As a Floridian who loves my state, over time I have begun to more and more question if we should even be building massive homes and structures along our barrier islands and coastlines. Yes, we have beautiful weather but we have volatile weather and it costs millions of dollars and lives. Is it time to step back and restore the coast to the natural ways and just visit?
40 years of memories at beautiful Sanibel. This is devastating!! Thank you for documenting the damage for all to see. Such eery silence and the turtle looking a little dismayed as well. I wonder how the wildlife survived this apocalyptic storm.
Unlike some other vids I've seen...there is NO ONE around while you were filming...very creepy "post apocalyptic" and last man on earth vibe to it...thanks for sharing !
that's because the only way to that island is gone!. only rich seasonal folk can afford Sanibel and Captiva islands. and they are gone since June when it get too hot for snow birds.
Thank you for sharing we just came home from Sanibel island a week ago Thu. Was trying to see the Sanibel Island Resort where we stayed. Everyone we met was so nice. My heart breaks for everyone.
I was there at the same hotel 2 weeks ago. I agree it was so nice to be there and be on the beach, go to the pool bar and everyone so nice. The restaurants, including the one at the golf course. Very sad to see this all gone.
Thank you so much for sharing! You have shown footage of areas I would spend hours at on the beach😪everything so destroyed it breaks my heart! 30 years of memeories whittled to shambles everywhere. I'm wishing all of the other fellow Floridians luck and strength. I'm so grateful my daughter came out of this alive. 🙏🏻
Not worth trying to close to the beach!!!! Painful? Yes? Very!!! But there are other places in USA That are awesome!!!! Get off the ocean !!! Look for safer areas. It’s not your life or everything you have worked for !!!!! Give yourself to your family , posterity snd z foreveJesus! He s eternal the one to live for! Not stuff snd favorite things or places
Spent years going to Shell Island since it was built. I hope to go back as soon as possible. Yearly trip. I am wishing for the best for those who work, live on island and have businesses. I know it will be very different.
We are from BC Canada. We have never been to Sanibel but love your beautiful state of Florida! It is so sad and such devastation. We hope and pray for all who have been so terribly devastated by this storm. Please know that we care and have hope that you will recover from this tragedy. 💕
I use to visit Sanibel/Captiva in the late 1970's and into the 1980's. It was beautiful, quiet, a very natural setting, not many buildings. Stayed at the Castaway's cottages at Blind pass. Spent nearly everyday shelling. It was like being on another planet. Absolutely wonderful. Great fresh seafood. There was a little store just before Blind pass where you could buy common foods. The night skies were full of stars. If I had a time machine, I'd go back to those days, spent there in that peaceful, beautiful place.
I loved the no Commentary. ty for sharing FL Strong. It's the strongest storm have seen. One thing that was odd it was freezing cold, Dropped from 92.f to 59f is a very short period of time. Never seen that before.
geoengineering watch is saying the storm was engineered and guided and held in place for longer to collect and dump more water over a specific area. They claim to have the logs that show the manipulation. Make of that what you will.
There are no words only a reminder that when you're told to evacuate you get the heck out of mother nature's way. Hopefully these people remembered how Charley turned as he strengthened and they got out of there in time.
Great video of our favorite place. We have been vacationing on Sanibel once or twice a year since 1989. The devastating ruins of Ian are awful. We wish only the best for the owners and property managers. Hopefully all will be restored with time. Stay safe folks on our dear Sanibel Island!!!!!!!!!!
My family has been visiting Sanibel almost every year since the 1970's as recently as 2 months ago. I am truly sickened by all this. Best wishes to everyone affected.
Nope. They will go bankrupt long before they can payout on a fraction of that. I can only imagine how much rates will be increased on everyone residing in Florida.
This is storm surge (flood) damage for the most part. Regular HO insurance doesn’t cover. Federal flood if you have it covers $250K, then if you are lucky you had excess flood to cover up to re-build cost but it is very expensive.
Insurance companies will have trouble paying current claims. Insurance rates in Florida are about four times higher than the national average. After this, who knows how high rates will go, or if there will be any insurance companies left in Florida to write new policies. I can't see insurance companies insuring anything on these barrier islands. Without insurance I can't see how anything can be rebuilt here, which might be a good thing.
Thsnk you for filming this. No one around, no recovery going on as it is in Ft. Myers and Ft. Myers Beach just adds to the creepiness. Complete devastation. Drone footage and quick fly-bys don't show it like this video.
I was wondering about the lighthouse. I heard it survived but this is the first visual confirmation. Thanks. I've been coming to the island, off and on for 30 years. My heart is broken.
Some, the same reason poorer countries in hurricane areas do. There's not enough money to build whatever people think is a "hurricane proof" fortress. And some have been there a long time. These types of cat 4-5 hurricanes don't hit the same cities year after year. They are once in 10-20 years, if that even.
