She thought they'd appreciate a hot meal, a choice of foods. After all, they'd survived the catastrophic storm largely unscathed.

Even their chickens were OK, although their coop flew away.

Even their chickens were OK, although their coop flew away.

But when the three crossed the low-lying bridge over the Peace River in their Kia Sorrento, they found the restaurant was without power, serving only a handful of dishes.

They ordered crab wontons and pork spare ribs and turned toward their home, about 50 miles from Fort Myers.

They didn't make it. “We were only in town for 15 minutes. It came up that fast," Lias told USA TODAY. "It" were the floodwaters gushing down the Peace River.

Normally winding in lazy loops along the west side of town, the river overflowed its banks Thursday, flooding as many as 2,000 homes and at least 100 RVs in which people were living, authorities said.

The flooding driven by 20 inches of rain dropped by Ian blocked multiple roads in DeSoto County, turning some neighborhoods into islands.

In addition to flooding homes, the waters engulfed a gas station and the Peace River Campground, where about 150 people lived year-round, officials said.