NAPLES, Fla. — Alberto Varetto, owner of Alberto's on Fifth in Naples, is taking proactive measures to protect his restaurant from future hurricane damage after experiencing devastating flooding three years ago during Hurricane Ian.
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The flooding completely devastated his restaurant, erasing his life's work.
"It was bad," he said.
In his recovery efforts, Varetto found sought out ways to prevent future flooding damage.
Mark Crabtree, innovation director for Xero Technologies, has developed a custom-fit, inflatable barrier designed to protect doorways during floods.
"It expands outward and pressurizes itself into the frame of the doorway," Crabtree said.
The product is custom-built to fit any opening size.
"It doesn't matter how big the opening is, how small the opening is, we build it to size," Crabtree said.
Crabtree hopes other Naples businesses will follow Alberto's because, business is better when everyone is open.
"If everybody floods, and he doesn't, then downtown Naples is going to be dead anyway," Crabtree said. "Which he doesn't want and nobody wants."
With this new technology in place, Alberto can focus on what his passion, serving the people of Southwest Florida. He says, to start preparing now, long before any storm.
"Don't wait until the hurricane will come, but start to work and get ready for it," Varetto said.
