LEE COUNTY, Fla. — This week marks six months since Hurricane Helene swept through the Southeastern United States.
Most of us remember the damaging winds and devastating flooding that Helene brought to Southwest Florida.
Then, two weeks later, it was Milton's turn.
Hear what officials and elected leaders have to say about the clear up below:
Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman told Fox 4’s Bella Line that the debris cleanup was completed in January.
"Unfortunately, we learned a lot of great lessons from Ian, and Ian was so fresh in our memories that we were able to put those lessons and tools right to work after Hurricane Helene and Milton and help the community recover faster,” said Hamman.
Hamman says Lee County got $100 million from the federal government that has gone towards infrastructure and housing needs after the storm, but the commissioners submitted their action plan to the federal government to get more grant funding for relief in rebuilding some of the government properties that were damaged.
"There are still neighbors of ours out there who are recovering, and we're doing everything we can to support them,” said Hamman.
In Charlotte County, John Alias , Director of Charlotte County Public Works, says demolition and construction have been a top priority, as well as working to get money for the exstensive damage they got in both storms.
"We're still waiting on stuff from Hurricane Ian or just getting funding for stuff from Hurricane Ian. We're always trying to get FEMA to reimburse us for that,” said Alias.
Alias says county crews continue to work around the clock.
"The community always bounces back, and they always have been unbelievably supportive of us, and we appreciate that, and we just ask for their patience as we continue to finalize this,” said Alias.
