That’s why companies are handing guests probably the most helpful merchandise a vacationer can choose up in Sanibel at present: a printed record of what’s open, the place and when.
‘It breaks your coronary heart’
For now, a go to to the realm is extra a pledge of assist than a trip.
On a sunny day in early February, Lisa Taussig of Overland Park, Kan., and Christy, her grownup daughter, have been among the many few vacationers on the seaside in entrance of the Island Inn, the place they have been staying. They arrive to the island about 3 times a yr, Ms. Taussig stated, and this yr isn’t any totally different. “After the storm handed, we simply stated, ‘You understand what? We’re going to come back down right here and assist Sanibel,’” she stated.
“You’re feeling welcome right here,” she added, earlier than turning and gesturing to the collection of plywood-covered, battered rental buildings behind her. “Now it feels remoted, and there aren’t the luxurious bushes which are normally right here.”
“It breaks your coronary heart,” she stated.
In Fort Myers Seashore, residents nonetheless choose up their mail at a trailer. Glass, nails and unidentifiable twisted particles stay scattered alongside the bottom. Round city, many flags, bumper stickers and T-shirts are emblazoned with “FMB STRONG.”
On a current Saturday, a tiny spot referred to as the Beach Bar was filled with a crowd of locals who regarded storm-weary however exuded an ornery refusal to retreat. Even earlier than the storm, the bar’s bodily construction — proper off Estero Boulevard, the seaside strip that’s traditionally filled with guests cruising in top-down autos — didn’t quantity to a lot: It was a two-story, open-air wood constructing going through the water. Now, solely the concrete slab stays.
However that hasn’t stopped the regulars. The group confirmed up with seaside chairs and coolers, which they arrange on the concrete. “They’re working proper now with a trailer, two outhouses and a band,” stated Randy Deutsch, 72, from Chicago, who stated he’d been coming to the bar since 1972.
“Our idea didn’t change,” stated Matt Faller, the supervisor. “Chilly beer, dwell music, toes within the sand.”
