The rebuilding and healing continues
A debris pile from Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, FL, September 19, 2023. Photo by Michael Hopkins
A year after the torrential rains and terrible winds of Hurricane Ian made landfall near Fort Myers, there is still healing to be done. For many of the communities along the southwest Florida coast, the rebuilding process is a slow realization of the actual damage, with vacant city squares echoing the some $17.3 billion in losses on 739,771 claims, as of late July. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) reports 86% of these claims (about 637,000) are closed – 70% with payment and 30% without. OIR has issued an Enhanced Data Call to insurance companies due this Wednesday (September 27). With damage originally estimated between $32 and $63 billion, much of the last 12 months has been dedicated to clearing debris and getting infrastructure back online. With no power lines, no telephone lines, and flooded buildings, many of the emergency services started with just an outstretched hand at a folding table and built a true sense of community and strength in the face of adversity, even with a long road ahead.
A collapsed roof of a Ft. Myers Beach business damaged in Hurricane Ian, September 19, 2023. Photo by Michael Hopkins
Last week, LMA’s partner Mike Hopkins, a professional photographer of 35 years, took pictures of Ian’s lingering devastation. In his words, the time spent taking these photos was “humbling.” He goes on to say, “Seeing it on TV is one thing and it desensitizes us. But when you go to the area and see a stove hanging from a wall a year later it makes you think about our blessings.” Mike also observed how eerily quiet it was in the devastated area on a bright Tuesday morning. Aside from some walkers and bicyclists it was a ghost town.” We as a family wonder when the vibrant Ft Myers Beach will be the bustling beach town once again. The citizens look to FEMA, which hosted a Community Recovery Workshop this past Monday and Tuesday to try to gauge community priorities in the rebuilding process. As for Sanibel Island, a bedroom community, residents are desperately trying to return to normal.
The entire front of this Ft. Myers Beach house ripped open by Hurricane Ian’s winds remains as it was after the storm, September 19, 2023. Photo by Michael Hopkins
A team from Allied Restoration & Construction pause for a picture during a Sanibel, Florida home restoration from Hurricane Ian, September 19, 2023. Photo by Michael Hopkins
Finding a sense of normalcy among the chaos is one of the hardest pieces remaining to help residents get back into the swing of life, said Bill Veech of the Fort Myers Town Council. “Many are a couple of years away from being (in) rebuilt homes. (After Hurricane Ian) it was still magic and full of love, just being together. That felt normal, and not normal, at the same time. That is what the Beach will feel like for awhile.” There is somber reflection in his words as the Council and Fort Myers at large face extensive reconstruction. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, county and state leadership have already begun to address the shortcomings in this disaster response and are making the necessary adjustments. “Ian showed how much we need a resilient hub ― a secure and strong facility with robust power, communications and security”, Veech continued, a location with emergency supplies, rations, power to recharge devices, mental health counseling and escape from the heat for a moment.
Much works remains to be done repairing Hurricane Ian damage along Ft. Myers Beach, September 19, 2023. Photo by Michael Hopkins
These places are the lifeline of communities when disaster strikes and were being run from parking lots and other vacant areas in the wake of Hurricane Ian – leaving much room for improvement. “Resilient hubs are part of Resilient Lee” says Veech. Having emergency response online in anticipation for the disaster might be the key during future hurricanes to try to avoid the clutter and desperation that follows. Each year, we Floridians feel the same shiver of disaster along the coast, waiting for the next hurricanes and tropical storms. The Lee County Board of Commissioners has published this video series in commemoration of the costliest hurricane to hit Florida. This year may we remember the damage and the 156 souls lost in Hurricane Ian and use their story as a beacon of hope and a lesson for the future. Life comes at you fast. May we always cherish it.
LMA Newsletter of 9-25-23