If I could afford to live there I would, this was the worst storm in a century to hit the island and the last major hurricane to hit was 17 years ago. Sanibel is a nice place, albeit lacking in food options if you don't want seafood, we spent many a first week of summer there when I was younger and one of my sisters has the timeshare now, lots of memories on that island.
@@alacrity2670 that will hit the same area? Of course there will be more major hurricanes, there is at least one every year, that doesn't mean they hit the same spot every time. How about you go tell the people of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and other Caribbean nations not to rebuild because they will just get destroyed again, they are hit far more regularly then specific spots of Florida.
These islands are knows as “barrier islands” and they are supposed to be a bulwark against storm surge and sparsely populated. I remember Sanibel island back in the early 1980’s and it was a beautiful natural place with a few homes. Now the entire coast of Florida is a overdeveloped nightmare.
thanks for the share, I know folks have eagerly been wanting to see how their homes/businesses have fared, even if only a glimpse. Was thinking folks who evacuated should have turned off all power to their homes in preparation for when main power is restored. Amazing and earie how very quiet it is, yet with the occasional fire/smoke/burglar alarms.
Why is no one talking about pine island, next to sanibel island, it’s a larger island, 3 times as much population than sanibel, and more devastation. It’s amazing that the big money islands are getting all the coverage.
There are now a good number of videos about Pine Island if you adjust your search settings accordingly. But I agree about most of the coverage going to the big money islands.
That looks like a really old turtle.. someone who just bought a house on Sanibel and was waiting to move into it with there children said they lost 2 old turtles that were handed down from family members..
@@jenleigh342 That 'tortoise' is likely not native to the island. My guess is it's someone's pet. Tortoises don't swim, so they wouldn't have been a native species there. Prior to the building of the causeway, that tortoise would have had no way to get there and likely would have ended up road kill if it tried.
It’s definitely a pet it’s not a native species here, it looks like an African spurred tortoise. Really sad situation but he’s safe being outside of a yard since they don’t have traffic or any kind of predators on the island right now.
Thank you for this - we have visited Sanibel nearly every year since our children were babies (31 years). I was just there in May with my father and one of our daughters. This is clearly much, much worse than Charley. We are heartbroken for everyone living on the island. Except that iguana.
Oh wow! The gopher turtles found a way to survive! Thank you for sharing. We really get to see to the heartbreaking damage of that end of the island. Just missed the Sanibel Siesta near the golf course, I wanted to see that. Next video?
Growing up, our family vacationed on Sanibel and even as an adult, I’ve taken my kids there many times. Last time was 8 years ago. So sad to see this happen to such a beautiful place in America 😢
Hurricanes only make the news because of the damages. Nobody, not even MSNBC, talks about the many hurricanes filling up the Atlantic. Why are the damages so enormous? Because the 8 billion people living on this earth prefer coastal living and cities AND because developer are allowed (they pay our politicians) to build match boxe houses along the coast, to pour concrete on flood zones and and and ... Neither Al Gore, nor the electric cars will change a iota to this situation.
I love my island and sold last year after 22 years because Lee county decided to use us as a revenue stream instead of protecting our animals and way of life. They took down our signs in different languages saying why the animals need us to go slow instead of hitting them. They rebuilt the perfectly good causeway ( the one that collapsed) The island went from conservation and beauty to people moving in from the North who wanted manicured lawns and nothing natural for the wildlife. They paved the refuge, brought in trams and humored idiots who moved on the waters and killed the alligators no matter the size when ever the morons called called. I'm really sad people have lost money I would never wish that on anyone, but the new element of folks who have moved in the past 5 to 10 years being gone is the best thing that can happen to the island. The tortoises and birds need the break, you don't have to kill the coyotes because because you let your dog run and someone can finally get the Nile monitors that the idiots let out from wherever. This won't be popular. I don't care.I'm angry I was forced to move because the spirit of conservation and beauty was lost. Long live the tortoises and good luck with the insurance companies.
Our ❤️s to our Florida people. So reminiscent of Sandy. So much destruction, dazed and displaced creatures...great and small. The horrible whistling of the alarms, the stench of diesel and worse. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE, a Monopoly board, gone insane...houses flattened, literally crashed into each other....the boats...the cars...just 😞. But YOU STAY STRONG .. FLORIDA STRONG!!! (We were JERSEY STRONG). NY, Connecticut, etc. Ten years, later .. we are still rebuilding...but it's worth it. Vet your contractors!!! And remember you are loved.
Is rebuilding on these barrier islands even practical? Not even considering it will probably be impossible to get insurance, there's rising sea temperatures, climate change, rising sea levels, and the like. All combined this makes for a longer hurricane season, more powerful storms, and more floods. Anyway, nobody is coming or going from Sanibel Island by automobile right now. Maybe the area should just be bulldozed and repurposed as a beach and recreational area, without this development.
