This is southwest Florida in focus.

Coming up, the Panhandle is bracing itself as a hurricane makes landfall in the United States for the first time in two years.

National Guard has been activated, which is 5000 people strong now, and they are moving and mobilizing.

We're getting an understanding on how hurricane was able to develop into a major storm in a short amount of time.

Fighting for the rights of the Everglades.

We learn more about efforts to proceed with the lawsuit that centers around the environmental concerns associated with the now defunct Alligator Alcatraz, and providing a path for better mental health.

The Southwest Florida efforts that are in place for anyone dealing with a mental health crisis.

Hello, I'm Jennifer Crawford.

Thank you for joining us.

Hurricane X is leaving its mark on the Sunshine State as it becomes the first hurricane to impact the state since Milton two years ago.

The two storms share similarities.

They both formed around the same time in early October, and both underwent an explosive intensification as they crossed through the Gulf.

With this trend and hurricane activity, could this formation of storms become a common trend for any future inclement weather?

Joining us now is meteorologist Andrew Woolfolk from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.

Thanks for joining us.

Absolutely.

Great to be with you.

Now this hurricane developed quickly after forming Wednesday morning in the Gulf waters.

What caused its initial rapid intensification?

Well, it quickly intensified because the waters are so warm over the Gulf.

Water temperatures are on the range of 84 to 87 degrees.

Now, that being said, it's not the quickest we've ever seen or hurricane form certainly out there over the Gulf.

This storm has had some wind shear to contend with, and that's all because of hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific sending all of that atmospheric energy eastward.

And so therefore, it has generally been halted in terms of seeing any type of historic or, you know, historic, rapid intensification.

It looks like that we could in trend will commence as it gets closer and closer towards the Florida Panhandle.

Are we seeing this pattern more frequently in recent years, where storms are intensifying rather quickly, and why there has been an uptick in hurricanes strengthening quickly.

Part of that is because of the warm water temperatures.

Also part of it is because of technology.

You know, as that continues to increase and get better, we're able to better capture these storms and get a better sense of what's going on inside the storms.

You know, years ago, we didn't have drones, actually, that penetrate the eye wall, and now we actually have a ocean and an air base, drones that go into the storm, the heart of the storm and get a good sense of what's going on.

So there's a variety of of ways in which these storms are strengthening more.

But in general, overall, the number of hurricanes is actually decreasing your year after year, as evidenced by this year as this being our first hurricane.

Now, we have talked all season about how El Nino is impacting the season, with wind shear potentially limiting storms and their developments.

How did that hamper or did it not hamper this storm that's currently approaching the Gulf Coast?

Absolutely.

Well, if L'Unita was not in place, we would be looking at a scenario somewhere to Michael or Milton.

You know, one of those historic storms that struck the Gulf Coast.

Now, because that El Nino is in place, we're not getting the worst case scenario.

A worst case scenario would be a storm strengthening as it goes towards landfall.

The storm will be weakening as it head towards landfall.

And that that is important.

If L Nino was not in place, we would not have likely these atmospheric wins or going to help knock it down.

We wouldn't have the dry air in place.

So it's actually a benefit.

And overall in the season this is only the first hurricane.

We've had nine named storms and only having one hurricane was is far below even what predictions anticipated before the hurricane season.

So El Nino has certainly been our friend over the last several months, so it could be much more serious without El Nino.

Absolutely, absolutely.

If you had a what's commonly referred to as lanata or a neutral season or a La Nina, there could be even warmer water temperatures in place.

There could be even more prime atmospheric conditions.

It would not have surprised me that this would have been a 4 or 5.

Now, fortunately, we're carrying out at a three, and then by landfall, likely looking at a one.

Hurricane season began June 1st at peaks in September.

In recent years, it does seem that we've had more serious storms like Hurricane Ian, Milton and Helene.

They're all emerging later in the season.

Is this the new trend for weather patterns?

Do you think?

That is a great observation.

It is true that we are seeing more hurricanes during the second half of the year than before.

Now, unfortunately, because of the way the weather plays out, it's going to take way more years to determine if this is a trend or if this is just Mother nature's, you know, you know, coincidental nature, if you will.

But it's certainly true that the second half of the season is being busier.

While the first half has kind of been quiet over the last several years, and it is a trend that meteorologists are certainly watching, but until there is a way more years in terms of data, it so we can't put a nail on it yet.

And what's your perspective on whether we could see another hurricane still form this season?

It's certainly possible.

