One resident laments the “one-two punch” of Helene and Milton
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: October 11, 2024
Host: Siesta Key has been flooded twice in a couple of weeks. That changes the future of life on the island. We talked to Lourdes Ramirez, a community organizer in Siesta.
Johannes Werner: She’s concerned about what the destruction means to the community.
Lourdes Ramirez: We had about three foot of storm surge with Hurricane Helene. We lost all our furniture, and a lot of keepsakes, and we had to strip the walls up to four feet.
I went back today, and saw that we had a second wave of storm surge go through the house. You could see the water line. It’s already been stripped, but there’s water inside the house when it was dry before Hurricane Milton. So it’s just been a one-two punch on that 
house.
JW: The people most affected are those who maintained a sense of community in Siesta.
LR: I think this is going to be a major change for Siesta Key. I’m concerned, you know, all the small cottages, all the quaint little areas in Siesta Key is going to probably be changed to something more … sterile, I would call it. I’m concerned that it’s going to lose its charm, because there’s so many homes that are damaged, and a lot of people probably will feel the need to leave — I’m not one of them, but I’m concerned that some may want to, because I hear from neighbors and I think it’s just going to change the whole character of the key.
We’ll probably have more investors and fewer residents, but I’m concerned that losing the difference that we are compared to places like Fort Lauderdale, where it’s low key and it’s so charming. And now it’s going to be a little bit different, a little bit more modern, but at the same time, I think it’s going to lose its charm.
JW: Is there anything that can be done to help homeowners who cannot afford to rebuild?
LR: I hope so. We’re still in the beginning stages of figuring out what we can access. The older generations have been there for a long time and they want to keep it. I’m hoping to reach out and get the information to them, so hopefully we can protect those older homes and have it continue going forward. It’s a long way to go. I believe that if anybody needs help, Commissioner Neunder reached out to me and emphasized to spread the word to call 311 and see if the people in the county can help.
At this point, I think there’s just a lot of steps that have to be told to the people about what we need to do. Contact your insurance company, contact FEMA, and put in your information and your claim now, and also clean out your homes to avoid the mold. That might build up but there’s still so much going forward. I’m still learning; this is the first time it’s ever happened to me and it’s a work in progress.
JW: If you want to learn more about the challenges go to protect siestakey.org. As soon as she has power back, Lourdes will update the website. Johannes Werner, reporting for WSLR News.
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