After Hurricane Ian destroyed Fort Myers, disaster relief personnel of USPA Nationwide Security are conducting house-to-house searches in search of missing residents
A high-end Category 4 storm has made landfall near Fort Myers, Florida, lashing the region with storm surges, heavy winds, and intense rainfall. Aerial images recently released by NOAA reveal the extent of the damage along portions of Florida’s coast near Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Punta Gorda. The storm destroyed a causeway connecting the barrier island of Sanibel, resulting in the isolation of its residents. As the area has developed rapidly, more and more newly constructed homes have been placed in harm’s way. The fact that the state’s construction codes have been strengthened since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. There are some areas – especially mobile home parks and RV parks – that appear severely damaged, however most of the buildings in the area appear to be intact, although flood damages have yet to be determined.
Hurricane Ian has left parts of southwest Florida unrecognizable. It made landfall on Cayo Costa, a barrier island off the coast of Fort Myers. There, the Category 4 storm ravaged neighborhoods like Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach last Wednesday. The region’s officials announced within hours of landfall that areas such as Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach had been “decimated” by the storm. During a press conference held Wednesday afternoon, officials from Lee County Emergency Management announced that nearly all of Lee County was without power. In addition, hundreds of people were stranded due to high water.
The before and after images provide a vivid depiction of the extent of damage sustained by some of the hardest-hit areas. It was not until dawn on Thursday that officials realized the extent of the devastation caused by the slow-moving hurricane that had been churning over the same area for so long. There was such an intense storm surge that homes located up to three miles from the Gulf of Mexico were inundated. When water from the Gulf of Mexico was pushed onto shore, neighborhoods lined with beach homes were reduced to rubble. Satellite images show that homes several blocks behind Estero Boulevard, a roadway that runs parallel to the coast, were damaged by the hurricane.
Thus, USPA Nationwide Security and their local affiliates in Fort Myers are preparing to offer free humanitarian and protective services to the residents. USPA’s disaster relief security officers provided free evacuation assistance during Hurricane Ian. Additionally, they provided static guarding, fire watch, close protection and supply chain security to businesses in the area, as well as humanitarian assistance.
Since nearly two decades, USPA has provided disaster relief security services on six continents. Their philanthropic arm, Kingsman, recently pledged a million dollars per year to investigate cases of missing children. According to USPA CEO Daniel Manning, funds originally allocated for kidnap recovery and missing cases will be utilized in Ft Myers for the next week.
USPA Nationwide Security: Company Overview
With 18 years of experience, USPA Nationwide Security provides security guards, bodyguards, disaster relief, fire watch, autonomous drones, and niche services such as superyacht security and maritime protective services. Since 2005, USPA has giving away up to 50% of its profits to women’s and children’s charities.