Very sad to see one of my favourite places in such a mess. Good memories from 30 odd years ago. I hope some sensible recovery plan is in place as it's going to be a long time before the causeway is back in action.
Same for me. My favorite place to stay at Sanibel was Shalimar cottages. Looking at the NOAA storm damage photos, Shalimar has been totally destroyed nothing nothing left.. had so many good memories of Sanibel shells, time with my late husband, all gone now.
@@markholroyde9412 Most homes on Sanibel faired much better than the trailer park homes in Ft Myers. More money on Sanibel. The trees and power lines and structures around those outdoor pools look the worst
Why would any insurance company take one these properties again. Hurricane Charlie hammered them ,Irma did too and now. How many times will they pay for homes in bad locations to only pay again. I also got hammered in Cape Coral. All my roof stayed on thanks to Trademark roofing as did everyone in our area. My pool cage or solar pool heater didnt do so well but not enough to meet the deductible. The fact that my home held up to 140mph winds with gusts of 150 plus impressed me. Just happy my wife and dog Sammie are a little tired but fine. The people of Sanibel will never be the same even they rebuild. There will always be that thought ,when does it happen again.
This is so heartbreaking. We used to live in Cape Coral in the northwest. We made it through Charlie with some minor roof damage and pool screen damage which is expected. The integrity of the roof was fine but some of the tiles flew off. We had a two-story pool screen which became increasingly expensive to fix after each storm. After Wilma we came back up north for family. I had my son during Wilma and had a hard time dealing. How did the northwest area do? We were looking to move back down after my son graduated college in a few years.
Thank you so much for getting shots of Coquina Beach on Nerita. I’ve been going to Sanibel off and on for 30 years now and it’s almost unimaginable to see it in this state. But, to see familiar things from the island brings a little comfort and hope.
::While staying in the Florida Keys in the 80s, a hurricane went over Cuba and when it got to Key West, within 30 minutes it made a 90 degree turn and went straight up the keys. I turned off the radio when it was at Key West thinking it was heading straight north...what a surprise.
Do you know if anything on Oliva St. in Sanibel made it? I can't find any footage of that area. Please if anyone can share any photos or drone footage that would be awesome.
Where is everyone? Did they evacuate everyone off - is the island closed off and people not allowed on it for now? There aren't even any BIRDS. It's just... a ghost town. That poor turtle was probably someone's pet... it looked so lost and was trying to go toward the only human it saw. So sad.
MARYLANDER here! We have a Barrier Island too! Assateague Island ! It is a State Seashore & National park! NO DEVELOPERS are allowed! Thank God! 🌊🐬💙🌊🐬💙🌊🐬💙🏖️🌅⛱️🐎
Wow. I'm sad for the people who could not manage to leave and for the animals that lost their lives. I don't know if Florida will be able to clean it up.
@@ADSUPINTHIS Depends on who's going to fund it. The bridge is completely washed out in 3 places. Never mind the total lack of infrastructure like water, electricity.
@@IMSiegfried True. I didn't factor in the fact that these are islands and only reached by boat now so that will slow everything down plus this government is more worried about funding Ukraine than taking care of Americans.
It's so eery and quiet with just the sounds of smart alarms beeping. Where are all the ppl who stayed there? Are they dead? Missing? In the rubble? That poor turtle. It's so tragic.
@stormchasingvideo It was cool following your path with the NOAA imagery. The red car and the audi... the debris on the roof by the beach. and welp... goodbye DQ. You walked right up to our street, Cardium, too! I so wish you walked down so we could see the damage to our home. Thanks for this! Incredible footage. Has anyone heard about the birds and other animals at periwinkle park? I hope they're okay :(
If they can restore power in the next 30 days, they can begin the excavation and rebuilding process. The issue is not going to be insurance issues, but labor. Employers in a wide range of businesses cannot find workers.
Thanks for sharing, you actually got our building at Sanibel Beach Club, it must the the worst one at the resort.........been going there with a group of families who all have condos at Sanibel Beach club for 25 years.
Appreciate no interviews or commentary in VID. The footage speaks volumes. It's difficult to even comment. Great memories are all we have left. Historical Note: homeowners, decades ago, built only temporary structures (shot gun shacks) on barrier islands. If a storm knocked it down, no big deal. Perhaps new buildings should resemble shacks instead of multimillion dollar mansions. Can't keep rebuilding the same way. God speed to all the residents in towns visited by Ian.
I've been vacationing on Sanibel since 2003. Seeing the damage from Ian is heartbreaking. There were a couple of things I was glad to see... one was the turtle and the iguana (I know it is an invasive species but I still wondered if/how they would survive the wind and water). One thing that caught my attention was the color of the water, especially there at the very end. It looks brown, even several days after the storm. Is that just from all the debris that is still in there? I hope some of the beautiful brown rabbits there survived.
