Many Manasota Key residents could return to the barrier island Friday to start cleaning up, some not sure where to begin.
“The house is just totally gutted,” part-time resident Gregory Wilson said. “My house is way over there, and my kitchen sink and air conditioner are way over here.”
Mother nature's vicious storm surge and wind tore Wilson's Paradise apart. He said he vacuumed the inside a few days before the storm. He was not expecting to return to this much destruction.
“It's just much worse than I could ever imagined,” he said.
He evacuated a few days before Hurricane Milton. He did not want to take any chances.
“I came up to Fort Myers where I was sheltering, and I didn't know if I'd be able to get on or not,” he said. “But I kind of followed, I think some of the governor's, entourage onto the island here.”
Governor Ron Desantis spoke to us in front of Wilson's house Friday. He said resources are coming to Charlotte County to help rebuild. But for many residents like Gregory, do not know where to start picking up the pieces.
“I brought a couple of bags with me, and I got a few personal items,” he said. “But, there's really, not much to pick over here.”
He has this message for Manasota Key residents who have not seen this devastation just yet.
“I don't know what to say,” he said. “I mean, it's just, be prepared. It's ugly. It's very ugly.”
What surprises him the most is the cups stacked in his kitchen cabinet are exactly where he left them, untouched by storm surge. He said he was able to go grab some last-minute things he needed before he left. But he does not know when he will return.
His plan though is to rebuild his paradise.