Katherine Jennings watched as Hurricane Milton's outer bands moved directly over her Matlacha home Wednesday afternoon.
“We can absolutely verify that we were in the middle of that tornado," she told NBC2. "That was a little scary.”
And that was just the first punch.
Storm surge brought waves crashing onto their home — a home they built 8 feet above the water, designed specifically to withstand massive storms.
“I would say waves had to hit mid-wall, at least," Jennings recalled. "Two waves would converge and just whack or hit windows. It was crazy.”
Thankfully, no water made it inside their home.
Other places in Matlacha that sit lower weren't so lucky.
Richard Chalupsky owns The Perfect Cup, a cafe along the main drag in Matlacha. His store, like many homes and businesses, got water inside — and a lot of mud along with it.
“I open my door and see this and it’s like — what happened?!” Chalupsky said. “I don’t know at what point you just kind of get used to it."
Elsewhere around Matlacha, Milton tossed boats onto bridges, scattered debris among the mangroves and cut power to all of the area.
The Hooked restaurant, which was left halfway in the water after Hurricane Ian, was finished off by Milton and left in a heap of debris.
“It’s just — clean up. Get devastated. Clean up. Get devastated," Jennings explained. "So, it’s hard.”
Even still, people in the are grateful for some things. No lives were lost to the storm in Lee County, unlike during Hurricane Ian.
Plus, the causeway and bridges held up during Milton, allowing full access on and off Pine Island and Matlacha just hours after the storm swept through.
There’s also a resolve you don’t see most places. Despite the exhaustion of yet another clean up, Chalupsky is determined to come back.
"I’m not going to let these hurricanes beat us. No way," he told NBC2. "This little restaurant’s been here for 18 years. It’ll be here forever. I’m convinced.”
CAPT'N CON'S CLOSING FOR GOOD
Out in Bokeelia, the fishing pier was ravaged by Milton.
So too was Capt’n Con’s. The restaurant was hit hard by Ian — but Milton was much worse. The damage is so severe, the family that runs the restaurant told NBC2 it will force them to close their doors for good.
In other spots, Milton brought water into homes that hadn’t flooded in decades.
“90 percent of the time — 99 percent of the time, it’s the most awesome place to live," Sheli Thompson-Gauthier told NBC2.
But Friday was what the 1 percent looks like.
Her home in Bokeelia did not flood during Ian. It did not flood for Helene.
But Milton finally got them.
Just a couple inches of water got in the house, but it was just enough to ruin the drywall.
"Well, I cried a little at lunch," she told NBC2 on Friday. "And now, I’m just. I mean, we just got to do it."
And they will do it — determined to repair and remain in the community she and her family love so much.
That mindset of recovery is seen all over Pine Island in the wake of the storm. Crews have been working tirelessly to upright poles and restore power to the island.
As of Saturday morning, power had been restored to more than half the island.
"The resilience of Pine Island and the individuals out here is amazing," Elsie Stearns told NBC2.
Stearns is the president of the Beacon of Hope. Their task force is among those helping in the recovery by giving out free food and water and gathering up information.
They are just one of many examples of the phrase 'Pine Island Strong.'
“Our goal is to find out what the needs are — and get those needs met," she said. “We’re not going let anything back us down. We’re going to keep fighting forward, keep moving forward and just be the community that we all are.”