Hurricane Ian: Stories From the Storm
This is the dramatic NOAA video taken from space as Hurricane Ian prepares to make landfall. Note the intense lightning on the eastern edge of the storm. This is the side of the storm that did the most intense damage.
This is the footage of the storm surge from Hurricane Ian shot by storm-chaser Max Olson along Fort Myers Beach. This 2:30 version has been viewed more than 6 million times. It is just a part of the 18 hours of video he recorded. It is the first time anyone has captured a surge of this nature from start to finish. Scientists and engineers are studying it in order to improve forecasts and building codes.
This is a 9:41 video I created from the various photos and videos I shot in the weeks after hurricane Ian. They show the destruction in places like Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Arcadia, North Port and more. They also show some of the recovery efforts and act of charity taking place. The NOAA satellite, Fort Myers Beach video and drone shot are not mine.
This is the 30 minute documentary created by storm chaser Max Olson on the red house that washed away along Fort Myers Beach during Hurricane Ian. The couple inside survived and their story can provide valuable insight into what happens when you are caught in a hurricane storm surge.
This is video I shot in December 2022 of the garbage and hurricane debris that was still pilled up for miles along San Carlos Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach. The surge in this area was 12 to 15 feet by some accounts. A lof of the debris comes from the marina which was once across the street.
Members of a religious group pray over Robin Hardiman under Matanzas Bridge where she lived for months after Ian.
The vehicle on the left is the one Robin and her husband were in when the hurricane surge came in. They literally had minutes to escape.
Robin and her husband climbed up this embankment seeking shelter from the surge. An empty boat floated by and saved them. .
This is the encampment where Robin and her husband lived for months as they tried to rebuild their lives.
Drone video taken over Fort Myers Beach after the storm. It gives you a good idea of the damage from the storm. There were somewhere between 400 and 500 on the island when the storm hit.
Video shows damage to the Sanibel Bridge which is the only way on and off the island. It was damaged in five places. Temporary repairs were made allowing residents and emergency crews in just three weeks after Ian hit. Permanent repairs are expected to take at least a year. It will cost more than $200 million dollars.
Thanks to Monica Lynn for this photo of a four month old dolphin born October 16th in Pelican Bay, three weeks after the storm. She named him Ian O'Malley. ("Janis Ian" O'Malley, if he is, in fact, a she! ) At last report, Ian and mother Annabelle are doing well. Like humans, dolphin mothers vary in their parenting skills. Annabelle has proven to be a vigilant guardian and kept him healthy and safe to date.
A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew hoists a man stranded in mangroves on his boat near Sanibel, Florida. Hundreds of people tried to ride out the storm on their boats. A number of people like this man had to be rescued by the Coast Guard and others.
This is video I shot of some of the 7,500 boats that were reportedly lost or damaged in the storm. These were in the mangroves along San Carlos Boulevard. It took crews more than 4 months to get most of them out because of the terrain.
This is the report Fox meteorologist Scott Withers filed after he was rescued by Matt Simonson along San Carlos Boulevard. Withers and his cameraman were trapped in their news van when the hurricane surge came up quickly. Simonson jumped off the boat where he was hanging with a friend and saved them.
Scott Dotson shows where he was standing when 8 feet of storm surge came inside his home.
Inside Dotson's home. He used a surfboad that crashed through a window to save his dog.
Inside the home of Scott Dotson. The structure survived but Scott will have to sell because he didn't have insurance.
The hearse that stood in Dotson's front yard. He was in the business and used it to entertain people.
The view outside the home of Scott Dotson in FMB as the surge came in.
A photo Scott took inside his home as the water came in. You can see his dog in the window.
The surfboard that came into the house that helped Scott save his dog.
Scott's dog survived the storm thanks to that surfboard.
Leoma Lovegrove with Sharon Miller at the Cape Coral Art Fair in January 2023
Leoma turned hurricane trash into art treasures. These are broken pieces of fencing from her place.
Lovegrove has an icon on Matlacha for 25 years. Fans will wait for hours just to talk to her.
Leoma is moving her gallery from Matlacha to Fort Myers. It suffered significant damage in the storm.
This is an aerial look of Matlacha after Hurricane Ian rolled over the island. It was cut off from the outside world until crews could clear and repair the road. There is already a plan to rebuild it with a number of new features to make it more resistant to the next storm.
This is an outstanding animation created by the Weather Channel to show you what happens to you and your home when a storm surge gets inside. Keep in mind when flooding begins the water is not the only danger you face.
