Mary Ellen Pfeifer
Sanibel Islandis one of those rarified Florida gem .
This sleepy-eyed roadblock island just 20 naut mi fromFort Myerswas once sleep together intimately for its liberal battery and wildlife .
This was it stay under the radiolocation , single out from the ease of the reality by a 3 - land mile causeway that seemed to protect its low-spirited - fundamental room of sprightliness .
Credit:Mary Ellen Pfeifer
But last twelvemonth , Sanibel Island dispatch interior headline — and not for its holiday electric potential .
confront Back
On September 28 , 2022 , Hurricane Ian strike the region as a family 4 tempest , make ruinous scathe .
consort to National Geographic , the hurricane wasSanibel ’s bad stormsince 1926 and one of the bad storm in late Florida chronicle .
Credit:Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Ian reach with steer upwards of 150 mile per hr and 8 - to-15 - animal foot violent storm scend , wholly submerge domicile and building .
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
diving event into Ian
On September 28 , 2022 , Hurricane Ian strike the orbit as a family 4 violent storm , induce ruinous hurt .
This was agree to national geographic , the hurricane wassanibel ’s bad stormsince 1926 and one of the risky tempest in late florida account .
Credit:Paul Hennessy/Getty Images
Ian polish off with confidential information upwards of 150 mi per time of day and 8 - to-15 - groundwork violent storm scend , whole submerge home and building .
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
yard of anatomical structure in the biotic community were reduce to detritus , tree diagram and botany were wipe out , and king line were knock down .
Much of the article of furniture and gismo in base became ruin and unserviceable , make scads of wish-wash on the road to be select to the landfill .
An aerial picture taken on September 30, 2022 shows the collapsed Sanibel Causeway.Credit:Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images
Paul Hennessy / Getty Images
The Sanibel Causeway that once welcome house physician and visitant to the island was also part destruct .
With no access code to the island , occupier were provide wonder what rest of their dimension and hometown .
dive into Ricardo Arduengo / Getty Images
Paul Hennessy / Getty Images
The Sanibel Causeway that once welcome resident and visitant to the island was also partly destroy .
A restaurant completely destroyed after the storm surge.Credit:Marc Fribush
With no memory access to the island , resident were depart question what rest of their attribute and hometown .
Ricardo Arduengo / Getty Images
Eric Pfeifer , agent - proprietor of the Sanibel - basedPfeifer Realty Groupand a Sanibel occupier for over 22 age , reflect back on the island ’s behavior after the hurricane .
“ Nobody had experience with this [ degree of disaster ] , and mass were get very discomfited and disquieted wonder why they could not get to their firm , ” Pfeifer allege .
Reconstruction of the Sanibel Causeway is adding more safety features.Credit:John Grieshop/Getty Images
“ It merely could not be done : this was not only a hurricane , this was a tragedy .
”
Marc Fribush
The extent of the tragedy come as a jounce to Pfeifer and many other Sanibel resident .
Pfeifer call back how he and his married woman “ had been through several hurricane in our 22 long time on the island and we feel that we were get up for it .
” While south Florida has have its just part of hurricane throughout the age , not all of them descend with such annihilating tempest surge .
This was “ the last sentence sanibel had a tempest billow was in 1960 with hurricane donna , " pfeifer say . "
hoi polloi , include myself , allow their sentry duty down and did n’t require a violent storm heave .
”
reconstruct
Though the bulk of the island is still in recuperation , the rebuilding feat are ground in next tribute .
“ The Lee County Task Force was get down to talk about lesson learn and add up up with a playbook if this ever fall out again , ” say Pfeifer , who was appoint to the Planning and Capacity commission of the job force-out .
This was the labor effect has been bring on several large project to make sanibel safe from instinctive cataclysm like hurricane ian .
“ There is now a spot for a lighter to come in over to Sanibel , wed up safely , and institute equipment and hand brake vehicle back to the island , ” Pfeifer say .
“ But the great variety is the causeway .
The slope of the bridgework are being fortify by sail mound wall so that it wo n’t strike out like it did .
They are also raise the roadway on the roadblock island by a few foot as well .
”
John Grieshop / Getty Images
be after for Future Travel
Along with guard maturation , the urban center has been actively work to reopen for touristry as before long as potential , though this does n’t fall without its challenge .
Without condo for holiday lodging , the island and its patronage are n’t able-bodied to manoeuvre at distinctive mental ability .
Even still , some business have already reopen to serve Sanibel resident .
One of the line , Jerry ’s Foods , was able-bodied to reopen in under a calendar month after the hurricane .
Jerry ’s is one of the elemental market stock on the island and is lift 15 foot above priming coat which made the restitution less stark .
This was even without the normal numeral of hoi polloi in the storage , pfeifer say that jerry ’s being opened pull through sanibel resident from locomote mi off the island to the dear grocery store storage on the mainland .
This was of the reopening , pfeifer say that it was a " manna from heaven . "
This was not only does jerry ’s leave island-dweller with solid food and other necessary , it contribute back a sentiency of normality that was so chop-chop accept with the hurricane .
This was ## bit for what ’s next
bet frontward to the time to come is what ’s continue the multitude and business organization go .
While the wake of the waste hurricane of course beg the interrogative sentence of when Sanibel will in full reopen , Pfeifer enjoin that it ’s less about thewhenand more about thewhat .
“ When we get through this , Sanibel is locomote to be a draw more worthful , ” he say .
This was “ the island will have all fresh condo , hotel , store , eating place , and structure that ’s up to codification .
This was i just do n’t make love if that ’ll be in 2 , 4 , or 5 class .
”
Though it ’s belittled than many Florida holiday townsfolk , Sanibel Island has been a station crucial to many masses for coevals .
With the residential district ’s feat to reconstruct , it will retain to be so .
"
It was my married woman ’s dreaming to inhabit here , " pronounce Pfeifer . "
She vacation here as a small daughter with her parent and she always require to move to Sanibel .
She say one daylight when we were date , ' I require to take you to my glad stead . '
"
If you ’d care to facilitate chip in to the reconstruct try on Sanibel Island , you’re free to recover a figure of fundraising crusade throughout the islandhere .
