FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Thursday, a helping hand doesn’t even begin to describe what was seen rolling through communities helping families clean up what thetornados left behind.
Lee County spokesperson Betsy Clayton told Fox 4 the county sent out three debris trucks, which she said are capable of hauling 110 cubic yards of debris at a time. That’s an amount that would take around 55 full-size pickup trucks to complete one load.
This latest push to help clear communities like Century 21 comes after Clayton said FEMA was in these same streets surveying the damages done.
She said now the county is waiting for further guidance from FEMA regarding federal aid and resources for these families.
Megan Contreras, Community Relations Coordinator for the Iona McGregor Fire District said they were already starting that process.
“We did what we signed up to do on Sunday, but it doesn't seem like enough and so we came up with this disaster releif collection,” said Contreras.
Contreras told Fox 4, thanks to an outpour of donations from the community, they were able to reach their goal in just one day.
On Thursday, Contreras said the response her crews received as they handed out community requested donations such as gift cards and cleaning supplies.
“We told them, we have supplies, what do you need? There were a lot of tears, there were hugs, more thank you’s than I can count,” said Contreras.
Contreras said they have stopped their collection event but will not turn away any additional donations.
