Readers share their state of mind on two-year anniversary of storm

We asked. You answered.

Saturday (Sept. 28) marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Ian, a devastating and powerful Category 4 storm that caused historic damage and killed more than 100 people.

Ironically, a commemorative ceremony scheduled for Saturday on Fort Myers Beach was called off because of what Hurricane Helene did this week to that community − storm surge, wind and flooding. Not nearly the same as Ian, but enough to be an unwanted reminder and enough to label this weekend as another “recovery.”

Regarding the Hurricane Ian anniversary, a week ago we asked our audience: How did Hurricane Ian change your view about living in Southwest Florida?

Not surprisingly our email inbox was flooded with your replies this week. We also noticed a long list of comments on our Facebook pages for The News-Press and Naples Daily News. The answers ranged from deciding to move away or thinking about it, to insurance woes and the general storm high-anxiety this time of year.

There were some of you who said Hurricane Ian didn’t change a thing.

Thanks to all who responded! Here are some of the responses we received by email and in the comments on Facebook.

Hurricane Ian: ‘I moved or plan to move’

Doug and Meg Medick said: In Jamaica Bay, we started the Sunday before Ian. We packed the car with some treasured items such as an Antique lamp, computer, etc. We drove north to my niece’s house in W. Rotunda. Their handy man was supposed to come and put up the shutters. He didn’t show up. As Wednesday afternoon came, we decided to leave and drive 2 miles to our friend’s home in Englewood. They have a generator that takes care of the whole house. Then it came, even though we were not in the eye, we had those outer bands with extreme winds. The next day we looked out the front window and saw canoes and boats going by. Yes, the area was flooded. We couldn’t leave until Saturday. As we drove back to Ft. Myers, I’ve never seen so much destruction. Several trees down, streetlights on the sidewalk, homes missing their roofs, etc. As we arrived back at Jamaica Bay, there was so much debris piled on front lawns. Our home was damaged beyond repair. We didn’t renew our insurance, Why? They had cancelled us. It was no fault of ours. It was “at random”. We couldn’t stay there so back to Rotunda West. We secured a truck to go back to Ft. Myers. We were able to salvage a great part of our contents. We had a truck and moved to outside of Atlanta, Georgia to be near our grandson and family. We have several trees, a lawn that I mow. We Rake leaves and have the 4 seasons. To think, we are 600 miles north of Jamaica Bay. I must say, I’m glad we did it. At this point, Hurricane Ian did us a favor. Now we are, I hope, away from Hurricanes.

Kristy Love Alvarez said: You did an interview with me I was a survivor 99 days without power…well two years later of constant struggling to try to remain here I am Leaving Florida. You can no longer afford to live on the Beach I am forced out after 35 years of pure Happiness on Fort Myers Beach. It’s bittersweet I can’t afford to live here anymore.

Matteo Cattani said: Sold our home in FM and moved out of state to Lexington, SC!

Cathy Yeaman said: We are gone. Will never be homeowners in Florida again

Bret W. Michael said: We got a phone call on Xmas day the year before. It’s was the Daughter calling to tell us she was pregnant. PRAISE THE LORD. We decided immediately to move to Jacksonville So we could be with our grandbaby and daughter. We were in the process of packing when Ian came through. We have seen quite a few devastating hurricanes come through the Southwest Florida area. And Ian was the first one that had me scared. I think it’s safe to say we won’t ever live in Southwest Florida again.

Ginny Williams May said: My best friends lived in CC for about 15 years, and two months ago moved out of state because FL insurance rates became unaffordable.Benjamin David said: After living in SW Florida for many years we bailed on the area in 2007 for central Florida…. Sebring in particular and love it here!! Over 140’ above sea level in our community!!

Todd Eldridge said: Our house Flooded in a Neighborhood that Never flooded. We rebuilt and moved to the Sarasota area on much Higher ground.

Denise Ann said: I moved to Arizona instead…

Pamela Rodriguez said: We moved from our dream home , Ian hit us badly in north port and it wasn’t for the fear of being hit again but because of the insurance. They fought us all the way to the end even with 3 inspections proving the damages they wouldn’t pay us and kept stalling. After a year and a half of living with the damages and mold we had to sell and move out of state which made them close our claim. The nerve they had to raise the cost of our insurance nearly double while we were waiting for them to work our claim was the final straw.

Lori Townsend said: We moved to Colorado after 37 years in Lee County. I couldn’t stand the thought of doing that again….

Gina Bina said: It was the last straw for me. I am done with Florida. I am a life long Floridian and I have been through countless hurricanes on both coasts and this was traumatizing. The fact that we had to immediately face the reality that this 100% could happen again. I want out.

Emgan Kissinger said: We sold our property in Bokeelia after seeing what our friends on the barrier islands went through. Our dream of retiring on a tropical island no longer appeals to us. And we are redoubling our efforts to pay off our current mortgage so that we don’t have the double hit of mortgage and insurance every month.

