WEEK OF OCTOBER, 12, 2022
Pine Islanders remain resilient in the face of catastrophe — INSIDE PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 46, NUMBER 26
Islanders still weathering the storm on Pine Island By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Captain Cathy Eagle has spent more than 40 years boating in local waters. As a professional charter captain, she specializes in dolphin and nature tours, During this time of cleanup from Hurricane Ian, though, she’s taken a break from her regular gig to help other islanders. From giving cans of gas to passing vessels that may be running low out on the water, to bringing gro-
Captain Cathy Eagle
ceries, by boat, to neighbors in need who have no way of leaving their waterfront homes, and more importantly, shuttling islanders to what’s left of their homes to assess damage, Eagle has undertaken the role of caretaker to everyone around her and, right now, it seems to be a need that’s insurmountable.
“My nephew, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was on board and also my brother who flew helicopters and was doing rescues in Vietnam — well they both said this is a war zone,” Eagle said. At the time of this interview, Eagle, who had been on the water for eight days, said most people have only seen Pine Island from the air. Not yet having access to television or the internet has given her a uniquely limited perspective, forcing her to live in the moment firsthand. “All I see is at eye level, in real time, every day. It really is a war zone. That, to
me, is the most poignant thing. As I’ve been out with some home and business owners — it’s been up to four and five times for some of them — each day they take in a little bit more and begin to realize the gravity of the situation,” Eagle said. Pine Island Kiwanian Darcy Conner and her husband, Chamber Board member Dave Conner, decided to vacate Pine Island and head to Port St. Lucy at the last minute, just before Hurricane Ian hit. See WEATHERING THE STORM, page 6
PHOTO PROVIDED
As islanders are still cleaning up the mess left behind by Hurricane Ian, Winn-Dixie store manager Dan Loughran and Winn-Dixie are equipping them with all the products in the store.
Dan Loughran of Island Elementary school staffers say they’re ‘Pine Island Strong’ Winn-Dixie asks, ‘What P do you need?’ By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
ulling together as a community has never been more important to Pine Islanders than it is right now. After Hurricane Ian swept in, damaging homes, businesses and disrupting lives on the island last Wednesday, the staff of Pine Island Elementary wasted no time meeting with school Principal Dr. Tom Millins to assess that damage. Teachers got together on Tuesday afternoon to check in with one another, said teacher Nichole Pichon, as well as keeping track of students and their families to make sure they were safe. “Today’s meeting was initially a mental health check in. That was what we did first. We were making sure everyone who was here was OK. That was priority one,” Pichon said. Several of the students and families who live on the island have lost their homes, she said, approximating six or seven homes lost with at least 10 more that have been damaged. The meeting was important to
ascertain what is needed to help those who’ve lost everything. School staffers are not only interested in helping the students they work with each day, she said, but want to pitch in any way they can to help their island community. “Today we created a plan. We have a Google Doc that Shannon Schaal and Regina Notarianni have started, so we can track whether we have heard from our students and what they need in their current situation, or whether they’ve moved to a different state temporarily, and how we’re going to be able to contact all of our kids,” Pichon said. Although this was not an official school meeting, the teachers, as well as Millins, felt it was vital to figure out what they could do to pinpoint students and families. Most grades were accounted for, Pichon said, although, so far, they have not been able to reach everyone. “This was nothing official. We were just coming together to figure out what we could do to help people. We’re hous-
ing supplies and collecting money for staff and students who were affected by the hurricane,” Pichon said. Plans to meet again are already under way as the staff begins to compile information on the students whereabouts as well as their needs. “Jaime and Eddie Barnhill have been amazing in transporting supplies and people back and forth on and off the island. They have lost their home and yet they have put that to the side and put See ‘PINE ISLAND STRONG’, page 10
Pine Island Elementary School staffers along with Principal Dr. Tom Million, include Lynn Newman, Lois Skaf, Regina Notarianni, Amber Kunkel, Rosie Perez, Shannon Schaal, Amy Keen, Libby Catto, Bridget AmicoDodig, Christine Bartz, Ashley Collins and Nichole Pichon. PHOTO PROVIDED BY NICHOLE PICHON
By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
If you’ve been on Pine Island for any extended period of time, you’ve likely met Winn-Dixie store manager Dan Loughran. A pillar of the community, Loughran is often one of the first in line to offer help in a time of crises. As islanders are still cleaning up the mess left behind by Hurricane Ian, Loughran and Winn-Dixie are equipping them with all the products in the store. “For the last two days we’ve been just giving products away,” Loughran said. Pine Island Winn-Dixie opened for regular business again after Hurricane Ian Saturday, Oct. 8. After having had See WINN-DIXIE, page 8