Photos from October 25, 2005

  • The roof of the Cornerstone United Methodist Church on Immokalee Road in Naples on Monday, hours after it was damaged during Hurricane Wilma.
  • The scoreboard at Gulf Coast High School on Immokalee Road suffered damage from Hurricane Wilma on Monday.
  • The east wing of the YMCA in Bonita Springs contains the gymnasium and fitness room, two of three shelter rooms for families and individuals.
  • Halloween decorations on Fort Myers Beach give a touch of humor to an otherwise serious situation as Hurricane Wilma races toward Southwest Florida.
  • Megan Sliman, 2, came in to the Germain Arena shelter with her mother, Marie Keffer, on Saturday. Keffer said they weren’t worried, but that since their landlord didn’t board up the windows of their home, they decided not to take a chance. They should have gotten rid of the ice, or used another location instead of letting everyone get wet,” she said Monday after spending a damp and chilly night on the covered floor of the ice rink, “but everyone did the best they could, I guess.”
  • A palm tree lies across the entrance to Southwest Florida International Airport shortly after Hurricane Wilma passed by Monday.
  • Kristna Hewett, left, a volunteer for the Red Cross, had just returned from West Point, Miss, where she assisted with the Hurricane Katrina cleanup when she was called in to help out at the Bonita Springs shelter during Hurricane Wilma. “At least there are no spiders or moldy buildings here like there were there,” she said as she took a quick break for lunch Sunday. Bill Valpey, right, another volunteer helping out at the YMCA shelter, has been in the South Lee County area since the late ’40s and joked that he was “just a bored retiree with nothing to do” so he decided to help out at the shelter.
  • Hurricane Wilma hit South Lee County with a vengeance early Monday morning. With wind gusts up to 100 mph howling through eaves and toppling trees, the storm left millions throughout the state without power in the wake of the Category 3 hurricane.
  • Tracy Oram, who just moved here from Colorado, puts up hurricane shutters in anticipation of Hurricane Wilma. Oram's move to her new home in San Carlos Park was postponed due to construction delays caused by Hurricane Charley last summer.
  • Jana Simons, left, of South Fort Myers, and her 9-year-old daughter Kira, right, took advantage of the still-serene weather Saturday to enjoy a day at the beach, looking out over the gulf to see if they could catch a first glimpse of the slow-moving Wilma.
  • On Bonita Beach Sunday night, anxious beachgoers look out into the Gulf, anticipating the storm.
  • Larry Bedard of San Carlos Park knows that he got lucky. During the high winds of early Monday morning, a large tree gave out a loud crack and tumbled across his driveway just feet away from the home. With only a small amount of damage done to the roof by a branch that struck the house, Bedard is counting his blessings. “I usually park my truck right there,” he said, gesturing to the spot in front of the garage where the downed tree now lay, “but at the last minute, I moved both the truck and the van around to the side, and I’m sure glad I did.”
  • Estero’s Courtney Wasko (2) makes a return against LaBelle’s Chelsea Causseaux (20), Dani Blake (14) and Vanessa Ostolaza (12) during the District 4A-11 championship on Thursday. The host Cowgirls won.
  • Estero's Katie Kittinger lunges for the ball during Thursday's match against LaBelle.
  • Friday evening, as Lee County Animal Services staff began preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Wilma, the resident cats and dogs began to sense the coming storm. Typically more attuned to changes in weather, animals are often aware of oncoming hurricanes before the effects are seen or felt by humans. This kitten, a stray taken in by the shelter, makes her anxiety known with loud protest as the hurricane begins to make her way across the Gulf.
  • Florida Everblades forward John Ronan goes through drills at Germain Arena on Tuesday. The Blades practiced while the main rink was still supporting Hurricane Wilma evacuees.
  • A tree lies across a residential street in the Lely neighborhood in Naples on Tuesday, one day after Hurricane Wilma blew through town.
  • Hurricane Wilma, which blew through Naples on Monday, caused significant damage at the Bay of Naples.
  • A tree is knocked down at the Bay of Naples as a result of Hurricane Wilma which swept through Naples on Monday.
  • A house in an East Naples trailer park still showed signs of damage from Hurricane Wilma on Tuesday, a day after the hurricane hit Southwest Florida.
  • An East Naples trailer park was still reeling from Hurricane Wilma on Tuesday, which hit Southwest Florida a day earlier.
  • A house in an East Naples trailer park still bears signs of damage Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma hit Naples.
  • A shed from Ted's Sheds on highway 41 that flew across the highway is still there on Tuesday a day after Hurricane Wilma blew through Southwest Florida.
