One Year after Hurricane Ian in Cape Coral, FL

[PalmatierMeg]

Yesterday was the 1-year anniversary of monster Hurricane Ian hitting SWFL. The South eyewall passed over our house after coming ashore over Caya Costa with wind gusts of 178 mph. Our house suffered almost no damage except to lanai screens (thank you, Sabal Row). But our 5-lot landscaping suffered massive damage the following photos only hint at. I thought Hurricane Irma (2017 - beware the "I" storms) wreaked destruction but Ian was mind-boggling.   Yesterday I read an article about expected timeframes different local communities faced to fully recover. Estimates ranged from 2 to over 10 years. Fort Myers Beach has hardly started rebuilding but says it will be back in 5 years. Cape Coral was even more realistic with a projected recovery to last a decade before the City comes fully online. As for the fishing village/art mecca of Matlacha, let's just say much of it still litters Matanzas Pass.

I don't think I posted most of the following storm damage photos from 2022. We lost internet for 3 weeks, as well as water for 3 days, electricity for a week. By the time we returned from the late 19th century, people were fed up with Ian and its non-stop coverage so I filed my photos away on the computer. Yesterday I dug them out again. I also took updated photos of our Garden Lot's progress over the past 12 months. Impressive despite months of drought. Many of the small replacement palms we planted have almost doubled in size in the summer swelter. We lost scores of large palms and tropical trees, almost all of our shade-giving canopy. Up to this moment I still have palms that will probably succumb even after a year.

Anyway, here are some photos of Before Recovery (2022) and 1-Year After (2023). These cover our 3-lot Garden Site up to the west side of the house.

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1-Year After

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[PalmatierMeg]

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[PalmatierMeg]

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[Looking Glass]

Man what a mess…. But what a clean up too!  Looks really good for 1 year out, and it will get better every year.   You’ll be junglfied in no time again.  

[sonoranfans]

It was a devastating hurricane, the damage was heart rending.  But there is a remarkable recovery underway after just one year!  Bravo!  Best wishes for fast growth and health!

 

[Merlyn]

Remarkable regrowth after only 1 year!  It looks like the Baileyana did just fine in the storm, but maybe it wasn't tall enough to take the full force of the wind?  I was thinking of planting a "Bailey Row" similar to your "Sabal Row." 

[Barry]

Meg,

Glad to see things, what is left , are coming back. Yes, it was a devastating storm. Being due East of you in Ft Myers, it was a mess here as well. But as you said, our house and we were fine! Not so for a lot of people. Our area will be forever changed, especially Ft Myers Bch and Matlacha. I see progress weekly in the landscape, but still sad to think of everything that was lost! And you are correct, still losing things a year later. I look forward to seeing more updates in the future.

[96720]

Looks like a lot of work and money to make it look that great!!!

[PalmatierMeg]

9 hours ago, 96720 said:

Looks like a lot of work and money to make it look that great!!!

Depends on your POV. Certainly a lot of labor. The big things we lost we replaced with 3g to 7g. I grew some of our replacements from seeds off PT. We drive a 2019 Subaru and 2005 rusting Ford Ranger. No 2023 Corvette, sail boat, cabin cruiser, jet skis, world tours or McMansion on the Gulf. This devil wears Goodwill, not Prada

[Cindy Adair]

Meg I share your sorrow at the before pictures!
 

However your only 1 year post Ian photos are inspirational to all of us who choose to live in hurricane prone regions. 

It was excellent that you got electricity and water and internet back so quickly compared to post María issues here. 
 

And I know you and I are blessed that our houses still stand!

Thanks so much for all the interesting photos!

[NickJames]

So glad you lived to tell the tale! It was scary there for a few days when I couldn’t reach anyone in Cape Coral.