New Sharon Fire And Biloxi Fire Once Again Team Up To Help Those Impacted By Disaster

New Sharon fire captain Steve Gerard works on a home in North Ft. Meyers Florida this week.

October 10th, 2022

Fort Meyers Beach, Florida – Hurricane Ian was expected to hit land as a Category 1 storm, but the storm had other plans for those in its path.

Ian started like almost every other tropical storm, entering the waters off of West Africa as what is described as a tropical wave.

The wave worked its way into the Carribian Sea on September 21st, 2022, and soon organized into a Tropical Depression on September 23rd. From there, it rapidly increased into a Tropical Storm and then a Category 3 hurricane.

After wreaking havoc on Cuba, Ian traveled north, intensified into a strong Category 4 hurricane, and took aim at southwest Florida, eventually making landfall near Captiva Island, just a few miles from where New Sharon Fire and Biloxi Fire are now, helping others in their time of need.

New Sharon and Biloxi have teamed up to create ‘First Responders First,’ a new non-profit, and it is a joint effort with long-time partners.

That partnership dates back to when New Sharon first traveled to Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Since then, the combined efforts have traveled to many different disasters, not just hurricanes.

This trip has many connections for those helping out.

They’ve been there to assist after destructive tornados and floods, from Texas to the Midwest, and have used their earned expertise helping after the tornados that struck Pella and Marshalltown.

The current mission in the Ft. Meyers area will continue through Friday when the team will head back to Biloxi, and the New Sharon crew will travel back home Sunday.