  • After being blown across highway 41 by winds from Hurricane Wilma, a shed from Ted's Sheds lies on the side of the road on Tuesday.
  • A shed from Ted's Sheds lies on the side of highway 41 on Tuesday. The shed was blown across the street during Hurricane Wilma a day earlier.
  • The roof of the fueling bay of the Hess Gas Station on Golden Gate Parkway and Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples is almost completely destroyed on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma passed through town.
  • The Boathouse Restaurant on the Bay of Naples, shown here in this photo taken on Tuesday, suffered damage as a result of Hurricane Wilma a day earlier.
  • An apartment building adjacent to Creighton Cove in Old Naples is still boarded up on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma passed through Southwest Florida.
  • A piece of an airplane hanger lies in the lake next to the airport on Tuesday as a result of severe weather during Hurricane Wilma.
  • A roof panel hangs off a house in the Brookside neighborhood of Naples on Tuesday after Hurricane Wilma hit the town a day earlier.
  • Neighborhoods in Naples still showed signs of damage on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma hit the town.
  • The streets of Naples are still in rough shape on Tuesday from damage caused by hurricane Wilma, which passed through Southwest Florida Monday morning.
  • The yard of a house in Naples is in shambles on Tuesday in the aftermath of hurricane Wilma.
  • Debris as a result of Hurricane Wilma still littered the streets of Naples on Tuesday, a day after the storm passed through town.
  • A tree is still lodged in the roof of a Naples house on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma reached the coast of Southwest Florida.
  • A street in Naples on Tuesday remains covered by trees that were uprooted during Hurricane Wilma a day earlier.
  • Crews worked to restore power to Naples on Tuesday as much of the city was without power as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
  • Sections of Naples remained flooded on Tuesday even as water from Hurricane Wilma, which reached town on Monday, began to drain.
  • A man walks his dog through Naples on Tuesday, where the weather was sunny in contrast to a day earlier when Hurricane Wilma passed through town.
  • A man walks his dog in a Naples neighborhood on Tuesday despite their path being blocked by trees that were uprooted during Hurricane Wilma, which hit Southwest Florida on Monday.
  • A crew surveys the scene in a Naples neighborhood on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma hit Southwest Florida.
  • A tree lies over the road in the Lely neighborhood of Naples on Tuesday after Hurricane Wilma blew through town a day earlier.
  • Children in the Lely neighborhood of Naples inspect a fallen tree on Tuesday. The tree was damaged during Hurricane Wilma, which reached Naples a day earlier.
  • A minivan drives undernneath an uprooted tree on the streets of the Lely neighborhood in Naples on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma passed through Southwest Florida.
  • This is one of the familar sculptures outside the Chardonnay restaurant off U.S. 41 North in Naples. The monkeys offer an unusual foreground to storm damage to buildings behind them and certainly hear no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil.
  • Foliage is blown over behind another sculpture, of a boy and girl on a bench, oblvious to it all.
  • A turtle appears to jump through the scrambled brush outside of the Chardonnay restaurant.
  • Hurricane Wilma's winds scrambled the letters on the Mel's Diner sign on U.S. 41 in Naples. What did it say? 'Gift cards available, The Big 9 (the nickname for a breakfast special) for $3.99, Best Breakfast in Town.'
  • One side of the Everglades Wonder Gardens sign on Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs is crumpled; the other is leaning. Another tourist landmark, Caribbean Gardens, did not experience such damage to its historic sign at U.S. 41 North and Fleischmann Boulevard in Naples.
  • A road in the Naples area still shows the effects of Hurricane Wilma on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma reached the coast of Southwest Florida.
  • Streets in the Naples area were still severely flooded on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Wilma reached the coast of Southwest Florida.
  • A street in the Naples area on Tuesday in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma.
  • This tree in the Naples area didn't fare well during Hurricane Wilma, which blew through the town on Monday.
  • Much of the siding of this house in the Naples area came off during Hurricane Wilma, which reached the coast of Florida on Monday.
  • Random objects were strewn around the yard of this house in the Naples area as a result of Hurricane Wilma, which hit the area on Monday.
  • A piece of debris lies in the street after Hurricane Wilma reached Southwest Florida on Monday.
  • This house in the Naples area was damaged by Hurricane Wilma.
  • The roof of this house in the Naples area didn't hold up in the winds of Hurricane Wilma, which reached the coast of Southwest Florida on Monday.
  • Damage from Hurricane Wilma which reached Southwest Florida on Monday.
  • This house in the Naples area had its roof ripped off by Hurricane Wilma.