This video was captured by a Ring doorbell camera. It shows Andrea Berg and Gary Bottari leaving their home as the surge from Ian rushes in to Fort Myers Beach. They were lucky their car did not stall out as they drove through floodwaters there were up over the hood of their car.
This video was shot by Andrea Berg and Gary Bottari as they drove through the surge created by Hurricane Ian. The boats you see :14 in are not in a canal, they are floating freely. They were lucky their car did not stall. This was shot in Fort Myers Beach.
This is an exccellent video that describes what you should do if caught up in a flash flood and your car is swept away. The time to prepare for this is before it happens.
This is the "“Homage to Orange River Valley” done in 1983 by artist Tiite Baquero. It is a tribute to the manatees that inhabit the area.
The sculpture of the two manatees known as Romeo and Juliet was knocked from the base in the storm.
The scuplture seems undamaged and sits in shallow water right behind the main structure.
It is not clear if anyone is in charge of the sign and whether there are any plans to repair it.
This is a video I made of Lenore Island, a rookery on the Caloosahatchee River, two miles east of Fort Myers. Five months after the storm when I went to visit the birds had returned in significant numbers though the mangroves, trees and other vegetation have suffered significant damage. The unnamed island to the west of Lenore also suffered heavy damage. The famous swing was damaged but is still there.
There is still a lof of debris in local waterways. This dock is in the Caloosahatchee River across from the Bay Pointe Condo Complex.
These are large poles and pipes I found in mid-February in the Caloosahatchee River.
This is what is left of a dock along the Caloosahatchee River.
This is the mast of a boat that sank in the storm in the Caloosahatchee River. I don't think anyone is really sure what is hidden below the water in many places.
Boats slammed into Bayside Estates during Ian. Water was 5 to 6 feet deep in many place here. Thanks to Bryan Niemiec for the photo.
This is the hot meal program Bayside ran after the storm. They tried to make sure everyone had a meal and a kind word each day.
Patty Reynolds drove down from Michigan with her son. She made these rocks with inspiring messages and gave them out to residents.
Patty Reynolds takes dogs for a ride at Bayside after Ian. This cart was one of the few vehicles running in the days right after the storm.
Corey White of PERT addresses residents of Bayside Estates. Corey played a key role in helping the residents here recover and they threw a party to honor Corey and his team. It just happened to be his birthday as well. There were a lot of hugs, tears and good wishes. Corey also pulled at least 8 people from the debris here though he is too modest to really talk much about it.
Talking with boat captain Kenneth Rodney Smith who rode out Ian on his boat. However, things didn't go as he planned and he ended up on a wild ride.
Smith's boat ended up in the middle of the street after it went ashore during Ian. It would take several weeks for crews to finally remove it.
Monica Lynn (left) and Libby Bolinger (right) had never meet before Hurricane Ian. Libby came down from Ohio to help volunteer and met Monica by chance. Libby lost her family home on Fort Myers Beach but turned from victim to volunteer to help Monica. She said she just couldn't sit around and do nothing with so much need around her. The two are now best buddies.
A look at one of the many debris processing centers around the area. This is a tree removal facility that was set up in Cape Coral. It stretched over several blocks. No one really knows how many trees were damaged or destroyed by Ian. It is not only an issue for humans but the birds, squirrels and other creatures who need the trees for nests.
The people living along the coastline weren't the only ones to suffer the wrath of Ian. This video shows the large number of trees taken down in North Port by the high winds from Ian. This area also got hit with four to five feet of water from the 20 inches of rain that fell there in just 24 hours.
The South West Florida Horse Rescue in Punta Gorda became an EOC (Emergency Operating Center) after Ian. The effort was originally designed to serve livestock in need of hay and other supplies but quickly expanded to include human relief supplies. This is a load of 750 bales of hay that came in at 6 AM one day. It took a couple of hours to unload it all and it went fast because the need was great in many rural areas hit hard by high winds and flooding.
Inside a home in Cape Coral after Ian. The roof was damaged allowing water in the attic. It saturated the insulation and forced the ceilings in several rooms to collapse.
This is a look at the toxic mold growing in this home and in many others. It grows quickly and unless it is removed you face serious health risks.
Even if your home is not flooded by surge, rainfall can be just as much trouble. Everything here wil ened up in the trash.
The blades on this celling fan show just how strong the winds from Ian were. It was inside an enclosed back porch area but the storm still snapped the blades.