Barbara Snyder said: We moved to Lee Co Jan 1975 . We raised our 4 children in Lee County- the 1st 30 years we never experienced a hurricane – but then came Charlie – then Irma – then came Ian – each time we were in the path – lost our home each time – just lost so much financially- just to much – we relocated to Ocala area – Hugh adjustment as we love being near the beaches and the weather in S Fl .

Lori Leigh said: We lived through the hurricane in our home on Sanibel. Six months post Ian we sold our new home and moved to Pennsylvania. This summer we purchased a condo on the beach, but will never be there for hurricane season again. I will never forget it.

Jane Brownlow said: We are seriously considering moving out of state. Can’t stand the stress of tracking storms every summer.

Marc Bellagamba said: Florida has a climate problem. We probably shouldn’t live where insurance companies don’t want to be. Our modest apartment in downtown Fort Myers was pretty much unscathed. My lovely wife and I lucked out. So many lost much more. We are considering relocating.

David French said: After Hurricane Irma, which flooded our community,  my wife and I moved about 8 miles further inland. We are now about 12 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico along Corkscrew Road. Hurricane Ian was terrifying. Our 3-year-old well-built home sustained only minor exterior damage and no flooding. But, like so many others without power, it was miserable. Still, we were so much more fortunate than the thousands of others who suffered through that storm. My wife and I tried to do what we could to help feed those left homeless, huddling in make-shift tarp tents on Fort Myers Beach. I have thought about — and, actually, am still thinking about — moving back to Michigan (or perhaps somewhere else) after moving here 12 years ago. It has to do more with the aftermath of the storm rather than the storm itself. Costs have skyrocketed for home and auto insurance, HOA fees, etc. As a retired senior on a fixed-income with some chronic health issues, I am also extremely concerned about our increasingly hot climate. There are days it is difficult for me to be outside because of the frequent excessive heat warnings. This increasing heat is also fuel for worsening tropical storms.

Ken Maddox said: After my close friends announced they were selling and leaving Florida after Ian, I did a look to see if I wanted to follow them further north.  Because my life’s experience has involved living almost everywhere in our great country for at least a short time, I settled on staying in SW Florida.  We have an abundance of problems, but so does each section of the country.  Even though my loss was small by comparison, the anxiety felt during each hurricane season is significant.   Business interest must always be considered as high priority, but I see a difference between business and profit interest.  Environment must be kept in a higher priority position over the profit position of builders and development interest if our population is to prosper and reasonable people want to stay.

Hurricane Ian: ‘I have beach and water anxiety’

Gail Mauldin said: I won’t go near the beach unless it’s up near Venice . I don’t know what’s in the water! And I don’t mean sharks….Debris from the hurricane

Marty Hagle-Mattson said: I no longer feel safe going in the waters where the devastation was the worst. Afraid I will be injured by some debris just under the surface.

Alexandra Bennett said: It happened days after my wedding. Had to come home from a trip we’d put everything into. Destroyed my home, my soul cat couldn’t handle the stress it exacerbated his kidney disease and he passed away. Lost our small business. I just keep going…because not going isn’t an option. We still don’t have a fully rebuilt home. I used to love tracking and studying hurricane, the science of them. Now I can’t find any of that passion anymore. They’re just awful.

Tammy Hodgson said: Ian was scary, stressful and traumatizing. It reinforced to take these storms and storm surge warnings seriously or in the matter of an hour you could find yourself clinging to a palm tree, or worse. BUT it also taught me that severe hurricanes are very specific. Every mile away from the epicenter makes a difference and widespread damage doesn’t mean widespread destruction. Sometimes it’s amazing what’s still standing after Irma and Ian have both rolled through here. It also definitely reinforced the adage “hide from the wind, run from the water” Lastly, it made it obvious that the code changes after Andrew worked. From a wind damage perspective, it seemed to be either pre-Andrew buildings, or probably Tornado damage. The structures otherwise generally withstood the winds for the most part. What now needs work is the infrastructure, which universally failed.

Hurricane Ian: Insurance woes

Jessica Rose said: I want out! Hurricanes , the insurance and sky rocketing cost of living.. Now there’s another storm threat on ian anniversary

Kevin Irons said: It wouldn’t be so bad if insurance companies would stand by the policies they wrote, or if permitting wasn’t as slow as the DMV. The endless reminder of stop signs and normal signage not even attempted to be worked on is disappointing along with abandoned boats still leaking swill in marinas and waterways everywhere. Fort Myers is basically like a third World country at this point.

Sharon Hartman said: High rate of insurance rates even though you have never filed a claim and have I Hurricane Built home with hurricane glass windows and a Metal Roof.. totally unfair for my rate to almost double.

