Drone video: Fort Myers Beach two years after Hurricane Ian
See what some areas of Fort Myers Beach look like two years after Hurricane Ian.
Let’s not call this a walk into the past.
When we think of Hurricane Ian and the devastation caused by this powerful Category 4 storm on September 28, 2022, there is really nothing worth remembering other than the death and destruction it caused here. Ian was historic in terms of the number of deaths and the amount of damage.
These are 28 of the most striking images of Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida – before, during, and after – which will be remembered forever for its unprecedented storm surge and which just days earlier was forecast to make landfall much further north in Florida.
Our archives are filled with hundreds of photos from Hurricane Ian. There are so many more images that capture what happened, where, and to whom. These 28 photos tell stories of survival, anticipation, and things that were “there one day and gone the next.”
Before Hurricane Ian
Whether it’s the threat of a tropical storm or a hurricane, a last-minute run to gas stations can seem like an Olympic event. Because Ian quickly changed his route, many residents had less time to prepare.
Before a hurricane, stocking up on supplies of all kinds is at the top of the list.
Many communities, such as Fort Myers Beach, offered residents sand to fill bags to prevent flooding.
This photo was taken by our sister site in Augusta, Georgia, ahead of Hurricane Ian, and shows what store shelves looked like in Southwest Florida and elsewhere when those locations were determined to be in the storm’s path.
There weren’t nearly as many people using shelters in Southwest Florida as there were during Hurricane Irma in 2017. The same goes for evacuations. Many people stayed.
A truly eerie sight. The Dairy Queen on Fort Myers Beach shortly before Hurricane Ian made landfall. The sandbags in front of the door didn’t matter.
Some people braved the weather of Hurricane Ian as the storm’s outer bands made landfall on the morning of September 28, 2022.
While Ian
A picture is worth a thousand words.
The next two photos taken by photojournalist Andrew West are most likely some of the last images of the Fort Myers Beach pier before it was destroyed by Hurricane Ian.
More: Meteorologist on Hurricane Ian: Updates from Category 4 landfall in Florida
This palm tree, blowing in the wind of Hurricane Ian before the storm made landfall, was another sign of what was to come.
After Hurricane Ian
Remarkably, despite the catastrophic damage Ian caused throughout Southwest Florida, the Naples Daily News was delivered, and that headline said it all.
The day after the storm, military helicopters flew into the region to conduct search and rescue operations and deliver relief supplies.
The shrimp boat fleet off Fort Myers Beach was particularly hard hit by Hurricane Ian.
No one will forget the endless piles of debris that formed in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ian. It took months, and in some cases almost a year, to clear away these traces of destruction.
Hurricanes like Ian mean difficult times for residents.
A week after Hurricane Ian made landfall, President Joe Biden came to Fort Myers and toured the worst-hit areas, including Fort Myers Beach.
Some of the images from Hurricane Ian can only be described as surreal.
Entire homes were destroyed by Hurricane Ian’s historic storm surge. In some places on Fort Myers Beach, water rose as high as 15 feet. Not only did residents lose all of their belongings, but their homes themselves were uninhabitable due to water damage and mold.
After Hurricane Ian, almost everything seemed to be turned upside down.
Another front page tells the story. This time it’s The News-Press with a focus on the death toll from Hurricane Ian. More than 100 people died during the storm.
Green swimming pools and blue tarps. Two things you can always count on after a devastating hurricane like Ian.
Many famous buildings in Southwest Florida were damaged, such as the Naples Pier. Others that were damaged included the Fort Myers Beach Pier, the Sanibel Lighthouse, the Sanibel Causeway, numerous bridges, tourist attractions such as the Edison and Ford Estates, and the Shell Factory. The world-famous Cape Romano Dome Homes were completely destroyed.
Many homeowners in Southwest Florida faced the painful and urgent task of tearing down the interiors of their homes to protect the buildings from mold and other water damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
It took weeks, and in some cases nearly a month, for power to be restored to some Southwest Florida neighborhoods. Utilities, with the assistance of outside organizations, did their best to complete all repairs.
Times Square, a busy and bustling section of Fort Myers Beach, was reduced to rubble by Hurricane Ian, leaving a large bare spot. It was difficult for many people to comprehend what had happened.
Days after Ian, a makeshift memorial was erected at this chain-link fence in downtown Fort Myers as deaths of people missing after the storm were confirmed.
More: LCSO: Last missing Hurricane Ian victim identified
Just over a week after Hurricane Ian forever destroyed so many lives here in Southwest Florida, this stunning sunset photograph by photojournalist Andrew West reminds us that no matter what happens, there is always hope for a better tomorrow.
