Post-Hurricane Ian action report to review Lee County’s performance

Eight months after Hurricane Ian, there is still room to learn.

Lee County is now working on an after action report that will come out later this summer. The report will review the actions taken after the storm.

“The impacts of the 2022 hurricane season, especially Hurricane Ian, will undoubtedly shape what we expect for 2023,” said Benjamin Abes, Lee County Public Safety Director.

With a big storm like Hurricane Ian, there are big lessons in store.

“That report is going to review the actions of the county, all of our partners, our stakeholder agencies, and it’s going to look at what went well, and also where we have room for improvement,” Abes said.

The report won’t be viewed immediately.

“We’re looking forward to reviewing that when it’s available towards the end of summer,” said Abes.

Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30. As we approach mid-summer, the expectance for storms rises.

Even though they won’t have the findings until then, Abes said he’s already trying to prepare people for what could come and change people’s mindset about when to stay and when to go.

At this year’s governor’s hurricane conference in West Palm Beach, Hurricane Ian was used as an example of how hard it is to get people leave their homes.

“You got this portion down here: 22% of diehards, that, basically no matter what you say to them, they’re not going,” said Jaime Rhome, department director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

for Abes, it’s also about knowing what the larger risk might be, wind or storm surge.

“And so it’s very difficult, and it’s a difficult message to convey until you have some frame of reference,” Abes said. “Unfortunately, we all have that reference this year.”