Southwest Florida

One Naples street became a river prompting one resident's reaction: “The speed of it was unbelievable. That's what’s freaky. You just can't believe how fast that water comes up.”

Residents must have a current Sanibel Hurricane Reentry pass or a valid Florida driver’s license showing a Sanibel address. Sanibel residents who do not have a Hurricane reentry pass may obtain one at Temporary City Hall (Crowne Plaza Hotel, 13051 Bell Tower Drive, Fort Myers). Anyone who is on the island to assist City residents, property owners, or business owners must be accompanied at all times by a city resident, a property owner, or a business owner while on island.

Danny Ross of Fort Myers counts himself among the community of Florida locals known as "liveaboards," who live permanently on boats in marinas. He rode out Hurricane Ian last week aboard a boat, and he says it nearly killed him and two friends. The 58-year-old Ross says he heeded his extended family's warnings to abandon his own 30-foot boat to stay with two friends aboard their larger 50-foot yacht. It didn't help. The hurricane's 150-mile-per-hour winds snapped dock lines and drove the boat crashing into Edison Bridge. Ross says he pulled his companions to safety, and they treaded through surging waters to a nearby hotel's flooded second-floor lobby. The storm destroyed his own boat. He's now living aboard his friends’ wrecked yacht and says he's learned one important lesson about complacency toward Florida's killer storms: He will never stay for another hurricane.

There is widespread damage on island, causing dangerous conditions throughout the island and particularly in and around various structures. Damage assessments of structures have been completed by Urban Search and Rescue Teams

Based on a tally provided by the state and additional calculations by NPR (WGCU is a member station), the number of those killed is at least 100.

Status of things at Fort Myers Beach still in search and recovery phase

Businesses open and available in Southwest Florida

Storm surge from Hurricane Ian torn through Vester Marine Research Station, taking research data, samples and more with it.

On the South Florida Roundup, we spoke about Florida's balancing act between building in vulnerable areas and protecting established developments. Will South Florida and the rest of the state see a shift in the wake of Ian?