Heavy rain on Wednesday floods streets in Fort Myers Shores, sparking drainage concerns

Heavy rain on Wednesday in Fort Myers Shores caused streets to flood, leaving residents to deal with waterlogged yards and raising concerns about the community's drainage system. "Within a few days, most of this, unless it keeps raining every day, which has been lately, then it builds up," said Dan Burgstresser, whose yard remains soaked after the recent downpour. Less than 24 hours ago, streets like 3rd Street and East Cypress Road were underwater as rain poured non-stop. Chase Raley, a resident of Fort Myers Shores, said, "I know that our drainage is not the best. Also, I know that we're really close to the river and all the canals." Stephanie Calvert, another resident, added, "Yeah, I think draining would definitely help. Maybe even like digging the ditches down a little bit deeper." Rainfall totals varied across Lee County, with some areas receiving more than four inches of rain, according to the Gulf Coast Storm Team. Calvert also described the impact of the flooding on her daily activities, saying, "The Publix parking lot the other night was a complete lake. I mean, it was up to the rocker panels of my car." While she noted that the flooding hasn't reached hurricane-level severity, Calvert said, "It hasn't gotten that bad, other than, I mean, like, a hurricane or anything, but, yeah, I mean, it comes up, but it goes into the yard. It's not completely horrible." DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.