Ian: Florida residents recall harrowing storm that was ‘like a river out of nowhere’
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By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
As Floridians work to recover from the catastrophic damage caused when Hurricane Ian barreled through the state, stories of survival reveal the terror caused by the Category 4 storm.
One woman told The Washington Post that the water rose so high at her home that she had only 6 inches of space in which to breathe.
After the storm made landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday, the beach towns were the first to absorb the brunt of the hurricane’s 155 mph winds. Towns including Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Punta Gorda -- a city that was ravaged by Hurricane Charley in 2004 -- were exposed to high winds and more importantly, floodwaters.
“We were all humbled by the devastation across the island,” Sanibel Island City Manager Dana Souza told the Fort Myers News-Press.
Houses were ripped from their foundations by waters, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“It was just like a river out of nowhere,” Kathy Sharp, 74, of Fort Myers, told the Post about the storm surge that smashed into her mobile home at Thunderbird Park, a community for retirees located about two miles from the Gulf of Mexico. “There was nothing there, and then all the sudden there was like a foot of water in the house.”
Everett Bailey, 56, of Fort Myers Beach, told the newspaper he was asleep on a couch but was awakened by water spilling into his one-story home. He immediately waded through the flood to get his car.
“The water was in the car, too,” Bailey told the Post. “But my car started, and I drove it to the church.”
“I made it about two-thirds down the island and I’d say 90% of the island is pretty much gone,” Fort Myers Beach Town Councilman Dan Allers told CNN. “Unless you have a high-rise condo or a newer concrete home that is built to the same standards today, your house is pretty much gone.”
Leoma Lovegrove, an artist who lives in Matlacha, an island located between Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach, said her home suffered heavy damage but her art gallery was unscathed, the News-Press reported.
“It’s like nothing ever touched it. It’s unbelievable,” Lovegrove told the newspaper from Ohio, where she evacuated before the hurricane. “I can’t believe it. I nearly fell to the ground and started screaming when I saw it was there. Because everything around me’s demolished.”
In Fort Myers Beach, meanwhile, several residents spoke about people who were not as fortunate.
“We’ve seen bodies everywhere,” John Galatro, who rode out the storm in the Leonardo Arms condominium, told the Miami Herald. “We counted 10 people in our building who died trying to climb to the roof during the height of the surge. That water was raging and swept some away. I personally covered one with a blanket. We made ‘Deceased’ signs so the helicopters could see them.”
Galatro told the newspaper that residents in the area will “need a lot of therapy.”
“We rescued an old couple who had to tread water for hours,” Galatro told the newspaper. “We pulled them out of a flooded laundromat where they said they were holding onto whatever they could to keep afloat.”
Laurent Boce, 58, of Fort Myers, told the Post that an estimated 13-foot storm surge battered his home, which is 11 feet above sea level.
“It was just like five, six hours of pure madness,” Boce told the newspaper. “I was able to sit in a chair and just watch the water and debris come in, in, in.”
Cathy Mondro, of North Port, was able to escape her home with her husband and their two dogs by kayak.
As floodwaters rose, Mondro’s husband waded to a neighbor’s home and borrowed the kayak, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
“There was no place to go,” she told the newspaper.
In rural Arcadia, northeast of Fort Myers, railroad tracks along a road were picked up from the ground and were twisted, the Times reported.
Roads leading into the farming community, where the median household is approximately $34,000, were shredded by Ian’s wrath, the newspaper reported. Trailers and homes were submerged in water.
Karen More, 69, of Fort Myers, said she would never underestimate a hurricane again.
“I was holding my front door, because of the wind, and I didn’t know what else to do,” More told the Post. “I didn’t know what else to do. I thought the ocean was going to come through.”
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida MATLACHA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Whitney Hall (R) embraces a friend atop the remains of his home amidst wreckage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian on the island of Matlacha on September 30, 2022 in Matlacha, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida MATLACHA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Pine Island residents Wolfgang Nester (R) and his son Sebastian walk amongst the wreckage lef in the wake of Hurricane Ian on the island of Matlacha on September 30, 2022 in Matlacha, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida MATLACHA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: A chair sits on a flooded roadway in the wake of Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Matlacha, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida MATLACHA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Wreckage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian is shown on the island of Matlacha on September 30, 2022 in Matlacha, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida A burned vehicle from an electrical fire following Hurricane Ian in Venice, Florida, US, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Two million electricity customers in Florida remained without power Friday morning, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. Photographer: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida MATLACHA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Whitney Hall waves to a friend from the remains of his home while waving the American flag amidst wreckage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian on the island of Matlacha on September 30, 2022 in Matlacha, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Sue Lepisto hugs her neighbor after they saw each other when they came to visit what was left of their homes after Hurricane Ian passed through on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Their homes were flooded with about 6 feet of water. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Brian Siebert becomes emotional as he looks at what remains of his home after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mr. Siebert feels like he has lost everything in the apartment because there was about 6 feet of water that inundated it. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Frank Bruno speaks with members of the Texas A&M Task Force 1 Search and Rescue team as they look for anyone needing help after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mr. Bruno said he road the storm out in his home and told the search team members that he was okay. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Deb McGinty walks with outstretched arms near her apartment as she said she was, "Thanking God that I'm alive" after Hurricane Ian passed through on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mrs. McGinty said she rode the storm out in her home and feels lucky to be alive. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Lucy Montoya hugs niece Judy Sanchez after seeing her for the first time since Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mrs. Montoya said she road the storm out in the apartment and had to flee through a window because of flood waters in the middle of the storm to a second floor apartment. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Val Stuart talks on a cell phone as she sits on the bed she setup on the floor after the apartment she was staying in was flooded when Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mrs. Stuart who evacuated from Sanibel before the storm ended up staying in the apartment and had to flee in the middle of the storm through a window because of flood waters to a second floor apartment. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Jordan Reidy carries his dog, Ivory, back to their second-floor apartment after fleeing when Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mr. Reidy and his mother plan to stay at the home because they feel like they have no where else to go. