Fort Myers Beach vows to rebuild stronger, better in the wake of Hurricane Ian's destruction

Name: Drones discover more of Ian's wrath daily
Uploaded: 2022-10-12T11:47:41-04:00
Duration: 40 s
Description: The Lee County Sheriff's Office is forced to use drones to survey damage from Hurricane Ian. Cars floated on top of cars and homes are skeletons.

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Hurricane Ian survivors face heartache as many return home in Fort Myers Beach

Hurricane Ian survivors face heartache as many return home in Fort Myers Beach. FOX Weather's Robert Ray reports.

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – It's been more than two weeks since Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida, and as cleanup efforts continue, the grim reality of what Floridians are now facing in the wake of the monster storm is becoming clear.

FOX Weather correspondent Robert Ray toured Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Wednesday and spoke with people who have been left with nothing after the powerful Category 4 hurricane brought destructive winds, a deadly storm surge and torrential rain.

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"When you drive through it, you can't actually believe what you're seeing," Ray said.

Buildings have been destroyed across the region, and piles of debris between 8 and 10 feet high litter the landscape.

"You look at this, and it is literally everywhere," he said. "This is just over two weeks since Ian came twisting and ravaging the region."

One survivor told Ray he spoke with neighbors who needed to do whatever they could to survive Ian's wrath.

"Obviously, total devastation, many lives lost," Hurricane Ian survivor Scott Roshak said. "I heard a few stories from residents that did ride the storm out. They actually had to go into neighbors' houses that were unoccupied just to save their life."

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The Lee County Sheriff's Office is forced to use drones to survey damage from Hurricane Ian. Cars floated on top of cars and homes are skeletons.

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Drones discover more of Ian's wrath daily

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is forced to use drones to survey damage from Hurricane Ian. Cars floated on top of cars and homes are skeletons.

More than 100 people lost their lives due to Hurricane Ian, with a majority of those being reported in Florida.

And a closer look at the data on Ian-related deaths from the medical examiner shows about 60% of the deaths in Florida were due to drowning.

"For those people who lost their lives, we all mourn with the families, and we honor those lost due to Hurricane Ian by learning all those valuable lessons and getting better and building back and becoming more resilient as a community," Fort Myers Beach fire chief Ron Martin said. "That's how we're going to honor those ones that have been lost."

On Wednesday, Martin walked his hometown for the first time since search and rescue operations ceased.

"Unbelievable," he told Ray. "Unbelievable the power of mother nature. Unbelievable. There's literally just remnants of what used to be here in the center of the town, which was a major economic and tourism driver for our community."

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Martin said that just like with other communities that have been left devastated by Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers Beach would rebuild stronger and better.

Most fatalities occurred in Lee County on Fort Myers Beach, where the landscape is piled high with debris and is catastrophic.

Residents who evacuated ahead of Ian are now back, sifting through the debris, and are reeling.

"So, that being said, you know, we lost somebody relatively close to us. Do I blame them? No," Hurricane Ian survivor Mike Oakes said. "Most people don't have the means to evacuate. We barely got a hotel room, and it was across the state."

And as the sun rises day after day in hard-hit communities across Southwest Florida, the sounds of chainsaws fill the air as people try to recover as much as they can from homes and businesses that have been destroyed.

"You talk to the police officers, which we've been doing all morning, and the fire officials, and you see the trucks coming in off the bridge and look at the traffic of residents moving in," Ray said. "This is what you call positive energy right now. Motion. Putting your foot forward, your best steps, and getting it done."