Florida's barrier islands are hit by Hurricane Milton

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Christal Shola was one of dozens of people in a long stream of cars waiting to re-enter Fort Myers Beach on Thursday, hours after Hurricane Milton hit the city.

She planned to retire to the house on Estero Island, a barrier island on Florida's Gulf Coast, but it was still under construction after Hurricane Ian devastated it.

When Shola returned on Thursday, she found shingles torn from the roof, but most of the building materials stored on the ground floor were spared despite some flooding and sand damage.

“It’s heartbreaking to continue to go through this,” she said. “We have great neighbors, we all help each other and the fact that we all love it here so much – we just keep going.”

Milton is the fifth hurricane to hit the barrier islands in just two years. Residents say that despite the constant threat, the reconstruction is worth it.

“These things punch you in the gut, but you just pick yourself back up,” said Mayor Dan Allers, adding that some residents have remodeled their homes four times in the last few years.

Milton spread destruction across Florida overnight, triggering tornadoes in areas unaccustomed to such violence and knocking out power to more than 3.3 million energy customers.

The storm claimed at least twelve lives and put eleven million people at risk of flooding.

Local and state officials have praised residents for taking evacuation warnings seriously and leaving vulnerable communities, including barrier islands, well before the storm.

“I really want to thank the residents of the barrier islands for listening to us this time,” said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. “I went out there last night before the storm came and as they say, it's a ghost town out there and that's exactly what we wanted to see.”

Bridges to the barrier islands reopened Thursday, but county officials said many homes and businesses were without power or water and some roads had not yet been cleared of debris and other hazards.

Other barrier islands remain inaccessible or offer limited services to residents.

In Sanibel, residents with identification and business owners with permits were able to return during the day, but city officials warned that a boil water warning and curfew were in effect. The sewage system was not online and residents were advised not to flush their toilets.

In Bradenton Beach, houses were completely destroyed after the double whammy of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Household appliances were strewn across the street and a window frame lay on its side. Some of the damage remained from Helene, but new destruction was visible on Sanibel Island, including a house that had been pulled from its foundations about a block down the street.

“It's going to be a long road for everyone,” said Mayor John Chappie, a seventh-generation Bradenton Beach resident. “We’re going to get to work, clean things up and be the great community that we are.”

Sam Brock reported from Fort Myers Beach and Alicia Victoria Lozano reported from Los Angeles.