Collier County picking up the pieces after Ian

People in Collier County are working to clean up after Hurricane Ian brought strong winds and flooding to the area.

The county on Monday updated its curfew to run from midnight to 6 a.m. Naples’ curfew now runs from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.

As of October 3, Marco Island does not have a curfew.

While Collier County was not hit directly by the storm, people were still heavily impacted.

Tim Wheeler rode out the storm in his North Naples home. He says the water was just two inches from coming into his front door.

Tim Wheeler rode out #Hurricane Ian from his North Naples home.

Would he do it again? Never.

His neighbors homes were underwater… thanks to a 1995 renovation of his home, the elevation was raised 12 feet.

Twelve life saving feet.@winknews pic.twitter.com/mHsBexPGxg

— Gail Levy (@gaillevyontv) October 2, 2022

Wheeler was luckier than most of his neighbors. His home was renovated in 1995, and when the renovations were done, his house had been raised 12 feet. Hurricane Ian’s storm surge left his neighbors underwater.

Even though Wheeler and his family made it through this storm safely, he said he would never stay for a storm again. “As hard as these things are to predict, these are just not things to roll the dice with. Pack your things and go, and go early,” said Wheeler.

In the River Park community in Naples, people are also dealing with the aftermath of water rushing into their homes. Many of them are now without a home.

Some people WINK News spoke to didn’t have flood insurance, others didn’t have home insurance, and now they have nothing.

The remains of people’s memories were piled up, one after the other, on the side of the road, waiting to be taken away by a trash truck.

Amid the devastation, there was still hope. Vincent Keeys, president of the Collier County NAACP, described the community’s spirit as “Alive.”

Hurricane Ian hit River Park Community hard but residents and volunteers are hard at work cleaning up trying to help one another. I asked Vincent Keeys to sum up the community’s spirit in one word. Here’s what he told me: pic.twitter.com/1MLYTPlDzA

— Lauren Leslie (@LLeslieNews) October 2, 2022

The Trinity Community Church of Naples served barbeque chicken, hot dogs and baked beans on Sunday. The church’s pastor said he chose to help the people of River Park because that is where his congregation lives.

This is Trinity Community church of Naples. The church has setup at 13th St. N & 5th Ave. N in River Park serving up a hot meal. This afternoon there was BBQ chicken, baked beans, Hot Dogs, chips, water. Right now Little Caesar’s Pizzas are being handed out in the neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/qE0MTwsm0P

— Lauren Leslie (@LLeslieNews) October 2, 2022

There are a number of places in Collier County where you can find food and water if you need it.

In Naples, you can get MREs, water and ice at Sugden Regional Park at 4284 Avalon Cr. In Everglades City, they are available at 609 Collier Ave. at 610 Buckner Ave. N. In Immokalee, you can find the resources at the State Farmers Market at 424 New Market Rd E.

If you have any questions about where to find resources, you can call 311 or (239) 252-8999.

NCH is also helping those in need by offering free virtual care for the community. Patients with internet capability can visit NCHmd.org/virtualcare and use the coupon code NCH to get free care.

For those who do not have the internet at home, the NCH Employee Medical Center in the Greentree Plaza will be open beginning on Monday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for patients to come in and use Wi-Fi and/or NCH iPads to make virtual visits with Amwell.