'Our community was wiped out': Low-income Americans expected to be hit hardest by Hurricane Ian

After the storm knocks out power and destroys property, people are scrambling for shelter, money and news of the missing
For Connie Irwin, 82, and her partner, Cheryl Lang, the cost of Hurricane Ian's devastating tear across Florida was clear. "Our whole community has been wiped out," Irwin said.
The two lost their mobile home on Sanibel Island off the state's west coast and are now homeless, staying in an inland motel about 35 miles away near Naples, Fla., which currently has no power.
"It was very difficult. Now I know what it's like to be homeless and not have simple things like toilet availability. We are lucky to be alive. There's a lot of people in Sanibel and down in Fort Myers that have lost their lives, and where I'm staying there's a lot of homeless right now,” Irwin added.
The damage Ian caused to Florida was enormous. The monster storm made landfall near the state in the Fort Myers/Naples area, then crossed up and across the eastern part of the state, grazing the St. Augustine and Jacksonville area before regaining hurricane strength and heading toward South Carolina.
At least 21 deaths have now been confirmed in Florida, with that number expected to rise as emergency crews continue to reach affected areas and the extent of damage is still being assessed, with recovery expected to take years.
For Irwin and Lange, recovery looks difficult — as it does for many low-income Floridians, who are often hit hardest by the terrible losses that natural disasters can cause.
They didn't have insurance because of its high cost, as they both rely on Social Security for their income. Irwin still does carpentry for extra money, although she's not sure if her tools made it through the hurricane. They were able to evacuate with their dog, Charlie, and a few belongings Tuesday night before the storm hit, and they spent the night several miles inland in a parking lot to ride out the storm.
Because of power outages, open businesses only accept cash and staying in touch with loved ones has been difficult. Irwin and Lange are retired teachers, and Irwin served in the Coast Guard for more than nine years. They hope they can return to where their home was soon so they can save what they can. But the only bridge to Sanibel Island was destroyed in the hurricane, making rescue difficult and the island is only accessible by boat or helicopter.
"The magnitude of it didn't hit me until today," Irwin said. "All we can do is save some things like photo albums."
Many others are in the same dire situation.
Dwayne Parks of Lakeland, Florida, and his girlfriend experienced significant damage from the hurricane to their home, with about a foot of water flooding through the house and damage to their roof. They are now trying to secure a loan to cover the $500 deductible their insurance requires before they can file a claim, and they are still without power.
"We weren't ready, we didn't think it would hurt here," Parks said. "We had to escape it. It tore everything off the roof, flooded the house. This house is her pride and joy - she is devastated."
Family members pleaded on social media for help in contacting loved ones they were unable to reach in areas with power outages.
Heather Marie lived in California and was having trouble connecting with her elderly father, Jesse Forton, in St. James, Florida. She lost contact with him because his house was flooded and he lost electricity and cell phone. He has medical problems, and she is trying to bring him to California.
“I'm not sure of the details about anything. There was supposed to be a team to check on him this morning, but I haven't heard anything," she said. "It's so hard for me to do anything from California. It was horrible. He is completely alone there."
GoFundMe campaigns are being started for people who have lost their homes, apartments, cars and almost all of their personal belongings. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has launched a website for individuals to apply for disaster assistance, and the Small Business Administration has launched a website for businesses, homeowners, renters and associations in approved Florida counties to apply for individual assistance.
Fema also asked people who want to volunteer to do so through VolunteerFlorida.org and not self-deploy to affected areas.