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Omar Sanchez walks through flood waters to his apartment after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mr. Sanchez said he had to flee from his first floor apartment to the second floor because flood waters inundated it. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: A member of the Texas A&M Task Force 1 Search and Rescue team looks for anyone needing help after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida A woman walks down the stairs from her house as a creek overflows from flooding following Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. - Forecasters expect Hurricane Ian to cause life-threatening storm surges in the Carolinas on Friday after unleashing devastation in Florida, where it left a yet unknown number of dead in its wake. After weakening across Florida, Ian regained its Category 1 status in the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward the Carolinas, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida Osceloa County Sheriffs use a fanboat to rescue residents from flooding following Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. - Forecasters expect Hurricane Ian to cause life-threatening storm surges in the Carolinas on Friday after unleashing devastation in Florida, where it left a yet unknown number of dead in its wake. After weakening across Florida, Ian regained its Category 1 status in the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward the Carolinas, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida Osceloa County Sheriffs use a fanboat to rescue a 93 year-old resident from flooding following Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. - Forecasters expect Hurricane Ian to cause life-threatening storm surges in the Carolinas on Friday after unleashing devastation in Florida, where it left a yet unknown number of dead in its wake. After weakening across Florida, Ian regained its Category 1 status in the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward the Carolinas, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida Osceloa County Sheriffs use a fanboat to rescue residents from flooding following Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. - Forecasters expect Hurricane Ian to cause life-threatening storm surges in the Carolinas on Friday after unleashing devastation in Florida, where it left a yet unknown number of dead in its wake. After weakening across Florida, Ian regained its Category 1 status in the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward the Carolinas, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida A man stops in front of his house as a creek overflows from flooding following Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. - Forecasters expect Hurricane Ian to cause life-threatening storm surges in the Carolinas on Friday after unleashing devastation in Florida, where it left a yet unknown number of dead in its wake. After weakening across Florida, Ian regained its Category 1 status in the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward the Carolinas, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida Osceloa County Sheriffs speaks to a resident as a creek rises from flooding following Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. - Forecasters expect Hurricane Ian to cause life-threatening storm surges in the Carolinas on Friday after unleashing devastation in Florida, where it left a yet unknown number of dead in its wake. After weakening across Florida, Ian regained its Category 1 status in the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward the Carolinas, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: In this aerial view, vehicles line up to purchase gasoline in the wake of Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Port Charlotte, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: In this aerial view, vehicles drive through standing water left in the wake of Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Port Charlotte, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges, and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida A fallen sign following Hurricane Ian in Venice, Florida, US, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Ian, now a hurricane again, is threatening to carve a new path of destruction through South Carolina Friday when it roars ashore north of Charleston. Photographer: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 29: Members of the Florida National Guard look for stranded residents in a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. The storm has caused widespread power outages and flash flooding in Central Florida as it crossed through the state after making landfall in the Fort Myers area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: A wall of a condo was torn off as hurricane Ian passed through on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Ron Waselenchuk inspects his sailboat which was pushed ashore by hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida Damage to a McDonald's restaurant following Hurricane Ian in Venice, Florida, US, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Ian, now a hurricane again, is threatening to carve a new path of destruction through South Carolina Friday when it roars ashore north of Charleston. Photographer: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Photos: Hurricane Ian's devastating impact on Florida ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 29: Street signs are seen in the water in a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. The storm has caused widespread power outages and flash flooding in Central Florida as it crossed through the state after making landfall in the Fort Myers area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, boats sit grounded in a woodland area and along the side of the road after being pushed by rising water from Hurricane Ian near Fort Myers Beach on September 29, 2022, in San Carlos Island, Florida. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, the Sanibel Causeway bridge collapsed in places after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022, in Sanibel, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, a neighborhood remains flooded near downtown after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Boats sit atop one another in a marina near Fort Myers Beach on September 29, 2022, in San Carlos Island, Florida. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage A man documents storm damage with his phone after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Vehicles float in the water after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Doc's Beach House after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Seth Jones, left, sorts through storm damaged video games as Jason Crosser looks on at Crossers storm damaged business, 8-Bit Hall of Fame, after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, a home burns after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022, in Sanibel, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage A man looks out to the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Naples, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage A woman walks her bike past boats blocking a road after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, cars sit in floodwater near downtown after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, the Sanibel Causeway bridge collapsed in places after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022, in Sanibel, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage A storm damaged building after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Meagan Hoeschler recovers a family surf board on the beach after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Naples, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Storm debris fills a street after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage A car sits in floodwater after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage Storm damaged vehicles after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage People walk along a sidewalk blocked by boats after Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In an aerial view, damaged buildings are seen as Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Floridians begin assessing catastrophic Hurricane Ian damage In this aerial view, boats sit atop one another in a marina near Fort Myers Beach on September 29, 2022, in San Carlos Island, Florida. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)