I shot this video two months after Hurricane Ian hit. This is from the Times Square area. You can clearly see the level of destruction. Trucks are going by with sand to rebuild the beaches. And in the middle of it all a Poinsettia Christmas tree. The landscape may look different but the spirit lives on.
Debbie Beattie Fleming lost everything she had when Hurrican Ian hit Fort Myers Beach. Thanks to a GoFundMe Page campaign and the help of friends she has a new home. She survived the hurricane surge by climbing up on the roof of her home. She takes us on a tour of what life is like inside her new RV home.
WINK TV Matt Devitt holds a hurricane seminar. This is filled with great information about hurricanes and what you need to keep you and your family safe from a storm.
Mitch Pacyna know as the unofficial Mayor of Fort Myers Beach had a bar that tourists often mistook for a real business. Mitch offereed them a drink.
His home was washed away by the surge but his beloved Cubs World Series banner somehow survived just where he put it.
Mitch and Mary rode out the storm together. Mary and their dog Lulu survived.
Mitch's story played out on the internet as the surge roared in. This was his last message. Sadly he did not survive and a great light in the world has gone out.
Daniel Curran Jr. inside his home on Fort Myers Beach. The water reached just below the second floor window above him. He held that window in place for over three hours, probably saving the home from major wind damage. He is rebuilding and plans to stay.
Pastor Shawn Critser of the Beach Baptist Church, one off the few organizations that has been there throughout the relief effort.
The relief supplies offered below the church. The guards had to be armed after problems with looters.
The church still stands but it will have to be torn down because of the damage caused by Ian.
A cross now stands at the entrance to the church. It is a reminder that a church is not just about a building but about a belief.
Mike Yost, the Ghost Host, pulls up on his Green Monster, for our interview.
Mike posted this photo on Facebook during the height of the storm, just staring out the window and watching all the destruction play out in front of him.
The house where Mike rode out the storm. The water got up to the top deck.
Dan Billheimer the owner of the Lighthouse Cafe says it will be back.
The Lighthouse Cafe claims to be home to the World's Best Breakfast. I can confirm that.
This is what the storm surge did to the inside of the restaurant.
Table 15 at the Lighthouse Cafe frozen in time after the storm. It was covered in muck but nothing was out of place.
Matt and Tina who run the South West Florida Horse Rescue
Sammy who just grazed away during the 100 mile an hour winds of Ian. All of the horses survived the storm.
The rescue became an emergency operating center after the storm.
Pastor Matt from Babcock helping to move hay to help local livestock owners.
Matt Simonson rescued a TV News Crew caught in the surge waters off Fort Myers Beach.
This is Matt in the water heading out to save the TV crew caught in the surge.
This is the boat Matt lost in the storm. It was not just a boat but his business.
Matt talking with NBC anchor Lester Holt about his day, which included rescuing a news crew and an encounter with an alligator.
This is a video of some of the many rescues made by the Coast Guard after Hurricane Ian hit. Units rescued or evacuated more than 200 people in just the first two days.
Six months after Ian there are still boats trapped in the courtyards of Boardwalk Caper
One of the boats still trapped at Boardwalk Caper complex
The boardwalk at Boardwalk Caper still in shambles six months after the storm
The surge that hit the Boardwalk Caper complex caused heavy damage
Ian, one of the turkeys that survived Ian at the South West Florida Horse Rescue
The gators at the rescue also came through the storm just fine
Snowy and the rest of the horses at the rescue may have been rattled but they are all doing well
Nature always finds a way. This baby crane was born a few weeks after Ian and is doing just fine with mom and dad at its side
Crews from the National Weather Service measure storm surge levels on Fort Myers Beach. The final report on Hurricane Ian was issued by the National Hurricane Center in early April of 2023. It concluded Ian was briefly a Category Five storm before coming ashore as a Category 4. The report is 72 pages long and includes a long list of facts about Ian. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092022_Ian.pdf
A video released by hurricane hunter and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) engineer Nick Underwood showed his crew aboard an aircraft encountering a bout of severe turbulence as they flew through the eye of Hurricane Ian.
Drone video taken by Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. This is video of Fort Myers Beach shortly after Ian hit.
Video produced by the Florida Department of Transportation talks about the state's hurricane relief effort. This video shows the damage after the storm and the efforts to rebuild the infrastructure of the area.
National Hurricane Center specialists expxlain what the hurricane cone graphic you see on TV means. Many people don't understand how to interpret it properly.
