Going on four months and still living without power is the reality for people living in the Davis Woods condos in Iona.

After Hurricane Ian, many in Southwest Florida turned to generators to power their homes. But four months after the storm, Jerry still lives off a generator. “I haven’t had electricity in the last four…maybe almost four and a half months,” Jerry said. Jerry and his neighbors at the Davis Woods condominiums haven’t had power since Sep. 28, when Ian hit. “The trailer park across the street got electricity…Everybody’s got electricity. We don’t,” Jerry said.

Jodi Wampfler, Jerry’s neighbor, has been living with a friend ever since the storm.

“It’s horrible. living out of a suitcase,” Wampfler said.

While the first-floor condos had to be gutted from the damage, Wampfler said that despite not having power, her unit on the second floor is in good shape.

“We’ve been told for months and months that electrifying the second floor should be will be priority. It will be happening, you know, next week or the week after. And every week, we just wake up to Monday morning starting over with the same message,” Wampfler said.

Wampfler said that a lack of housing options left many residents with no choice but to stay where they are.

“If they buy a sandwich, they have to throw it away the next day because there’s no refrigerators. And so it’s just, it’s a day-by-day struggle. I think some of them are pretty much hour-by-hour. I know they don’t get sleep at night,” Wampfler said.

Sadly, Jerry agrees.

“Here I am, struggling for survival,” Jerry said.

“Just makes me sad. Scared for him,” Wampfler said.

Lee County said several permits had been issued for buildings in that complex. But it cannot do any inspections until contractors reach out to schedule them.

WINK News reached out to Schoo Association Management which runs Davis Woods but WINK News has not gotten a response.