Hurricane Ian washed ashore destroying homes and upending lives with its catastrophic flooding and wind speeds that neared 150 mph more than two years ago. But many homeowners still haven’t been able to finish rebuilding their homes.
Such was the survey finding of the SanCap Resiliency group, which formed after Hurricane Ian to address how to rebuild and mitigate future damages.
Close to 900 people responded to the group’s survey. Of that 91% of respondents live on the island, a majority of them full time. The remaining have or work for businesses on the barrier islands.
Close to 60% of the respondents say their homes suffered significant, major damages or were totally destroyed. Forty-two percent said their homes were still undergoing construction. They cited the lack of contractors to do the work, the costs of repairs and not getting adequate insurance reimbursements as main reasons for the delays.
An overwhelming majority — 84% said they are very concerned about climate change and 63 percent say they support measures to try and slow or stave off climate change.
Other key findings include:
· 20% say Hurricane Ian has challenged them financially.
· 50% say they are still shaken by Hurricane Ian.
· 7% report suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the hurricane.
· 50% say they have returned to their fully restored homes and feel a sense of social and emotional connection.
· 29 respondents say they have elevated the ground level floor to help mitigate future flood damages.
A workshop on elevating homes will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 13. at Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way. It will also be streamed live on Zoom. Admission is free, but registration is required. Individuals can register online here (https://bit.ly/48ghoZ3).
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