Going to take 12 to 36 months I would expect just to get the causeway fixed. My heart goes out to everyone. My condo on LBK dodged a bullet. If the storm would have stayed on the initial forecast path LBK most likely would have been the Sanibel of Ian
@Guy Mann building low speed temporary bridge. Gov claiming the entire causeway will have to be rebuild. When dealing with any body of water and the Army Corp of engineers (permit required) it's not going to be fast process.
@bobbi jensen iit is going to be a long slow road. The secondary affect over the next 3 to 6 years is the lost $$$ generated from tourism. It's been a hot minute since I've been to Sanibel. Not sure what the toll fee is currently. That's 1 to 2 years of lost toll income. Yeah, pretty much the worse case scenario took place. All those people that evacuated just have to remember "stuff" can be fixed and replaced. Life can't be brought back.
The destruction is catastrophic. All our prayers for you and the people who have been impacted. One thing I'm noticing in these videos is the color of the ocean .... it seems to be very dark .... can you comment on this?
@@brandonking2679 False! Looking at other hurricane disasters. It's over 5 years, and still it never looks normal again. Many people don't rebuilt. No more mature trees. Billions of pieces of glass everywhere on the beach. Most don't have flood insurance. The insurance companies will blame most damage on the surge. People won't have the money to rebuild. Many of those people purchased houses decades ago when they were cheap, now it's a fortune to rebuild.
@@cm-hw5ww I love the cold and snow, my time there almost killed me. Couldn’t thrive in that climate, felt sluggish and unproductive. Brisk walks thru snowy city streets is my cup of tea.
THE TURTLE!!!! I saw a video of a family that stayed on the island because they had two huge pet turtles but that they had lost them in the storm!!! Is this their turtle??? That would be really cool 😃
Wonder if anyone has reached out to the cruise ship companies to see if they'd be willing to house people pets and first responders off shore? Florida helped them after covid. Even trade.
Hey! If anyone sees this….there was a family of 4 people that was interviewed and they said they stayed on Sanibel because of their THREE tortoises! There is one shown here walking down a street!!
Thank you so much for posting this. It is just heartbreaking. My husband and I vacation in Sanibel the last week in September every year. We were supposed to be on the island starting the 26th and cancelled. Song of the Sea was “our place”. Do you happen to have any video of Song of the Sea? Again thank you so much! Be safe.
Starting at 4:50, is that the bridge over Blind Pass btwn Sanibel & Captiva? I guess since the surge was powerful enough to destroy the seemingly strong "new" causeway, it would definitely take out this little bridge first.
Saw a coast guard rescue video that said the folks didn't want to leave their tortoises that had been in the family for many, many years. It said they didn't make it. Hopefully, that is one of the pet ones🙏!
I saw that story also and that was the first thing that crossed my mind seeing this tortoise. Theirs had washed away from the surge. Oh I hope they can connect somehow to see if it's their tortoise.
Can anyone tell me if the condos Pointe Santo de Sanibel are still standing or the grocery store just up the road from them. Can't think of the name of it.
@charlene anderson Because the people who work there and live there all year (not the snowbirds who you disdain so much snd who help fund the economy) don't need to eat or get anything ever..😐
As a Floridian who loves my state, over time I have begun to more and more question if we should even be building massive homes and structures along our barrier islands and coastlines. Yes, we have beautiful weather but we have volatile weather and it costs millions of dollars and lives. Is it time to step back and restore the coast to the natural ways and just visit?
I lived there for 11 years and loved it however the barrier islands need to remain just that.
I agree
I lived on a barrier island for 7 years and would not again
Its just not logical to live across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. I know Im living it.
Mango grove was the real barrier.
40 years of memories at beautiful Sanibel. This is devastating!! Thank you for documenting the damage for all to see. Such eery silence and the turtle looking a little dismayed as well. I wonder how the wildlife survived this apocalyptic storm.
Unlike some other vids I've seen...there is NO ONE around while you were filming...very creepy "post apocalyptic" and last man on earth vibe to it...thanks for sharing !
Just the turtle
that's because the only way to that island is gone!. only rich seasonal folk can afford Sanibel and Captiva islands. and they are gone since June when it get too hot for snow birds.
@@RRAX Also because the causeways were taken out they were all stranded and had to be airlifted out
The year round population is about 6,500. After the hurricane, it's now about 20.
Eerie........so sad......
Thank you for sharing we just came home from Sanibel island a week ago Thu. Was trying to see the Sanibel Island Resort where we stayed. Everyone we met was so nice. My heart breaks for everyone.
I was there at the same hotel 2 weeks ago. I agree it was so nice to be there and be on the beach, go to the pool bar and everyone so nice. The restaurants, including the one at the golf course. Very sad to see this all gone.
Thank you so much for sharing! You have shown footage of areas I would spend hours at on the beach😪everything so destroyed it breaks my heart! 30 years of memeories whittled to shambles everywhere. I'm wishing all of the other fellow Floridians luck and strength. I'm so grateful my daughter came out of this alive. 🙏🏻
Not worth trying to close to the beach!!!! Painful?
