Help Rose Byrne with Hurricane Ian Recovery

This fundraiser is for our friend, Rose Byrne, who lost everything during Hurricane Ian. Your generous support will help her recover from her losses. Here is her harrowing account of the day Ian struck:

My name is Rose Byrne and I am a Survivor like so many here in our beautiful Southwest Florida. I moved here in 1977. In 1980 I lived on a boat for 3 years, working at Snug Harbor. Then I went to live in the Iona Area, working at the Gulf Shore Restaurant on Ft. Myers Beach. Then I left the Ft. Myers Beaches and started working on Sanibel Island at the Sundial where I stayed for 34 years. I loved that the Island was a "Wildlife Sanctuary." All those years, I lived in the Iona area, where I felt safe to raise my son and to live.

I retired from Sundial when COVID hit, feeling safe where I was with my Church St. Columbkille and my little family of friends and neighbors at Sanibel Sunset Villas across from Sanibel Outlets. Having gone thru Charlie, Francis and Irma and several Summer Storms ...this one was devastating. My roommate Chad and I had prepared ourselves with a new generator, portable air conditioners, food, water, power packs for our phones, and our cars full of gas.

That storm came in quick...first we had moved everything inside watching the water slowly rise....We had left cases of water in our cars, in case we had to leave. I had packed a bag, like I had always done before, and frozen food and water ready. As we watched the water starting to rise, I went into my room to put items up high ...then Chad said the water has risen fast and the wind was blowing it up towards the screen porch. All the sudden, we heard his car alarm go off, the wind had pushed water up the side of his car. Mine had been pushed up against his. Then waves started to form in the back and the water kept climbing up into the back porch. That's when we saw the dumpsters from the Outlet stores float by. The water and wind kept banging against the front door and came up to the Glass Sliders. We looked outside and the water was up to the front window and the carport was halfway down. My prayers were flowing as I talked to a concerned cousin.

Chad said "I have to get you up" as the water started to come in under the front door. I said maybe the attic, which there was an access to in my closet. He grabbed a ladder and as he headed to the closet we saw the sliders had about 3-4 feet of water pounding against them. I grabbed my bag and purse, he grabbed some water, cushions and we went up toward the attic. As I climbed, my heart sank because of the realization that I lost contact with my cousin and at that moment we heard the sliders explode. I made it to the very top of the ladder and sat...shocked as I watched a wave of water rush into my bathroom and then the closet. Chad kept encouraging me to get up into the attic, but I kept praying that it would stop rising. Then the walls of the closet bowed and my coffee maker came in and out. The whole time the wind kept blowing and I could feel it on my neck.

Slowly the water stopped climbing - it seemed forever...my Prayers never stopped, the blowing never stopped....then a Miracle - the water started to go down ...that's when we heard it, the walls rumbled and the toilet exploded with sewage water pouring out the last 3 feet of water. Thank God it was still light. Chad tried to keep me safe by moving broken glass off of the sewage soaked couches. I grabbed a couple of quilts and towels so we could sit. He was afraid I would fall so I stayed on that couch. Our feet soaked...the wind never let up. The curtains looked like flags and my Prayers never stopped. I slept on and off...Chad didn't sleep - he kept watch. It was dark then. Our phones kept going off with Emergency Notices and we knew we were going to be there a long time. When daybreak came the horror unfolded.

Water was still in the parking lot ...the smell of sewage was overwhelming but - We were Alive. Still Chad went outside and saw that some neighbors were making their way to their condos, since they hadn't stayed. The neighbors that had stayed were walking Zombies. Unbelievable. Just then my son who lives in Lehigh showed up and packed us into his truck. The Prayers continued.

I lost everything..but I survived, Chad survived.

I truly believe that the Lord heard me and sent Angels to Protect Us.

I believe one was my Brother for nothing touched the Cross he gave me before his death years ago. Everything is replaceable, my Heart goes out to those who went through this and have nowhere to go. This Monster is embedded in their Souls. Yet We are the Lucky ones. We are Survivors.

Thank You for listening to my Story.