Paramedics and volunteers with a group that rescues people after natural disasters went door to door Saturday on Florida's devastated Pine Island, offering to evacuate residents who spoke of the terror of riding out Hurricane Ian in flooded homes and howling winds.
The largest barrier island off Florida's Gulf Coast, Pine Island has been largely cut off from the outside world. Ian heavily damaged the only bridge to the island, leaving it only reachable by boat or air. For many, the volunteers from the non-profit Medic Corps were the first people they have seen from outside the island in days.
He said his wife had them get on top of a table to keep from getting swept away by the water. The next day, he said, they brought food to an older gentleman who lived on the next block, and they made sure to get him off the island on the first available boat. Helen Koch blew her husband a kiss and mouthed the words "I love you" as she sat inside the Medic Corps helicopter that lifted her and seven of the couple's 17 dogs to safety from the decimated island. The dogs were in cages, strapped to the outside of the helicopter as it took off.
Houses have been reduced to splinters and boats have been tossed onto roadways. The island has no power, and no running water -- save for a few hours on Friday when one resident said they were able to take a shower. A community of mobile homes was destroyed.
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