Now, it is incredibly littered with large portions of aluminum, ridiculous amounts of Styrofoam, and miscellaneous debris that is everywhere and throughout the mangroves,” said Executive Director of Sarasota Bay Watch Ronda Ryan. “The Myakka River, as most people know, has been a beautiful pristine area full of plants, animals, and marine life. Residents in North Port say they have tried to cleanup as much of the river as they can, but some of the debris is too large or out of reach with the tools they have available to them. The primary debris we spotted from shore was Styrofoam and sheet metal.

Residents say they still see trash floating by during high tides, even five months after the storm. The debris is scattered throughout the area, tangled and twisted into mangroves, and submerged in the water. “Anything you can imagine that blew out of people’s homes was laying out there in the water, and there is still a lot of it to be cleaned up,” said resident David Ott. Debris within the community has been cleaned up for the most part, but some of the canals surrounding the neighborhood and leading to the river remain a mess. Residents say around 200 homes were destroyed, many others suffered significant damage. In the Harbor Cove community along the Myakka River, residents are still picking up the pieces from the storm. (WFLA) - Hurricane Ian devastated many communities across the state, including North Port.

Pirates tides of fortune banned