FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — This barrier island on Florida’s southwest coast suffered severe damage when Hurricane Ian made landfall just 22 miles north on Wednesday.
Debris littered the beaches, boats were washed ashore and some buildings disappeared entirely. Smaller buildings were swept away by the flood and dumped elsewhere. A few buildings remained standing, but their entire first floors were destroyed.
In an examination of photos and video from the northern half of the island, The Times identified nearly 400 buildings that were destroyed or badly damaged, visible on the map below.
A map of Fort Myers Beach showing visibly destroyed or badly damaged structures after Hurricane Ian hit the island.
Building visibly destroyed or severely damaged
shops and
restaurants
swept away.
Shopping
middle with
damaged roof.
shops on the beach
and houses
destroyed.
Mobile shelters
scattered in heaps.
Right on the beach
houses swept
a way.
shops and
restaurants
swept away.
Shopping
middle with
damaged roof.
shops on the beach
and houses
destroyed.
Mobile shelters
scattered in heaps.
Right on the beach
houses swept
a way.
PRESERVE ESTERO BAY
STATE PARK
Shopping
middle with
damaged roof.
shops on the beach
and houses
destroyed.
shops and
restaurants
swept away.
Mobile shelters
scattered in heaps.
Right on the beach
houses swept
a way.
PRESERVE ESTERO BAY
STATE PARK
Shopping
middle with
damaged roof.
Mobile shelters
scattered in heaps.
shops and
restaurants
swept away.
shops on the beach
and houses
destroyed.
Right on the beach
houses swept
a way.
Sources: Damage estimates were based on an examination of available photos and video as of Friday and are not comprehensive. Lee County GIS Department Building Floor Plans. The New York Times
The damage identified above is just a fraction of the destruction the storm wreaked across all of Fort Myers Beach and the portion of the central Florida coast that was ripped apart by Hurricane Ian. But it offers a glimpse into the devastating power of the storm.
Ray Murphy, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach, shared a video message from the beach amid the debris on Friday: “We got a really bad shot. A real cracker. There’s a lot of devastation down here.”
Many of the bayfront homes north of Estero Boulevard, the island’s main thoroughfare, appeared mostly intact, but at least two RV parks had been wiped out.
northern half of
Fort Myers Beach
Larger buildings were
still stands.
smaller buildings
were swept away.
Bigger buildings
were still standing.
smaller buildings
were swept away.
Shannon Stapleton/Portal
Supporters of a caravan community were uprooted.
Supporters of a caravan community were uprooted.
Ricardo Arduengo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The main business district, nicknamed “Times Square”, a bustling place with restaurants, bars and shops, has been almost completely leveled. The ground floors of the remaining buildings were gutted.
Across the street, the new 254-room Margaritaville Beach Resort is slated to open in 2023. In a Facebook post Thursday night, the team building the resort said they “would not be deterred by this catastrophe of biblical proportions.”
Bedel Saget
Next to Lani Kai Island Resort, the light blue building seen in the video above, all that remained of Shucker’s, a seafood restaurant, and Cottage Bar, an old local hangout, were bare foundations covered in dirt were. Other nearby buildings had been demolished.
Christina Thomaison, front desk manager at the Lani Kai, said she saw water rise up to two stories from the storm surge. After she evacuated guests, she and about 30 other staff members and family members braved the storm from the second floor of the building — technically the third floor because the resort is on stilts. “We saw everything swept away,” she said.
northern half of
Fort Myers Beach
Shuckers and the
cabin bar
Shuckers and the
cabin bar
The New York Times; Aerial photo by Nearmap from April 12th
before
Streets were covered with rubble and sand.
Streets were covered with rubble and sand.
The New York Times; Aerial photo by Nearmap as of 29 Sept
To
Farther from the beach, on the other side of Estero Boulevard, most of the buildings seemed to have remained standing. The structure of a 7-Eleven was still intact, but the inside had been swept away.
The Whale, the colorful blue and orange seafood restaurant shown below, had collapsed and fallen over. It was a popular spot for both the sea views and its home-cooked food.
Bedel Saget
Along the seafront, most of the smaller houses and the buildings closest to the water had been completely washed away, leaving only foundations or piles. Larger, more solidly built buildings were more likely to survive.
“Older homes that just aren’t built that strong got washed out to sea,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference. “That’s something I think would be very difficult to survive.”
northern half of
Fort Myers Beach
All that’s left of it
Multi-million dollars
house is the pool.
All that’s left of it
Multi-million dollars
house is the pool.
Ricardo Arduengo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
… and deposited
on the street.
These buildings were
swept away from hers
foundations …
These buildings were
swept away from hers
foundations …
… and deposited
on the street.
Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press
The Silver Witch, a jewelry and gift shop located down the street in the video below, has been in business there for more than 40 years. The entire building was washed away after Hurricane Ian.
Bedel Saget