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Clean-up continues on Fort Myers Beach, Iona, Sanibel and Saint James City following Ian

Reporter: Nicole Gabe, Michelle Alvarez, Annette Montgomery, Emma Heaton Writer: Melissa Montoya
Published: Updated:
Fort Myers Beach was decimated by Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News)

Southwest Florida is still reeling from the aftermath of Ian.

The Category 4 Hurricane blasted through the region with such force that homes were ripped from their foundations, while others were submerged because of the surge.

On Fort Myers Beach, residents are being bussed out to safety.

Authorities are closing Fort Myers Beach as rescues continue. The Fort Myers Beach Fire District said no access will be permitted onto the barrier island to provide crews the time to complete the necessary search and rescue operations.

Four days ago, Shucker’s at the Gulfsfore and the Cottage Bar posted on Facebook about a coming event.

Now, the beloved waterfront destination is nothing more than a pile of debris.

A lone flag was placed at the site where the Estero Boulevard restaurant used to stand.

The Lani Kai, a Spring Break favorite, suffered extreme damage. Its first floor, including its beachside bar, were gutted by storm surge.

The Salty Crab, a restaurant and bar, lost its walls.

What used to the Salty Crab on Fort Myers Beach. (CREDIT: WINK News)

Ian tossed boats onto Matanzas Pass. From the Matanzas Bridge, an oil sheen is visible on the water’s surface. Debris litter the waterway.

Misinformation is also spreading.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office had to set the record straight.

“We just received information about rumors circulating in reference to the Matanzas Bridge on Fort Myers Beach collapsing,” the sheriff’s office said. “The bridge DID NOT COLLAPSE.”

But, the Sanibel Causeway did.

Pieces of the Sanibel Causeway drifting in the ocean. (CREDIT: WINK News)

The collapse of the causeway has made it more difficult to get help to the area.

Rescuers have been sailing boats to help survivors off of Sanibel.

Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith said on Thursday that the Island is closed. Authorities have found four dead on Sanibel.

Smith said Sanibel is uninhabitable.

On Saturday, Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza said they made it further into the Island.

Police will be stopping all people, day or night, on Sanibel and asked them to return to their homes.

Souza said National Guard units will be on the Island soon and the fatality count remains at four.

“We have had more happy endings than sad endings,” Souza said.

All the main roads are now open, Souza said, thanking the Public Works Department.

At the Port Sanibel Marina, boats are sitting about 8 feet from the water on top of pilings.

Boats are tangled up everywhere due to the damage.

About 10 miles east of Sanibel, Vickilou Greenling and Muddy Waters are surrounded by what’s left of their Iona home.

Ian is Greenling’s ninth hurricane and Waters’ second.

They prepared for a Category 3 storm, but Ian surprised them.

The floodwaters filled their home within minutes. The couple said it felt like a tsunami.

They swam to their neighbor’s home.

“Oh, if it had only been a three, but I can’t think like that, it is what it is,” Greenling said.

The couple lost 72 years of memories to the 6 feet of water that swept into their home.

They are now looking for where they can live.

Muddy Waters and Vickilou Greenling stand in what is left of their Iona home. (CREDIT: WINK News)

Nathan Lopez and Alexis Hellsley evacuated on Tuesday at the last minute with their five dogs. When they returned to Iona, the water was still above their street sign.

Salvaging what they can, the couple said they are one of the “luckier ones.”

In Bonita Springs, there are boats on the sidewalk, jetskis in trees and storefronts have been completely blown through.

Saint James City experienced the full brunt of the storm.

Debris and trash are entwined with the island’s mangroves. There are trash cans, fences and household items littering the area’s waterways.

Boats that were once moored were tossed into homes and thrown into the water.

Businesses are opening up to allow residents a space to breathe. At Bob and Annie’s Boatyard, they have transformed it into a place where residents can get water, Gatorade and meal packs.

Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Chief Ben Mickuleit said his department is staying on the island to provide emergency services.

Over the last few days, they have performed hundreds of rescues, Mickuleit said.

At the moment, there is no high water on the Island, but the kind of rescues they have completed relate to health concerns, like breathing, broken bones and heart attacks.

People have died, Mickuleit said. However, he did not say how many.

Pine Island Road before the pass needs to be inspected because it is in very poor condition.

On Sunday the Florida Department of Health announced that Lee County offices will be closed until further notice.

The locations closed are at:

  • 2295 Victoria Avenue, 2nd floor East, Fort Myers
  • 3920 Michigan Avenue, Fort Myers
  • 83 Pondella Road, North Fort Myers
  • 60 Danley Drive South, Fort Myers
  • 5220 Lee Boulevard, Bldg. 8, Lehigh Acres

While FDOH continues coordinating with local emergency managers on resource requests and is on-site at the StateEmergency Operations Center in Tallahassee responding to Hurricane Ian.

There will be FDOH offices in counties that are close opening on Monday, Oct. 3. However, some of the locations that will be open will only be able to provide limited services.

DOH-Collier

o   Limited services available: WIC, Vitals, light STD/HIV case management and TB. 

o   3339 Tamiami Trail East, Suite 145, Naples, FL 34112

o   419 North First Street, Immokalee, FL 34142

DOH-Hendry

o   1140 Pratt Blvd, Labelle, FL 33935

o   1100 South Olympia Avenue, Clewiston, FL 33440

DOH-Glades

o   1021 Health Park Drive, Moore Haven, FL 33471

DOH-Charlotte

o   Soft opening

o   1100 Loveland Blvd, Port Charlotte, FL 33980

o   6868 San Casa Drive, Englewood, FL 34224

DOH-Sarasota

o   Main office only, with limited services.

o   2200 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34237

In the meantime, a boil water advisory is still in effect for Lee County and you can find out more information about that here. 

More: Coast Guard evacuation effort planned for Pine Island on Sunday

WINK News anchor Belinda Post and Gulfshore Business reporter David Dorsey contributed to this report. 

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