The good news is that the hurricane models, the global forecast models, go out several weeks and there is not a threat, at least to the remaining days of October.

Now we can't get hurricanes during November in Florida, the latest occurring during Thanksgiving week back in the 1980s.

But because we're in this El Nino stretch.

Chances of actually seeing a late season hurricane are actually below normal.

And that's awesome news.

Thank you so much.

It looks like most of the state will get through this hurricane season without a major threat.

Great.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

Thank you.

We are not out of the clear for hurricane season just yet.

So make sure that you are ready for any inclement weather by keeping up with our website.

Coming up despite the gates being closed.

The fallout continues for Alligator Alcatraz, as federal and state officials are looking to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the facility damaged the surrounding Everglades ecosystem.

in June after less than one year of operations, the state of Florida shut down alligator.

Alcatraz, the temporary immigration detention center located in the heart of the Everglades with operations over federal, state and county officials have filed motions to dismiss a lawsuit that has challenged the environmental violations associated with the facility.

The suit, filed by friends of the Everglades, the center for Biological Diversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, say they are determined to press forward with the lawsuit to, quote, fight for the accountability that the Everglades deserves.

With more.

I'm now joined by Elise Bennett, the senior attorney for the center for Biological Diversity.

Thank you for joining us today.

It's a pleasure to be here with you.

At least.

What is your reaction to federal, state and county defendants trying to dismiss the lawsuit?

Well, I'll say it's a pretty typical step in these kinds of cases.

Normally, after a case is filed, you know, the first step is for any of these kinds of arguments to be raised by defendants.

And so it's not unexpected.

And we are currently in the process of preparing our detailed responses that will file with the court.

But I can say that the short of it is, we belong in federal district court, and we still have foundational environmental laws that we need to vindicate on behalf of Big Cypress National Preserve, endangered and threatened species, and all the people who care about them.

Can you touch on what the alleged environmental violations are according to your lawsuit?

Right.

So in this lawsuit, we are challenging the failure to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, which is this common sense law that requires agencies to look before they leap, to make sure they understand all the consequences to the environment and how they can minimize and avoid them.

And then we also alleged claims under the Endangered Species Act for failing to comply with endangered species consultation requirements in a way that complied with the law.

And that is important because that aspect of the Endangered Species Act is intended to prevent federal agencies from jeopardizing a species existence, driving it closer to the brink of extinction.

Unfortunately, because those reviews didn't happen, a whole lot of incredibly impactful and irreparable harms happened on that site.

And that's why we brought this case.

Now, since the facility closed rather abruptly at the end of June.

Have you been able to go down and visit the site, conduct any inspections, and if so, did you find anything that you see that is concerning?

Yes, we have been to the site, and of course we've been documenting as best we could all along the way.

You know, this facility has had extensive impacts, more than 20 acres of new paving that disrupts hydrology, exposure to contaminants, everything from jet fuel to human waste.

A really increased risk by having these people on the site handling these contaminants.

We also had disruption to endangered and threatened species.

About two dozen and threatened and endangered species are found in this area.

We know that Florida panthers used the site, and that critical habitat for Florida bonneted bats overlaps with it.

And so all of the activity on the site most definitely has an impact on them, preventing them from feeding and breeding and carrying out the other ecological behaviors they need to survive.

And then, you know, I think as we're looking more detailed on the ground, we've seen exposure to invasive plants through these massive mountainous piles of fill material that were brought onto the site to facilitate construction.

We saw all kinds of litter and trash, just really poorly done silt fencing around the site, which means that there was very little, if any, protection to the surrounding wetlands from soil and dust coming off the site onto the surrounding areas.

There's just a whole lot to dig in there.

And this is just the beginning.

We believe there's a lot more evidence of the impacts that happen that we don't even have yet.

As you walked through and saw this, what was your reaction personally?

It was horrifying to be on that site.

It was a really hot we were out there in August.

It gave me a sense of what it must have been like to be someone brought out to the middle of Big Cypress to be imprisoned.

So I think that was the first thing that struck me.

But then also just seeing how massive the impacts were to the site, how changed it was because Alligator Alcatraz was stood up there.

And without those environmental reviews, it really made me angry that the government had trashed our public lands and our waters and our endangered species in that way.

Was it worse than you envisioned?

You know, it's hard to.

It's hard to compare because based on what we were seeing from the beginning, I, I envisioned a lot of really extensive damage.

And really, that's that's what we saw.

They've left an indelible footprint on this site in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve with, you know, just countless impacts to the environment, to people and to taxpayers.