Sue George said: We weren’t there when the storm hit, but the damages were costly to our community.  And ever since the insurance costs have been skyrocketing.  We live within two miles of the coast on Vanderbilt Drive, south of Bonita Beach Road.  It’s getting to the point where if the insurance rates continue to rise and repairs that are required by the state continue to cost more and more, I feel we, among many others, will be leaving the area.  Either move inland or to another state for retirement.  Naples isn’t the same place it was ten years ago.  It’s just gotten outrageously expensive and the developers continue to add more and more properties without contributing to resolutions for the ever-exploding traffic issues. When will it end?  Between the cost and the bulging population, we’ll soon be among the massive retreat of older people who will be leaving for more affordable area.

Sally Harrison-Pepper said: I have friends & neighbors who are still celebrating the ways in which they fraudulently got a new roof that they didn’t actually need. They think they’ve “won” something, rather than bothering to think about the ways in which the rest of us are all paying for their deceit through increasing insurance costs.

Jean Farrell said: How has life changed? Well, that’s the question of the hour. My husband and I are retired Lee co teachers who lived on Ft Myers Beach for over 40 years and were an  integral part of the community. We raised three children there. We lost everything on that day. Our home washed away. At this point in our lives, we are lost . Financially, we are in a difficult situation…paying rent on the east coast and still paying our mortgage on our demolished house. Our lot is for sale, so are many others. We applied to Lee Cares for help but were denied because we were over the income. Really? Retired teachers? Lee County let us down. As usual the middle class is forgotten.

Hurricane Ian: General anxiety

Juanita Diane said: PTSD. Someone asks about Ian and I burst into tears to this day.

Gerald Osterhoudt said: Our plan was to move downtown and be to closer to the beach or on a canal with a view, NOW staying right where we are, 5 miles from the beach on a 17 ft elevation overlooking a lake

Jennifer Arnes said: The resources and warnings that are available now in 2024 should be taken seriously. The full time residents of SW Florida that have seen the greed, the absence of help and aid at critical points, have bared the brunt of selfishness and entitlement. Those people are gods people, they are not leaving. Those people have vested there entire lives, there children’s lives through thick and thin. Not by a gross display of development which has ruined the ecosystem. Those people are the most resilient of all. God knows about the souls that were taken by storm, he also knows the lives that were taken in the aftermath. Human behavior the saddest aspect. Still trying to control, forgetting you have only your actions and words to mind. Lesson.

Mark Gagliardi said: Hard to believe it’s been two years. I moved here from Chicago as Covid started in early 2020. So, two years pretty much in isolation in a new city, and then just as we were getting kinda normal, BAM! Ian. I recall pulling up the weather on my phone that day and the blue dot on the screen representing the location of my house was smack dab in the middle of Ian’s eye. I regret not taking a screen shot to this day. I remember being envious of my roommate Jim’s deafness for the first time. How lucky he was to not hear the wind blowing relentlessly for hours, days. But I saw the look on his face when he finally felt the power of the storm and we took cover in fear of not only losing the roof but the walls as well. I try not to look back, but I know I do not ever want to experience another storm like that again. Things are getting back to normal as normal can be and it’s good to see places coming back along with the new developments. I know we all take a deeper breath these days when we get the “tropical update” on the nightly news, but I suppose that goes with the territory of living in paradise.

Hurricane Ian: Historic storm didn’t change anything for me

Richard J. Sawicki said: I was impacted by Ian, my house flooded.  I have lived in Naples for 24 years and have no plans to leave.  I believe it still remains one of the best places to live.  I fault myself for not being more prepared for flooding.  My house is adequetly protected for wind but was not for flooding. That has changed, I now have sandbags and flood gates ready for the next storm, it is not much different than putting up shutters. There is no perfect place to live, whether it’s wildfires, tornadoes or earthquakes, you never know when disaster will strike.  At least with a hurricane you have time to prepare.  As buildings are updated and elevated storm damage will decrease. It remains paradise.

Ben Davidson said: I’ve been here 27 years now and the hurricane didn’t change my views in any way. Hurricanes are a part of life in Florida and a small price to pay for living in one of the most beautiful places in the US.

Sarah Connor said: It didn’t change my view about living in SWFL.

Russell Finn said: Not at all.

Mark Kahle said: We lived thru nature’s biggest and baddest monster….and we prevailed, continued forward and thrived. Florida is home, and forever will be.

Marci Hallock said: No Change due to Ian. Hurricanes have always been a given. My family has been in state over 200 years. The problem is due to the reactions from government and insurance after it.

Isabel M. LoPiccolo said: It doesn’t matter where you live there is always some kind of disaster, wild fires, landslides, hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards etc. At least with hurricanes we get a week’s notice to evacuate. This didn’t change my view on SW Florida.

Margie Jones said: Being born and raised in Ft. Myers, nothing has changed. We moved to Ocala about 15 yrs ago but given the chance, I’d move back because Ft. Myers is and always will be home. I remember all the storms since Donna, Sept 10 1960, and have survived every one of them.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian anniversary memories: Pain remains in variety of ways