  • Wreckage at this Naples area home caused by Hurricane Wilma.
  • The roof of a house in the Naples area that was damaged by Hurricane Wilma, which passed through the area on Monday.
  • A parked car in a driveway that suffered damage as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
  • This Naples area home appears to have almost completely disappeared as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Wilma.
  • An overturned bench in the Naples area that couldn't stand up to the winds of Hurricane Wilma, which hit the coast of Southwest Florida on Monday.
  • This tree in front of Naples City Hall didn't survive Hurricane Wilma.
  • Uprooted trees, like this one in the Naples area, were to be seen every where in Southwest Florida after Hurricane Wilma.
  • This electrical pole in the Naples area snapped almost completely in half as a resuly of Hurricane Wilma.
  • The construction of this home in the Naples area will likely be set back as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Wilma.
  • Many trees were unable to survive Hurricane Wilma, which reached the shores of Southwest Florida on Monday.
  • The gate to this house in the Naples area came off its hinges in the strong winds of Hurricane Wilma, which reached the area Monday morning.
  • The roof of the outdoor seating area of this Naples establishment was completely ripped off during hurricane Wilma.
  • Even large trees, like these, had trouble standing up to the 100+ mile-an-hour winds of Hurricane Wilma, which reached Southwest Florida Monday morning.
  • This Naples-area tree is worse for the wear after its encounter with Hurricane Wilma on Monday.
  • Unlucky home and business owners are faced with roof repairs in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, which hit Southwest Florida Monday morning.
  • People who didn't bring their patio furniture inside during Hurricane Wilma may have trouble locating it in the storm's aftermath.
  • Foliage was randomly strewn about the Naples area in the wake of Hurricane Wilma.
  • A palm tree lies lifeless on this sideroad in the Naples area in the aftermath of the Hurricane Wilma.
  • Even this massive tree came uprooted during Hurricane Wilma, which rocked much of Southwest Florida on Monday morning.
  • This Naples-area tree had its roots pulled out of the ground during Hurricane Wilma.
  • Even the bricks of this Naples-area patio were not strong enough to stop the roots of the tree being pulled out of the ground by Hurricane Wilma.
  • A palm tree, felled by the power of Hurricane Wilma, lies on this Naples-area road.
  • A tree almost obscures this view of a Naples-area road in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma.
  • This sign was one of the few things left standing in this scene on Tuesday after Hurricane Wilma passed through the Naples area the day before.
  • Naples-area residents who didn't board up their windows paid a price in some cases when Hurricane Wilma passed through the area.
  • A parking lot in the Naples area was almost completely covered with storm-related debris after Hurricane Wilma blew through the area early Monday morning.
  • This car in Lakewood community in East Naples barely fits under the roof of the parking structure which almost caved in during Hurricane Wilma.
  • This street sign in the Lakewood community in East Naples was overturned during strong winds as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
  • This golf course in the Lakewood community in East Naples suffered damage as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
  • People survey the damage from Hurricane Wilma in the Lakewood community in East Naples.
  • This home in the Lakewood community in East Naples suffered damage as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
  • The roof of this home in the Lakewood community in East Naples will have to be repaired after damage suffered by Hurricane Wilma.
  • Damage on St. Andrews Blvd. in the Lely community.
  • Damage on St. Andrews Blvd. in the Lely community.
  • Ann McNulty, a volunteer at the Literacy Council, teaches second-level English to a group of students during an evening session.
  • Integrating the use of English into her job is one of the goals Amy Shi, center, has while working at the China A restaurant in Bonita Springs. Shi, a beginning student in English, meets with volunteers at the Literacy Council every Tuesday and Wednesday before going to work.
  • Volunteers for the Literacy Council of Bonita Springs provide free tutoring in English, helping people adjust to life in Southwest Florida.
  • This unidentified child rides his bike through hip-deep waters in the Big K, HomeGoods parking lot in North Naples on Monday.
  • Looking west towards the beach, north of the pier on 2nd St. S.
  • North side of the Naples Pier about 2 p.m. on Monday.
  • The Hess Station at Golden Gate Parkway and Goodlette-Frank Road suffered severe damage as a result of Hurricane Wilma, which passed through Naples on Monday morning.
  • A tree outside Alico Arena in Estero struggles to stay rooted during Hurricane Wilma on Monday morning.
  • That's one way to get people to pay attention to traffic signals.
  • Working the chain(saw) gang. Collier County brought their nattily dressed inmates out to help clean up the downed trees at the county complex. Do we really want to give these guys sharp tools?

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