Hurricane Ian’s impact on Edison and Ford Winter Estates

There’s so much history in the Southwest Florida community, including the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. WINK News checked the area to see how it handled Hurricane Ian.

According to residents in the area, the most they lost were trees. Luckily enough, the historic landmark sits high enough that it wasn’t affected by the storm.

Trying to move forward, workers are clearing up debris and other messes, so it’s safe enough for people to come back ahead of their grand reopening next weekend.

Lisa Wilson is the marketing and public relations director at Edison & Ford Winter Estates, she shared some thoughts with WINK News.

“Fortunately, the historic homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were not damaged; we’re very lucky, those homes are elevated. So, even though some water did come onto our site, it didn’t get up to the home,” Wilson said.

Wilson also explained that the museum and laboratory are intact and remained unaffected by the storm.

“Some of the other structures did have some damage. We have a tea house that’s near the Edison complex, and that had a little bit of structural damage,” Wilson said. “We’ve also had a little bit of flooding in the Edison caretaker’s house. And of course, the gardens definitely for the brunt of the hurricane-force winds. So we’re still cleaning up debris around the site.”

As of Monday evening, only the Garden Shoppes, where people can see the banyan tree, is open.

“Things are moving forward. We’re getting back to normal. Like I said, it’s we’re still cleaning up debris along the river side of the property. And so that’s why we think we need another week to work on that,” Wilson said.

The Estates are planning on a re-opening Saturday, October 29.