This year’s hurricane season was predicted to be a rough one, and mother nature did not disappoint. Just a few short weeks after Hurricane Fiona destroyed much of Puerto Rico, Hurricane Ian, one of the fiercest storms in US history, left its mark on the gulf coast in Florida– resulting in over 130 deaths, leaving 4 million without power, and causing tens of billions of dollars in damages.
Ian’s Path of Destruction
Beginning as a tropical storm, Ian first formed in the central Caribbean on Sept. 23 and strengthened into a hurricane on Sept. 26. With maximum winds of 105 mph, it became the strongest September hurricane in this region of the Caribbean (west of 75 degrees west) since Hurricane Felix in 2007. As it transitioned into a hurricane, Ian officially met the National Hurricane Center’s definition of “rapid intensification” as wind speeds increased over 35 mph within 24 hours or less.
As Ian headed north-northwestward, it continued to quickly intensify over the warm waters and emerge in the southern Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane. Its maximum sustained winds hit 115 mph during the night of Sept. 26, and into the morning of Sept. 27— making it the strongest September hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Irma in 2017. Ian intensified faster than any other hurricane this Atlantic season.
Later on the same day, Hurricane Ian made landfall near La Coloma in the Pinar Del Rio Province in western Cuba, battering the area with high winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and knocking out the island’s power grid. The hurricane then headed toward Florida’s western coast, where residents of coastal communities were ordered to evacuate.
On the morning of Sept. 28, Ian intensified into a Category 4 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, just shy of a Category 5 storm. Ian came ashore near Cayo Costa, Florida, at 3:05 p.m. EDT with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, tying the record for the fifth-strongest hurricane on record to hit the United States. It was the strongest hurricane to hit Florida since Michael in 2018.
Hurricane Ian thrashed parts of Florida’s western coast, bringing intense winds, heavy rainfall, and catastrophic storm surges. A storm surge with inundation of an unprecedented 12 to 18 feet above ground level was reported along the southwestern Florida coast, and the city of Fort Myers itself was hit particularly hard with a 7.26 foot surge—a record high.
Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sept. 29 as it tracked inland, crossing over the Florida peninsula, still producing extremely destructive rainfall. After Tropical Storm Ian had crossed over Florida and was again over the open water, it strengthened back into a Category 1 hurricane on Sept. 30 before turning and making landfall in South Carolina just after 2:00 p.m., where it brought more heavy rain, high winds, and flooding along the coastline.
Ian began to weaken once over land again, becoming a post-tropical cyclone three hours after landfall. The cyclone later dissipated over southern Virginia late on Oct. 1.
The Aftermath
As the full extent of devastation from Hurricane Ian comes into clearer focus, officials say that some of the heaviest damage appears to have been inflicted by the raging wind-driven ocean surf that rushed into seaside communities and washed buildings away on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Lee County, Florida bore the brunt of the storm when it slammed ashore as a category 4 hurricane. More damage was caused by flooding than high wind speeds.
New satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show beach cottages and a motel building that lined the shores of Florida’s Sanibel Island had been demolished by Ian’s storm surge. Although most homes appeared to still be standing, roof damage to all was evident.
Surveys from the ground showed that the barrier island, a popular tourist getaway that was home to some 6,000 residents, was left utterly ravaged, from its infrastructure to its famously idyllic aesthetic character. Overall, insurers braced for between $28 billion and $47 billion in claims from what could amount to the costliest Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
As time goes by, Florida will continue to heal from this monstrosity.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has teams working around the clock on the Sanibel Causeway, the last barrier island to restore access to, and work is expected to finish by the end of the month. Governor DeSantis has also highlighted local efforts to aid residents in debris clean up and reiterated the state’s commitment to help with additional resources as needed. Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki and his team will be traveling to the impacted areas to help oversee cleanup and recovery and provide knowledge from recovery efforts after Hurricane Michael to help southwest Florida navigate their community rebuild.
Implemented by the DCF (Florida’s Department of Children and Families), The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) provides food assistance for individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Ian and who are not receiving food assistance benefits through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Operation Blue Roof is another program currently aiding Floridians who lost their roof in the storm. This program has allowed Floridians to have a temporary tarp-like blue roof installed so that their homes can be livable until construction can go underway to complete the repairs correctly.
The Armor Screen Difference
It isn’t possible to prevent hurricanes like Ian from happening altogether, but it is possible to be as prepared as you can possibly be to limit structural damage and protect the assets and people you love. Call us today at 877-237-2337, or fill out our online form to find out more about what custom solution Armor Screen can provide for your and your house or business. Don’t go unprotected this hurricane season!