You know, we're seeing more and more documentation of how the lack of planning and the reckless way that the government moved forward with this without the environmental reviews or any others.

You know, it's really touched to all of us.

And I think that's the biggest takeaway so far from from all of that we've seen.

And what is the next step in the legal process?

So right now, the center's legal team, along with friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice and attorneys at Coffee Burlington, are working to prepare our responses to the motions to dismiss.

Once we get through that and we believe we will prevail on that, we will move forward on the merits of our case that will be conducting discovery, looking at records from the government and really trying to piece together after the fact the full extent of the harm and ultimately holding the government accountable in court and making it do these reviews, which are valuable.

They will help us to mitigate harm on the site, to inform further activities on the site as decommissioning has continued.

And so, you know, we really look forward to that opportunity.

We we feel optimistic.

And we feel like we're doing the right thing here at least.

Bennett, thank you for joining us today.

Thank you.

for continuing updates on the fallout regarding the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility lawsuits.

Keep up with our website.

WGCU.org Saturday, October 10th is recognized as World Mental Health Day.

This year.

The international campaign highlights community efforts and firsthand experience for people who need help in crisis.

The National Alliance on Mental Health, or Nami, reports nearly 60 million Americans experience a mental health crisis every year, and locally, efforts are well underway to help individuals and families impacted by mental health concerns.

With more.

I now joined by Gina Britton, the Program Director for Nami Southwest Florida.

And thank you so much for joining us in studio today.

I'm so happy to be here.

Now coming up, October 10th is World Mental Health Awareness Day.

How significant is this day?

Oh, it's very significant.

I wish I. I wish every day was World Mental health support day.

It's become such a problem among, especially among our young people, that anything that we can do like this to raise awareness for the need for mental health support for people and their families.

The more we can do to get the word out about what's out there to help them, the better off we are.

There are many people that walk around and they get through each day, and they are suffering with mental illness that others have no idea.

Can you touch on some of the things that we can look for, for trying to support and help someone who might be struggling with a mental illness, but they don't want to share what's going on, right?

It's tough.

I mean, generally the the public kind of looks at mental illness and they think, okay, homeless or, downtrodden, but the vast majority of people with mental illness or mental health conditions are your everyday working folks, right?

They might be going through the motions and getting through the day, but it's it's so difficult.

It's like having concrete shoes, trying to get through every day.

Right?

So normally when someone is in that kind of condition, you'll just see that they're not their normal selves.

They, they tend to start to withdraw from their family and friends.

They withdraw from activities that they used to love to do.

Hobbies, sports, things like that.

They start to isolate themselves and talk to people less and less.

It's not always, you know, people.

They don't sit around crying all the time.

It's not.

That's not usually how it is.

They just start withdrawing from all the things and people that they that they care about.

And what can someone do to help a loved one in that kind of situation?

Be straightforward.

Ask the questions.

Don't be afraid to ask.

Hey, how are you feeling?

Are you are you feeling down?

Why?

Why are you, so isolated now?

How come you're not coming to tennis anymore?

You know, ask them a lot of.

A lot of times people are willing to talk about it.

If they feel like someone cares, right?

A lot of people with mental health issues feel like they're a burden to other people, so they're not going to come out on their own and say it.

But if they feel someone cares and asks, they might be willing to talk.

And in fact, your nonprofit offers help for loved ones who are trying to help that family member.

Tell us about that program.

There's a couple of different things within our family support program.

We have, a family support groups that are once a month.

We have several of them around the Fort Myers area, and it's it's run by Nami trained family members who've been through the journey with their loved one.

And they are like they're to mentor and help other people through that.

They share different tips and tricks and coping mechanisms and what helps, what didn't help.

And then we have a program that's called Family to Family.

It's an eight week education course.

It's two, two hours once a week for eight weeks.

And again, it's run by Nami trained facilitators who are who have led the experience caring for someone with a mental illness.

And the the curriculum takes them through everything from how the brain works, how medications work, why treatment plans are important, ways to communicate better with their mentally ill loved one, coping skills for them so they don't suffer from burnout.

It covers the whole gamut, and then they share experiences.

And then they support one another through the whole thing.

It's it's one of my favorite programs.

It honestly is because a lot of times when a loved one begins to suffer with a mental health condition, the family just doesn't understand what's happening.

Or they don't know about mental illness.

They're not educated on it.

