Unlike the affluent seaside communities of Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach, where the media has descended to chronicle every detail of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the people who live in the squat homes in Dunbar have faced the crisis mostly on their own.
And for many in the historically African-American neighborhood, there’s a sense of anger and frustration. “They’re saying the islands got destroyed,” observes 24-year-old Lexxus Cherry. “Well, we’re destroyed, too. We’re really messed up here.”
There’s no electricity. Water comes out of the faucet, but it’s little more than a thin brownish stream, unsafe to drink. A faint smell of sewage wafts up from the street.
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