forcing anything.

The Tzu Chi volunteer team at the Lee County Disaster Recovery Center on October 10, 2022: Yihong Yang, Weiguang Zhang, Susu Yang, Cuihua Zhan, Zhi Lin, Shuyi Bai, and Zhenxiong Luo (from left to right). Photo/Ting Fan

Some of the people who came to the Tzu Chi table were open, easily communicated their needs, and shook hands with the volunteers to express their gratitude when leaving. Others were overwhelmingly sad, one could tell at a glance, and their eyes would turn red when filling in their home address or that of family members. Some were angry and anxious, impatient but thankful for the help. Although it’s impossible to know what each disaster survivor has gone through, they’re all suffering from loss and trying to put on strong armor as they struggle to face reality and rebuild their lives.

The Power of Compassion in Action

As is true for all of Tzu Chi’s emergency relief missions, this disaster assessment and registration process required devoted and collective effort. By 2:00 PM that day, volunteers Zhi Lin, Weiguang Zhang, Susu Yang, and Cuihua Zhan arrived from Orlando to join the Tzu Chi team at the DRC, enhancing its capacity instantly.

More and more Hurricane Ian survivors came to register or learn about possible aid. As the volunteers interacted with them, sitting around the table, filling in their information, sharing, shaking hands or hugging each other when they parted, and expressing mutual gratitude and encouragement, it was a touching scene that warmed people’s hearts. 

Disasters have no mercy or compassion, but people do. All the organizations at the DRC worked shoulder to shoulder, their aim to help as much and as many as possible. Many survivors learned about Tzu Chi’s assistance through the introduction of FEMA. The more trust Tzu Chi volunteers received, the more they wanted to do, and they began to go to all corners of the hall to introduce Tzu Chi to even more people.

Many who were learning about Tzu Chi’s aid for the first time inquired what Tzu Chi would ask in return. The volunteers would reply, “In the future, please pass on your selfless love to those in need.”

A Paradise in Ruins

Outside the Lee County DRC that day, the need for everyone to be there was evident throughout the Fort Myers Beach community. As part of this mission, Tzu Chi volunteers assessed Hurricane Ian’s damages, and the photos they took as documentation confirmed the destruction’s gravity. 

What had been one of Florida’s famous vacation destinations, an oceanfront paradise, was now in ruins. In some areas, only engineering crews were out and about, driving the streets as they formulated their repair and cleanup plans. Given the aftermath, the urgent need for timely disaster relief is evident.

Outside the Lee County DRC that day, the need for everyone to be there was evident throughout the Fort Myers Beach community. As part of this mission, Tzu Chi volunteers assessed Hurricane Ian’s damages, and the photos they took as documentation confirmed the destruction’s gravity. 

What had been one of Florida’s famous vacation destinations, an oceanfront paradise, was now in ruins. In some areas, only engineering crews were out and about, driving the streets as they formulated their repair and cleanup plans. Given the aftermath, the urgent need for timely disaster relief is evident.

Tzu Chi USA’s distributions will serve this community and others gravely affected by Hurricane Ian. Your love and support will empower this disaster relief mission, and others in the future!

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