So this helps them develop the compassion and empathy and understanding that this person didn't ask for this, they didn't want it, but it happened to them, you know, and they're going to need a lot of support.

All right.

Thank you for joining us today.

This is really important information.

Thanks.

About something that impacts almost every one of us.

It does.

It really does.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Gina Britain.

You're welcome.

Here's another mental health fact from the WGCU newsroom.

The international symbol for mental health awareness is the green ribbon.

According to the Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute, green was chosen to represent hope, growth, renewal, and recovery.

Rather than provide a tone that was seen as clinical or more somber.

Coming up after the break, finding inner peace alongside an oversize rodent.

We slip into our warrior position to learn more about the animal attraction of Capibaribe Yoga.

It's become a monthly tradition at big Cat Habitat in Sarasota.

Yoga takes a wild twist to raise money for the nonprofit.

For $125 a person, guests can experience yoga with exotic animals called capybaras.

WGCU reporter Dayna Harpster takes to the mat to find out If this is your first yoga class ever, way to start out with the most memorable experience you could ever have with yoga.

There's goat yoga and puppy yoga and now bear yoga.

For the uninitiated, capybaras are the biggest rodents on Earth looking like giant guinea pigs.

Their course fur makes them feel like giant coconuts.

You can experience this yourself at big cat habitats.

Yoga in the wild program.

It's a fundraiser to help care for the more than 300 animals of 60 species at the attraction, which includes lions, tigers, tortoises, monkeys, macaws and more.

It is always such a blessing to be here on property.

Gratitude to spend time with these sweet animals.

Gratitude for everything they do here at Big Cats.

Yogi Erica Kane spoke the truth.

If you're keen to being in a child's pose with a large rodents front paws perched on your back, you'll be in your bliss.

Oh, we're gonna get comfy.

No, she's gonna stay.

Volunteers from the habitat walked among us, handing out large lettuce leaves for us to feed the capybaras.

They are herbivores who apparently eat more than 10 pounds of greens a day.

Their teeth never stop growing, so they have to keep eating so their teeth don't get too long.

We dozen or so participants were happy from the start to be distracted from our practice by the slow moving, gentle animals.

Landing here in your body on this incredible property surrounded by these sweet, compassionate animals.

The animals won't judge your yoga practice, so I invite you as well not to judge what your body can or can't do.

Staff member Sasha Kenyon told us a little bit about the animals and their Swifty and names.

Taylor and Travis came from other facilities.

They fell in love and started making babies as they became parents.

Their babies needed similar names.

So now there are youngsters Swift, Chief and Kelsey.

She's a bit of one.

That's got to have some.

There you go.

Volunteer coordinator Sarah Hart talked about the purpose of the events, which they've been holding since 2019.

It really builds a connection between the humans and the animals, and that's what we're all about, is building that human animal connection.

So when people see these animals, they have a real life experience that they can refer back to.

Colby Gonzalez of Lakewood Ranch became a huge fan.

She was there with her mother and grandmother.

Oh, it was incredible.

Loved it all.

Ten out of ten be coming back.

Yes.

Best day of my life.

Ruby and Lira Finer of Naples gave the experience many, many stars.

In fact, stars.

Why do they like capybaras so much?

You.

Fuzzy rough skin.

Very cute ears that look all the time.

That's what I like about them.

The experience was a surprise from their mother, Ashley.

Find her.

Mom, are you ready, sweetheart?

I didn't tell him till last night.

And I pulled out the yoga mats.

I said, what are we doing, girls?

And they said, oh.

Oh, gosh.

And then I said, but with capybaras.

And they just screamed and screamed and screamed.

Volunteer Sasha Kenyon isn't sure why, but she knows that capybaras in general are getting a lot of love right now.

As of right now, are the hottest animal around.

So everybody loves the capybara.

When we and my husband first started coming to the habitat, it was the roughly marsh everybody wanted to do encounter the roughly Merced, meet them, stuff like that.

So every 3 to 4 years is a different animal that everybody absolutely loves.

What a blessing it is to be here at big Cat habitat.

The light in me truly does honor and cherish the divine light in each and every one, humans and animals alike.

Namaste my friends.

for Southwest Florida.

InFocus.

This is Dayna Harpster with Andrea melendez.

Awesome.

On our next program, the original inhabitants of southwest Florida, the Kaluza, were believed to have disappeared nearly 300 years ago.

But other tribes share how their culture and history never truly went away.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Make sure you head to WGCU.org where you will find all of our stories, and we look forward to seeing you again right here on Southwest Florida in Focus