Yes? Very!!! But there are other places in USA
That are awesome!!!! Get off the ocean !!! Look for safer areas. It’s not your life or everything you have worked for
!!!!! Give yourself to your family , posterity snd z foreveJesus! He s eternal the one to live for! Not stuff snd favorite things or places
Heart aching for the whole state and all the
People there that made it through the awful storm and loss. I’m praying for you all!
We are not going anywhere sorry Washington DC.
Spent years going to Shell Island since it was built. I hope to go back as soon as possible. Yearly trip. I am wishing for the best for those who work, live on island and have businesses. I know it will be very different.
@@twinflowerhare9047. Yet you expect aid from Washington D.C. Interesting attitude you have here.
Your style with no commentary is great. Prayers to all affected by this tragedy. 🙏
We are from BC Canada. We have never been to Sanibel but love your beautiful state of Florida! It is so sad and such devastation. We hope and pray for all who have been so terribly devastated by this storm. Please know that we care and have hope that you will recover from this tragedy. 💕
There is a lady that has sea shell collecting videos and she often was there. A beautiful place.
I use to visit Sanibel/Captiva in the late 1970's and into the 1980's. It was beautiful, quiet, a very natural setting, not many buildings.
Stayed at the Castaway's cottages at Blind pass.
Spent nearly everyday shelling.
It was like being on another planet.
Absolutely wonderful.
Great fresh seafood.
There was a little store just before Blind pass where you could buy common foods.
The night skies were full of stars.
If I had a time machine, I'd go back to those days, spent there in that peaceful, beautiful place.
Castaways is gone. Stayed there too.
@@jrbeckman2194
Thank you for letting me know.
So very heartbreaking 💔 all around.
I loved the no Commentary. ty for sharing FL Strong. It's the strongest storm have seen. One thing that was odd it was freezing cold, Dropped from 92.f to 59f is a very short period of time. Never seen that before.
I agree. Very strange.
Mother nature keeping us on our toes.
Odd, surreal + incomprehensible.
Loved the no commentary also.
geoengineering watch is saying the storm was engineered and guided and held in place for longer to collect and dump more water over a specific area. They claim to have the logs that show the manipulation. Make of that what you will.
There are no words only a reminder that when you're told to evacuate you get the heck out of mother nature's way. Hopefully these people remembered how Charley turned as he strengthened and they got out of there in time.
That’s hardly freezing, but ok.
Great video of our favorite place. We have been vacationing on Sanibel once or twice a year since 1989. The devastating ruins of Ian are awful. We wish only the best for the owners and property managers. Hopefully all will be restored with time. Stay safe folks on our dear Sanibel Island!!!!!!!!!!
My family has been visiting Sanibel almost every year since the 1970's as recently as 2 months ago. I am truly sickened by all this. Best wishes to everyone affected.
The insurance companies are never going to be able to meet the demands
Nope. They will go bankrupt long before they can payout on a fraction of that. I can only imagine how much rates will be increased on everyone residing in Florida.
This is storm surge (flood) damage for the most part. Regular HO insurance doesn’t cover. Federal flood if you have it covers $250K, then if you are lucky you had excess flood to cover up to re-build cost but it is very expensive.
You cannot get insurance anymore if you live in places like this. It is the homeowners who will be bankrupt...
Insurance companies will have trouble paying current claims. Insurance rates in Florida are about four times higher than the national average. After this, who knows how high rates will go, or if there will be any insurance companies left in Florida to write new policies. I can't see insurance companies insuring anything on these barrier islands. Without insurance I can't see how anything can be rebuilt here, which might be a good thing.
@@roachtoasties Again, most insurance companies no longer cover these types of catastrophes in Florida.
Thsnk you for filming this. No one around, no recovery going on as it is in Ft. Myers and Ft. Myers Beach just adds to the creepiness. Complete devastation. Drone footage and quick fly-bys don't show it like this video.
Wow, incredible footage. Love and prayers to all.
I was wondering about the lighthouse. I heard it survived but this is the first visual confirmation. Thanks.
I've been coming to the island, off and on for 30 years. My heart is broken.
She lost a leg, but is still standing strong.
Thank you for sharing. My heart goes out for all affected 😢
🤣🤣🤣😂😂
THAT WOOD FRAME CONSTRUCTION ON THE FLORIDA COAST IS INSANE
why do they continue to build cheap wood framed houses next to the ocean?
They were older structures. Anything built now will be close to hurricane proof - massive concrete structures on concrete piers. Very ugly.
Some, the same reason poorer countries in hurricane areas do. There's not enough money to build whatever people think is a "hurricane proof" fortress.
