ORLANDO, Fla. – As we move into yet another hurricane season, many across the state are still trying to get back to their “normal.” And that is very much the case in southwest Florida, after Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm.
Now, nine months later, the mayor of Fort Myers said they’re recovering “better and stronger” than before.
A southwest Floridian since the 1970s and a retired police officer, the mayor of Fort Myers, Kevin Anderson, watched Hurricane Ian close in as waters rose toward his home in the heart of downtown Fort Myers.
“First we saw the wind and the destruction, it was just tearing the awnings. The light globes were exploding, things just flying all over the place. And then the water came.” Anderson recounted.
But even within all of the damage and loss seen across the area, there were bright spots that brought pride in the community.
“What I saw the day after the hurricane, once you look past the devastation, you saw people starting to clean their homes out. You saw neighbors helping neighbors.” he said.
Within the first 12 hours of the storm, the fire department conducted upward of 200 rescues. In the first 48 hours, the public works department had every road in the city cleared. And in about a week, Fort Myers had power and electricity back.
Along with getting power back up and supplies delivered to those who needed, Anderson said the clean up was also top priority for residents.
“Think about this every time you walk out of your house. You look at your life, your pictures, your furniture, all the things you’ve collected over a lifetime, sitting in a pile at the side of the road. That’s why we thought it was important to get that debris picked up quickly. So psychologically, people could start moving,” he said.
And now nine months later, Anderson said the city is coming back.
“This county was knocked down, but it was not knocked out. And if you know as a Floridian, we’re strong, we’re resilient. These storms come, they go, and we get right back up and we start building back our communities,” Anderson said.
As we start another hurricane season, Anderson has advice for any Central Floridian who may be a bit hesitant or too tired to prepare for another storm.
“Be prepared. Listen to what your local officials are telling you. And if they’re saying evacuate, evacuate. Besides planning and preparation, you can hide from the wind. But you’ve got to run from the water. And that’s what caught people. If you want to sit on your couch during a hurricane and wait for the government to come save you, shame on you. You got to take responsibility for your own personal safety and your family safety,” he urged.
Anderson also had a message to the rest of the country and the world.
“Well over 60% of our hotel rooms are back up and running. Restaurants, bars are opening back up. Every day on the beach on the island, something new opens up or reopens. We are open, we are open for business, and we are booming,” he said with a smile on his face.
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