Sanibel Island ‘Forever Changed’ as Videos Show Hurricane Ian Aftermath

Mayor Holly Smith of Sanibel Island—just southwest of Fort Myers—wrote in an open letter to her residents Thursday evening that the destruction from Hurricane Ian has “forever changed” their community.

“I am struggling to find the words to convey my feelings, as I am sure most of us are as we look to the past four days,” Smith wrote. “All our lives and our island have been forever changed. What we do tomorrow and the days and months ahead will redefine and strengthen our community.”

Several videos shared on social media have supported Smith’s words, including one shared by WeatherNation, whose aerial footage shows houses torn to bits among flooded streets.

“The only road in/out of the island was damaged extensively and rescues are being conducted by Coast Guard helicopter,” WeatherNation commented with the video.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told the public in his Thursday morning update that the road leading to the island—Sanibel Causeway—will need to be rebuilt, along with Pine Island Bridge.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno also posted a video on Twitter with a note about seeing the aftermath firsthand.

“We are devastated,” Marceno said in the tweet. “Our hearts go out to every resident who is impacted. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is mobile and will stop at nothing to help our residents.”

In the video, bird’s-eye footage shot around Lee County shows debris scattered among flooded streets, damaged bridges and smoke billowing out of roofless homes. Lee County encompasses Sanibel Island, as well as Fort Myers and Cayo Costa, the island where Hurricane Ian first made landfall Wednesday afternoon.

Marceno said during an interview with Good Morning America Thursday that rescue crews were “just starting to scratch the surface” while responding to residents who had been trapped in their homes. Marceno also backtracked on one comment after predicting that the death toll from the storm would be in the “hundreds.”

Another video posted by chef José Andrés, founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, shows several pockets of flooding around the island. The video was taken by group employee Sam Bloch, who flew to the island on Thursday to help provide fresh meals.

“We are seeing such horrible destruction,” Andrés wrote. “We @WCKitchen will be here with Florida with hot meals to make sure everyone who needs food is okay.”

In a separate video, Bloch posted from the Sanibel Island Fire Department, which Bloch said will work with the nonprofit to transport food to the island for residents unable to leave.

In her letter, Mayor Smith said that the city’s first goal will be to rescue any residents stranded on the island and get them to safety.

“Coordination efforts are taking place as we speak,” Smith wrote. “City Manager [Dana] Souza and I just finished a phone call with Governor DeSantis. We have short- and long-term challenges and the governor assured us our needs will be met.”

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 500 residents had been saved by search-and- rescue teams in Lee and Charlotte counties, according to a tweet from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Newsweek has reached out to Smith for updates regarding search-and-rescue efforts.