And some have been there a long time. These types of cat 4-5 hurricanes don't hit the same cities year after year. They are once in 10-20 years, if that even.
horrible I feel so bad for everyone in its path. I would never rebuild there
If I could afford to live there I would, this was the worst storm in a century to hit the island and the last major hurricane to hit was 17 years ago. Sanibel is a nice place, albeit lacking in food options if you don't want seafood, we spent many a first week of summer there when I was younger and one of my sisters has the timeshare now, lots of memories on that island.
@@DanielRichards644 there will be more major hurricanes in the next 2 years mark my words. If not this season
@@alacrity2670 that will hit the same area? Of course there will be more major hurricanes, there is at least one every year, that doesn't mean they hit the same spot every time. How about you go tell the people of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and other Caribbean nations not to rebuild because they will just get destroyed again, they are hit far more regularly then specific spots of Florida.
Absolutely Unbelievable. Thank You for sharing. Stay Safe 🙏🇺🇸
Why they allow wooden construction in FL is beyond me! Of course, the lumber companies laugh all the way to the bank when this happens.
These islands are knows as “barrier islands” and they are supposed to be a bulwark against storm surge and sparsely populated. I remember Sanibel island back in the early 1980’s and it was a beautiful natural place with a few homes. Now the entire coast of Florida is a overdeveloped nightmare.
Mother nature seems to be correcting for that over development
Whoa, what? No one had any idea until you told us. Thank you!
The laws to keep the island pristine (like no balloons) seem trivial now.
Been on Sanibel since the eighties were are you getting few homes. Not true at all. Thousands of homes and vacation condos were on Sanibel then.
Completely devastating. Ian was a monster, it has been such a scary experience. Prayers to my Lee County people 🙏🏼❤️
Thanks for sharing this. Praying for all those affected by that terrible storm.
The iguana is loving the peace and quiet.
thanks for the share, I know folks have eagerly been wanting to see how their homes/businesses have fared, even if only a glimpse. Was thinking folks who evacuated should have turned off all power to their homes in preparation for when main power is restored. Amazing and earie how very quiet it is, yet with the occasional fire/smoke/burglar alarms.
And a week ago, everyone here was just living their normal lives.
Florida has 5 Seasons always has. Spring, Summer, Hurricane, Fall, and Winter. If you ever feel save in a storm on this planet your a fool!
@@michaelwallace7587 *you’re a fool
Why is no one talking about pine island, next to sanibel island, it’s a larger island, 3 times as much population than sanibel, and more devastation. It’s amazing that the big money islands are getting all the coverage.
There are now a good number of videos about Pine Island if you adjust your search settings accordingly. But I agree about most of the coverage going to the big money islands.
That looks like a really old turtle.. someone who just bought a house on Sanibel and was waiting to move into it with there children said they lost 2 old turtles that were handed down from family members..
The Tuttle is better off fending for itself in its natural home...the ocean...
The ones lost were much bigger turtles and the turtle walking is a land turtle, they don't live in the ocean
@@jenleigh342 That 'tortoise' is likely not native to the island. My guess is it's someone's pet. Tortoises don't swim, so they wouldn't have been a native species there. Prior to the building of the causeway, that tortoise would have had no way to get there and likely would have ended up road kill if it tried.
@@debrahelmlinger6256 Maybe they would be willing to adopt that younger tortoise. Clearly it was a pet.
It’s definitely a pet it’s not a native species here, it looks like an African spurred tortoise. Really sad situation but he’s safe being outside of a yard since they don’t have traffic or any kind of predators on the island right now.
Thank you for this - we have visited Sanibel nearly every year since our children were babies (31 years). I was just there in May with my father and one of our daughters. This is clearly much, much worse than Charley. We are heartbroken for everyone living on the island. Except that iguana.
What a horrible person you must be. Anything that lived through that deserves compassion even 'that iguana'. You are disgusting.
And turtle
We vacationed there almost every year when I was growing up and brought my kids later on. Sad to see this beautiful island look like this 😢
Oh wow! The gopher turtles found a way to survive! Thank you for sharing. We really get to see to the heartbreaking damage of that end of the island. Just missed the Sanibel Siesta near the golf course, I wanted to see that. Next video?
Growing up, our family vacationed on Sanibel and even as an adult, I’ve taken my kids there many times. Last time was 8 years ago. So sad to see this happen to such a beautiful place in America 😢
We will rebuild. We are not only hospitable we are strong and believe me we will get through this as long as people pray pray and help their people..
Hurricanes only make the news because of the damages. Nobody, not even MSNBC, talks about the many hurricanes filling up the Atlantic. Why are the damages so enormous? Because the 8 billion people living on this earth prefer coastal living and cities AND because developer are allowed (they pay our politicians) to build match boxe houses along the coast, to pour concrete on flood zones and and and ... Neither Al Gore, nor the electric cars will change a iota to this situation.
Did you happen to see Colony Inn? Curious as to what it looks like. I wish I could be there to help with clean up and rebuild.
