Hurricane Ian was a strong storm that hit Florida on September 28. The storm knocked over buildings. It caused flooding. And it left nearly 2.7 million people without power.
Sanibel Island was hit hard by the storm. It is an island off the coast of Florida. About 7,000 people live there.
The storm washed away a bridge to Sanibel Island. People there were cut off from the mainland.
Messages were left in the sand on a beach. They said "Help."
After the storm, government groups worked to rescue people on Sanibel Island and across Florida. At the same time, ordinary people helped. It was not their job to rescue people. But they did so anyway, as volunteers. Some even faced danger to do so.
Bryan Stern was one of those volunteers. In 2021, he started a rescue team called Project Dynamo. They had boats to rescue people trapped by floods. They started the day after the storm hit.
"As soon as the sun came up, we started," said Stern.
The team rescued more than 20 people in Florida.
Everyday People Helping Others
Volunteering after storms is not new. Volunteers have helped in past storms, too.
Some leaders do not like people doing their own rescues. It can be dangerous. Others welcome the help, though.
"You see people chipping in and they aren't getting paid for it," said Tim Barrett. He is a leader of the Sanibel Fire Department. Some volunteers lost their own homes, he said. But they are still helping others.
Matt Mengel and his friends said they had made seven rescues so far. Most of them were older people from Sanibel Island. They got to the island on jet skis. Jet skis ride on top of the water like a motorcycle.
Mengel talked about the storm damage. "It was sad to see our home" and other places destroyed, he said.
He and his friends started their rescues on September 30. They were worried about a friend who lives on Sanibel Island. That friend was safe, but others needed help.
Six Feet Of Water In Naples
In Naples, Florida, water rose 6 feet high. People were standing on things to keep their necks above water. Leah, Evan and Jayden Wickert used boats to save them. They helped save about 30 people.
Betty Reynolds, 73 years old, thanked those who rescued her. She was sad to leave her home on Sanibel Island. She has lived there for 47 years. That is why she did not leave before the storm hit.
But after the storm, she knew she had to go. Her home had filled with "lots of mud," she said. Reynolds was helped off the island on October 1.
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