City of Cape Coral transformation 2 years after Hurricane Ian’s destruction

The worst-hit areas of Cape Coral have transformed from ravaged to revitalized following Hurricane Ian‘s destruction.

The property where the Cape Coral Yacht Club and pool used to sit is now a field of grass two years after the hurricane made landfall in Southwest Florida.

House Down Dolphin Drive in Southwest Cape Coral also finally looks like a home once again.

“Just get drywall and put the drywall back together and paint and all the trim and just the construction process took a while. I still have to do something with the windows,” said Mark Klausner, the owner of the house.

Klausner paid cash for the house in the months after Hurricane Ian, and the storm surge gutted it.

The previous owner of the low-lying older home didn’t want to deal with another event like Ian.

“The silver lining is that I got a great deal on a house that I just had to put some sweat equity into, and I have a vacation home now, right across the street from the river. It’s beautiful,” said Klausner.

Two years later, you can really see the old compared to the new. Right across the street from the home is a brand new house under construction, and what is striking is the new flood codes.

“You can currently look at these houses that are significantly lower. I mean, I don’t know if there’s a couple on that street on the backside that was really low. And then the house next to it, the foundation’s at the window level,” said Ryan Lamb, Cape Coral Emergency Operator Director.

“So, we know that recovery takes time. Last recovery is going to take a significant amount of time, but everybody’s anxious to see that recovery happen and so for the city, getting through and working with FEMA to make sure we maximize our reimbursement and get as much of those dollars back, then building back in the appropriate ways and getting grant funding and other things,” said Lamb.

The city is undertaking other big projects for the revitalization of Cape Coral.

Some of those projects include the Weir Projects, which will help with flooding, the Resilience Hub, which is a recreational center that has turned into a shelter and finding a better way for people to build back better and stay within the National Flood Insurance Program.