I love my island and sold last year after 22 years because Lee county decided to use us as a revenue stream instead of protecting our animals and way of life. They took down our signs in different languages saying why the animals need us to go slow instead of hitting them. They rebuilt the perfectly good causeway ( the one that collapsed) The island went from conservation and beauty to people moving in from the North who wanted manicured lawns and nothing natural for the wildlife. They paved the refuge, brought in trams and humored idiots who moved on the waters and killed the alligators no matter the size when ever the morons called called. I'm really sad people have lost money I would never wish that on anyone, but the new element of folks who have moved in the past 5 to 10 years being gone is the best thing that can happen to the island. The tortoises and birds need the break, you don't have to kill the coyotes because because you let your dog run and someone can finally get the Nile monitors that the idiots let out from wherever. This won't be popular. I don't care.I'm angry I was forced to move because the spirit of conservation and beauty was lost. Long live the tortoises and good luck with the insurance companies.
I hear you.
So where 🤔 in general did you move to ?
@@1STGeneral 160 acres in sw va. I feed every animal known to man
@@1STGeneral sw va
Nature's Broom came threw.
Our ❤️s to our Florida people. So reminiscent of Sandy. So much destruction, dazed and displaced creatures...great and small. The horrible whistling of the alarms, the stench of diesel and worse.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE, a Monopoly board, gone insane...houses flattened, literally crashed into each other....the boats...the cars...just 😞. But YOU STAY STRONG .. FLORIDA STRONG!!! (We were JERSEY STRONG). NY, Connecticut, etc. Ten years, later .. we are still rebuilding...but it's worth it. Vet your contractors!!! And remember you are loved.
Good video effort. I stuck with it until the end because there was a story and interest. Keep up the good work.
Excellent - but sooo heartbreaking video. Thanks so much. Praying for all of you!
Absolutely mind boggling thank you for the video🙏🏻🇺🇸
Living near the ocean in a hurricane zone certainly has its risks. It's just a roll of the dice where the next storm will hit.
Is rebuilding on these barrier islands even practical? Not even considering it will probably be impossible to get insurance, there's rising sea temperatures, climate change, rising sea levels, and the like. All combined this makes for a longer hurricane season, more powerful storms, and more floods. Anyway, nobody is coming or going from Sanibel Island by automobile right now. Maybe the area should just be bulldozed and repurposed as a beach and recreational area, without this development.
Florida will need to buy the private land back from owners and maintain as open space.
We visited Sanibel island in 2015. Was one of our favourite places for beach walks! This breaks my heart for you. 😢
Great videos, well chosen subjects, well edited - THANKS
JR
Very sad to see one of my favourite places in such a mess. Good memories from 30 odd years ago. I hope some sensible recovery plan is in place as it's going to be a long time before the causeway is back in action.
with high prices now for building materials wonder what if any get rebuilt Insurance will be SKY high after this
Same for me. My favorite place to stay at Sanibel was Shalimar cottages. Looking at the NOAA storm damage photos, Shalimar has been totally destroyed nothing nothing left.. had so many good memories of Sanibel shells, time with my late husband, all gone now.
@@larzhillbot1443
And most regular home owners insurance won’t cover it.
Shalimar will be rebuilt per owners.
My condolences to the people who lost their homes and loved ones
"Homes" ? they are wood and plastic dog kennels LOL flat pack junk in a hurricane zone.....you couldn't make it up, hilarious
An island of yurts, what could go wrong!
@@markholroyde9412
Most homes on Sanibel faired much better than the trailer park homes in Ft Myers. More money on Sanibel. The trees and power lines and structures around those outdoor pools look the worst
🤣🤣🤣😂 well deserved
@@cjhoward409 You all got the biggest "outdoor pool" known to Man, at least that is something (else) to brag about to the neighbours over dinner LOL
Why would any insurance company take one these properties again. Hurricane Charlie hammered them ,Irma did too and now. How many times will they pay for homes in bad locations to only pay again. I also got hammered in Cape Coral. All my roof stayed on thanks to Trademark roofing as did everyone in our area. My pool cage or solar pool heater didnt do so well but not enough to meet the deductible. The fact that my home held up to 140mph winds with gusts of 150 plus impressed me. Just happy my wife and dog Sammie are a little tired but fine. The people of Sanibel will never be the same even they rebuild. There will always be that thought ,when does it happen again.
This is so heartbreaking. We used to live in Cape Coral in the northwest. We made it through Charlie with some minor roof damage and pool screen damage which is expected. The integrity of the roof was fine but some of the tiles flew off. We had a two-story pool screen which became increasingly expensive to fix after each storm. After Wilma we came back up north for family. I had my son during Wilma and had a hard time dealing. How did the northwest area do? We were looking to move back down after my son graduated college in a few years.
Tortoise taking a stroll, that was awesome!!!
