FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. –

 

Storm surge well over 15 feet in some places combined with winds topping out at 150 miles per hour helped move the shrimp and fishing boats that are among some of the biggest to call Southwest Florida home. Some of the boats measure more than 100 feet long and weigh 150+ tons.

 

Recreational boats were tossed around like toys during Hurricane Ian last month, and many of them have been located across Southwest Florida. But commercial boats, too, were equally displaced.

 

“You come and you see your business sitting on land when it’s supposed to be in the water,” said Tacey Gore, the owner of the shrimp boat Lexi-Joe. “Every day it’s costing us money because we’re not working it.”

 

Like many of her fellow ships, the Lexi-Joe is sitting ashore instead of shrimping.

 

Another local shrimping company in Fort Myers and its employees are having a difficult time trying to pick up the pieces and move forward with their recovery

 

FOX Weather multimedia journalist Brandy Campbell spoke with one shrimp boat captain who rode out Hurricane Ian on his boat. “The lines ended up breaking. The docks disappeared,” he said. “The water rose within 10 to 15 minutes. It was everywhere.” And when Hurricane Ian finally moved away from the area, Moren said he couldn’t believe what he saw. “It’s like a bomb went off,” he said. “Everything changed.”

 

Now the people who lived and worked on those boats moved into tents that sit yards away. Most of them are still waiting for help.

 

Grant Erickson owns 11 shrimp boats that make up his business. He said it’s among the largest shrimping ports in Florida.  “I’m losing employees every day because they’ve got to eat,” said Erickson, owner of Erickson and Jensen Shrimp Seafood. Only two of his boats are currently working.

“I’m standing here waiting for some heavier lifting equipment to come and help us put some of these boats in the water,” he said. “Help us, so we can start the repairs to get these people’s jobs back to them.”

 

 

If you have sustained hurricane damage to your property, immediately contact The Florida Property Damage Attorneys at Consumer Law Office (CLO). Our law office will file your damage claim and will be by your side at the start of your claim until you get the money you need and deserve from your insurance company to fix or rebuild your home or business.

CALL NOW ATTORNEY MORDECHAI BREIER, Founder of CLO, for a FREE consultation.

Mordechai is on your side and will bring you peace of mind during this challenging time and will aggressively push your insurance company to ensure that you receive the maximum amount available under your insurance policy. 

305-940-0924   Visit https://consumerlawoffice.com/

We only get paid when you get paid by your insurance company.