FORT MYERS, Fla. — The photos and videos capturing Hurricane Ian's catastrophic damage in the Fort Myers area so far just scratch the surface of the storm's impact. They show the devastation, yes, but are only beginning to shed light on stories of recovery and survival.
I visited the area to give you a first-hand account of what I saw and what the people in this region are experiencing one week since Ian's landfall.
On Wednesday, I pulled into a neighborhood that sits right on the Caloosahatchee River. Here, the roads immediately narrowed as neighbors piled their destroyed belongings on the sides of the streets and on their lawns.
Littered with tree debris, sofas, mattresses, personal photos, clothing and even the occasional stuffed animal, it felt somber seeing this beautiful neighborhood transformed into what looked like a war zone. Homes along the water still stood, but their windows were completely gone. Inside, the buildings looked gutted, some even appearing to await demolition as the damage was just too great.
During my walk around this neighborhood, I came across a ditch that was filled with personal effects. Art, a pair of high heels, even a power strip – bits of everyone’s lives laid scattered.
Although these residents lost literally everything, you could see just how tight-knit this community is. Neighbors gave each other rides in golf carts, helped load up cars and passed around water.
Some homes sat entirely abandoned, making me wonder if some people had any hope at all of returning or are just needing more time for themselves before seeing what remains.
After seeing that neighborhood, I headed to Fort Myers Beach. You think you’ve seen the worst of the damage at this point — but no. My heart absolutely sank driving by boats that were practically on the road. Businesses and homes are entirely destroyed, sometimes with boats inside them.
Everywhere you look, crews are digging through rubble, fixing power lines and surveying damage. Police direct the traffic as best as they can, but with no power in many areas, it can take an hour just to drive a few miles down the road. Power line poles and stoplights hang over the streets, some look so treacherous it feels as if they could topple over at any moment.
Along the water, boats are tangled about each other. A marina sat crumpled, with a boat nearly knocking down their entrance sign. One across the street had blue tape on its hull with writing that explained the owner of the boat, their insurance and phone number. With the sheer amount of boats on land, who knows how long it could take to remove them?
Even with all the crews and supplies coming into the area, some streets were eerily quiet. In some parts, there is just nothing to come back to.
On the sides of the roads, some people sat offering free food, water, and clothes. One tent even offered “a place to talk.”
As I was photographing signs, one read, “Pray it works!”
A man pointed me to another sign that said, “Free food. Love not politics.”
Despite the absolute devastation, these residents still expressed being proud of living in southwest Florida. You can feel the desire to recover and rebuild from this disaster. Every day, progress is being made but it’s going to take a while before Fort Myers resembles what it was like before Hurricane Ian.
If you’d like to help residents recover from Hurricane Ian, visit 10 Tampa Bay's Florida Together page to see ways you can contribute.