Pine Island sees rising waters, electrical scares as Hurricane Milton pushes past coast

Forecasters have predicted Lee County would see 8-12 feet of storm surge as Hurricane Milton headed eastward. True to form, the water is rising. And nowhere is that more precarious than on Florida’s barrier islands.

On Pine Island, a barrier island largely inhabited by blue-collar residents, many of them elderly, the storm surge has already reached levels higher than Hurricane Helene.

Helene slapped at the area just two weeks earlier on its way to devastate the Big Bend area and decimating more rural, mountainous parts of North Carolina. In Lee County, estimates put Helene’s storm surge at two to four feet high.

But Kevin and Jen Russell, the unofficial mayors of Pine Island and the administrators of popular Facebook group Things to do on Pine Island, which is a vital line of communication with residents during storms, have reports coming in from residents that the water is already at least a foot and a half higher than it was during Helene.

And it’s still rising.

“This isn’t even on the bay,” said Jen. “This is inland, off a canal. The water is coming over the road and into another neighborhood.”

Residents have also reported seeing what Kevin referred to as “fireflies” on the power lines and transformers, and flashes arcing off the same. The Russells shared a video, shot just minutes ago, of a transformer, red- and white-hot sparks dancing all over it.

“We all know water and electricity don’t mix,” Kevin said.  “There’s (rain) hitting but there’s really no wind, so why are power poles going out and the transformers blowing up?”

Most of Pine Island has lost power, according to electrical company LCEC. Data shows more than 136,000 are without power in Lee County.

And LCEC's storm power outage map shows that 99% of Pine Island is out of power as of 11 p.m. Wednesday.

“People have no idea what is happening,” said Jen, speaking of the sparks showing up on powerlines and transformers.

They’re turning to each other for answers. So often, sharing information on the Things to do on Pine Island Facebook group during massive storms like Milton leads to an answer to questions, a solution to their problems. Right now, though, the “fireflies” are a mystery — and a concern.

The Russells plan to keep a close eye on Pine Island through the rest of the night, and the storm. Soon, the wind direction is going to change. What that means for Pine Islanders, they don’t know.

Kate Cimini is the Florida Investigative Reporter for the USA TODAY-Network Florida, based at The News-Press and The Naples Daily News. Contact her at 239-207-9369 or kcimini@news-press.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Pine Island sees rising waters, electrical scares as Hurricane Milton pushes past coast