Fort Myers-area residents get started on cleanup from tropical system flooding

Ruined pieces of the lives of residents at one Island Park community could be seen strewn outside their homes Sunday as cleanup efforts from last weekend's flood got started in earnest.

The Royal Woods development off Island Park Road in south Fort Myers was one of the hardest-hit communities from rains that fell Friday, Saturday, Sunday and early Monday last week. The rains turned into floodwaters as Ten Mile Canal overflowed its banks.

On Sunday, Small was awaiting adjusters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to see what could be salvaged, if anything, from her single-story apartment.

Along the side of her home was a 5-foot-tall pile of clothing, shoes, furniture, carpeting, and other belongings. Similar piles dotted the community.