Journalist describes Hurricane Ian’s destruction in her home city of Naples, Florida

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• Judy Woodruff:

  As we have been hearing, the flooding is so bad in some Florida communities that relief agencies and others are having trouble getting to some of the hardest-hit areas.

  That includes many journalists, including our team.

  Wendy Powell is one of the local reporters who stayed to report on the storm and its aftermath. She's the editor of The Naples Daily News. And she and her colleagues are working in a makeshift newsroom in Fort Myers. And she joins me now.

  So, Wendy Powell, what are you dealing with in the Naples-Fort Myers area right now, in terms of what you have to cover?

• Wendy Powell, The Naples Daily News:

  We are dealing with mass devastation. We have islands that have been disconnected from the mainland.

  The island of Sanibel, the causeway collapsed into the bay. And so there is absolutely no way to get on that island. Fort Myers Beach is another island where it's absolute — we have seen pictures, and we haven't physically — we have had people on the island, but we have not been able to get on there. The devastation is just beyond what I have ever seen in my entire career.

• Judy Woodruff:

  What are you seeing in terms of human — the human situation, where people are? Are people stranded? Do you know any more about need for either hospital or medical help that is — that people have right now?

• Wendy Powell:

  We know that they're keeping — they're still doing search-and-rescue efforts.

  We actually had a reporter that took a boatride out to Captiva island and was able to get — was on the boat with three of the last people that were rescued from that island. We had reporters and photographers that were on jet skis today trying to get out to another island to see what the situation was there.

  There's — the power — there is no power, the supplies. Some of the gas stations started returning to being open, operating, and the lines are just around the corner, backing up to interstates. And so the frustration level for those that are only without the power and connectivity, but then there are just so many people that have lost absolutely everything.

  And it's truly, truly a devastating situation.

• Judy Woodruff:

  It sounds just almost unimaginable.

  And we heard you say this is the worst you have ever seen. Is it your sense, Wendy Powell, that the relief efforts that people are going to need are going to be there? We just heard the gentleman from the Red Cross say they are they are still collecting information before they can even go out and do anything.

• Wendy Powell:

  They absolutely are.

  The islands have been substantially cut off for the most part. We were on a boat where they were bringing some supplies out to a couple of the islands. The rescue efforts, the relief teams that are here are from all over the country, including, actually, outside of the country.

  And so they are here ready to help. We have been watching as the Coast Guard has been in there and flying people out and landing them at shelter properties around Southwest Florida. So they have — they first have to go in there and do some of the cleanup. One of the — one of our why witnesses that was on Fort Myers Beach compared the levels of sand that were scooped off of the main road as sort of like the aftermath of a snowstorm, where you see those piles of snow at the bottom of a hill.

  And so it's — they're doing — I do believe they're doing absolute best that they can at this point. It's going to be frustrating. It's not going to be a quick recovery for anybody. Our journalists alone have been impacted, have lost homes. So they're dealing with that as well.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Well, it certainly does sound overwhelming.

  We thank you so much for talking with us, Wendy Powell of The Naples Daily News.

• Wendy Powell:

  Thank you.