EL JOBEAN, Fla. — Fences scattered along the side of the road, car ports torn off from homes, boardwalks ripped apart and boats on the side of the road show how strong Hurricane Milton blew through Charlotte County.
While thousands remain without power, there’s minimal to no cell signal in Englewood and still no access to Manasota Key. The hospital in Englewood still remains closed as well.
Cecilia Carlston and Mark Bellehumeur live in an El Jobean neighborhood. They say the damage in their community is a sight for sore eyes.
Cecilia Carlston said, “Sad. It’s just so sad because everybody just fixed everything.”
Since 2008, the couple has called El Jobean home. They spent the past two years recovering from Ian, but Hurricane Milton’s strength defeated the progress their community made.
“Fixed everything up, and in the blink of an eye, it’s gone again,” Mark Bellehumeur said.
Watch Fox 4's Ella Rhoades report below:
Milton’s path uprooted trees, pulled street signs to the ground, flooded streets, and brought in significant storm surge.
The couple said this doesn’t come close to Hurricane Ian.
Bellehumeur said, “This time it faired I would say a lot better than when Ian hit. Ian destroyed 3 quarters of this park.”
In the park next to them, they showed Fox 4 an RV flipped on its side from the tornado that popped up as Milton approached.
One of many homes no longer standing.
Ten minutes down the road, Jack Rice saw very different effects from the storm. He recently moved into a new home that can sustain strong winds
“We rode through Helen, and we figured, ‘Hey if it gets into the house and floods us, I’m 80 I only got so much longer to go.”
He said only drops of rain got to his front door, and this steel hurricane screen, protected his lanai.
His garden wasn’t as lucky. A minor loss compared to his neighbors down the road.
“The way they’re building them today, and with the code requirements, you’re getting a house that doesn’t make me worried sitting here through a hurricane.”
And they all know Hurricane Milton won’t be the last.
If you live in Charlotte County and are impacted from Hurricane Milton, you can find resources here.
