76-year-old Barbara Kolc narrowly escaped Hurricane Ian's storm surge that destroyed her home. Now she and many others find shelter in a retrofitted arena.
RELATED: Residents of Florida's Pine Island receive little government aid after Hurricane Ian
Barbie and Ken Kolc each thought they'd lost each other in the floodwaters. The 18-foot storm surge washed over the mobile home where the couple had lived for nearly 20 years. Mud, carried on the swirling rush of sea and storm water, began to seal the doors and windows and made the floor slick as they saved what they could. They'd tried to evacuate, making plans a week before Hurricane Ian was set to make landfall near their home on Fort Myers Beach. They were turned away from the hotel and had nowhere else to go.
Barbara Kolc is recovering from Stage 4 cancer. She hopes she'll get confirmation she's in remission later this month. She carried a purse over her head with their important paperwork. Kenneth Kolc carried their 15-year-old tuxedo tomcat, Mickey, wrapped in a blanket, over his head. They pulled themselves along from tree to tree, heading toward possible shelter in a nearby house until they were separated.
Barbara Kolc shared her story outside the American Red Cross shelter in Estero, at the Hertz Arena where the Everblades minor league hockey team plays. Barbie and Ken were nicknames they cheerfully took on once they married.
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Gods wrath
I live in China. Everything is miserable here, but no one dares to complain.
Seriously if there is next life, I wish to be born in any other country, except China..
Jesus is god❤