This is video I took in late April of 2023 showing crews working to restore the beaches of Fort Myers Beach. The first part of the project will be to restore the sand. The second part will be to build a six foot berm around the island to protect it from future storms. The project is expected to cost $32 million dollars.
In April of 2023 I returned to the mangroves along San Carlos Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach. At least four of the 20 or so boats washed into the mangroves by the storm surge are still there and may become a memorial to the storm.
One of the thousands of cars destroyed in Hurricane Ian. This one ended up in a pond along Estero Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach.
Cars are still being pulled from debris piles around SWFL. It is still no solid count how many were washed into canals or other bodies of water.
Your chances of surviving a storm surge in a car or SUV are slim and none.
I took numerous photos of vehicles that were crushed by storm surge and high winds related to Hurricane Ian.
When I went to visit the Fort Myers Beach Library in late April it was stlll closed and surrounded by a large fence.
Library officials say they have no timetable for when it may reopen. You can see weeds started to pop up in the parking lot around the building.
This photo provided by the library website shows the extent of the repairs needed. The first floor was hit with three and half feet of water.
The library opened in a tiny cottage in 1955 with 1200 books. If more than five people were in the cottage at one time, the librarian, Marge Quigg, had to step outside.
This is a video I created to show the many homemade signs that have popped up on Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian. Residents made them and put them up after Ian washed most of the regular signs away. Some feel they are helping to give FMB a little bit of its charm back.
These photos taken by Monica Lynn in late April 2023 show a mother dolphin and her healthy offspring playing in the backbays of Fort Myers Beach
There are an estimated 600 dolphins in the waters of South West Florida. There are no real numbers yet on how they survived Ian.
These photos of baby dolphins were taken off Punta Gorda by Carolyn Reeve Ellicott in late April 2023.
The photos in this series would seem to suggest the dolphins went deep when Ian arrived and that the population is doing rather well.
The cross from the Beach Baptist Church is removed in mid-June 2023 as the church is demolished. There are now plans to build a new church and community center as part of an 8 story resort complex. Church services and community services are still being offered in a tent near the site. The Church has become the heartbeat of Fort Myers Beach for those in need.
Fort Myers Beach developer Joe Orlandi finally helps solve the mystery surrounding the Times Square Clock destroyed in Ian. The clock is seen here in a pile of debris at the bottom of a pool 500 yards from the Tower. All evidence now appears to indicate it was hauled away as trash and buried forever in a landfill along with other debris. A new clock should be up sometime in the next month.
Publix has reopened the store on Fort Myers Beach that suffered heavy damage on during Ian. It is fully stocked and back in business. The store re-opened on May 25th after being closed for 239 days. Many of the people who work there lost homes, cars and other valuables to the storm. The re-opening is a key part in getting things back to normal along Estero Boulevard.
On June 16th, 2023 the Lighthouse Beach Park on Sanibel re-opened. Parts of the area are still fenced off but you can now access the beach. The old pay stations for parking are gone and you must now pay to park by mobile app so be prepared if you go..
A ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, June 16th, 2023 celebrates the re-opening of Lighthouse Beach Park on Sanibel. You can walk the beach but many of the businesses and resorts are still struggling to recover from the storm.
This is a photo of the Lady Joanna being driven into a neighborhood by the surge of Hurricane Ian. Thanks to James Howard for these shots.
These shots were taken by James as he rode out the storm a few houses away. If you look closely you can see the captain fighting to control his boat. These photos support the story in the chapter called Survival at Sea.
The Lady Joanna sat in the streets of one Fort Myers Beach neighborhood because there was simply no way to remove it.
The Lighthouse Cafe will be moving to a new location when it re-opens. I will let Daniel's Facebook post tell the story. "LHC has found a new home in the old SBL Fresh spot, next to the Lazy Flamingo and DQ. And I am beyond excited about it.
It was hard to leave the Seahorse Shopping Center. But as you know, Hurricane Ian totally changed the landscape and we just couldn't make it work. Not for lack of trying, and I wish nothing but the best for Eddie, Tony and everyone trying to make it on the East End. Nothing but love there."
This video was sent to me a few weeks ago. It shows the hurricane surge rolling into the Board Walk Caper condo complex along Estero Boulevard. I believe the fence is ten feet high. You can see the water went over the white fence which runs across the front of the property. The video was taken from the second floor of one of the units. The complex suffered heavy damage from the storm.