Stayed a week at Periwinkle Park in late June. Breaks my heart to see the destruction.
Periwinkle park is in great shape right now. Many new mobile homes. Been living here now for past 20 years. Staff and owner have done a super job.
Thank you so much for getting shots of Coquina Beach on Nerita. I’ve been going to Sanibel off and on for 30 years now and it’s almost unimaginable to see it in this state. But, to see familiar things from the island brings a little comfort and hope.
To rebuild or replace, At what cost??? Crazytown!!
bet most will Never get rebuilt
So surreal, lifeless, and apocalyptic 😢
Yep. Sad. But nothing lasts forever
We will come back from the ashes. C’mon Floridians. Woo!!
Come to church repent he’s coming back very soon
Come back to Jesus repent Haven is our better place
John 3 16 and John 3 17
::While staying in the Florida Keys in the 80s, a hurricane went over Cuba and when it got to Key West, within 30 minutes it made a 90 degree turn and went straight up the keys. I turned off the radio when it was at Key West thinking it was heading straight north...what a surprise.
I think it will be rebuilt faster than people think. Will be visiting
Do you know if anything on Oliva St. in Sanibel made it? I can't find any footage of that area. Please if anyone can share any photos or drone footage that would be awesome.
Thank you for sharing! I love Sanibel Island and this absolutely breaks my heart ❤️
Where is everyone? Did they evacuate everyone off - is the island closed off and people not allowed on it for now? There aren't even any BIRDS. It's just... a ghost town. That poor turtle was probably someone's pet... it looked so lost and was trying to go toward the only human it saw. So sad.
MARYLANDER here! We have a Barrier Island too! Assateague Island ! It is a State Seashore & National park! NO DEVELOPERS are allowed! Thank God! 🌊🐬💙🌊🐬💙🌊🐬💙🏖️🌅⛱️🐎
Island beach state park in New Jersey too
So very sad. The clean up and recovery is going to take years. Mother Nature showed how strong she can be. The destruction OMG! 😢
Mother nature had nothing to do with this....see Dane Wigingtin on you-tube re geo-engineering watch...also his doc THE DIMMING...
Some of the houses look like they have been deserted for years, they don't look like they have been destroyed recently
I wouldn't blame mother nature. Nor global warming. Bible tells us what's causing our planet to be ruined. Revelation 11:18
Revelation 12: 9-12
Turtle doesn't have to worry about traffic.
Turtle:: I have this place to myself.
Turtle: Oh no! Is that Iggy the iguana? at 13:36
@@marciapeak893 😆
Wow.
I'm sad for the people who could not manage to leave and for the animals that lost their lives. I don't know if Florida will be able to clean it up.
Hey Will it'll take a long time though
It could take decades
@@cjhoward409 it won't take decades. I'm sure there's plenty of middle aged people who want to do actual physical labor.
@@ADSUPINTHIS Depends on who's going to fund it. The bridge is completely washed out in 3 places. Never mind the total lack of infrastructure like water, electricity.
@@IMSiegfried True. I didn't factor in the fact that these are islands and only reached by boat now so that will slow everything down plus this government is more worried about funding Ukraine than taking care of Americans.
The power of wind and water is awesome, we humans don’t stand a chance when Mother Nature flexes her muscles, the tortoise just keeps going.
It's so eery and quiet with just the sounds of smart alarms beeping. Where are all the ppl who stayed there? Are they dead? Missing? In the rubble? That poor turtle. It's so tragic.
@stormchasingvideo It was cool following your path with the NOAA imagery. The red car and the audi... the debris on the roof by the beach. and welp... goodbye DQ. You walked right up to our street, Cardium, too! I so wish you walked down so we could see the damage to our home.
Thanks for this! Incredible footage.
Has anyone heard about the birds and other animals at periwinkle park? I hope they're okay :(
They are gone. 😢
Real estate went as high as $15M here.
Well it just went down as bit
How did you manage to get on the island since the bridge was out?
Would love to see some footage on Captiva Island.
Bye bye bubble room amazing cakes.
Thank you for this. This is our happy place.
I’d love to know the turtles story. How he/she survived♥️?
I’ve surveyed a lot of long raw and this was a good one , raw and long
Are car parts salvaged? Catalytic converters and copper wire?
Very interesting to see the animals and fish. Thanks for the videos!
Good afternoon John 😊
Nicely done ✔️ 👏
Great filming 🎥 👌
God bless you and keep you safe 🙏
Thank you, loved the turtle 🐢 ❤️ and the lizard 🦎 ❤️ 😀
If they can restore power in the next 30 days, they can begin the excavation and rebuilding process. The issue is not going to be insurance issues, but labor. Employers in a wide range of businesses cannot find workers.
Any information on how Gene's Books fared?
Thanks for sharing, you actually got our building at Sanibel Beach Club, it must the the worst one at the resort.........been going there with a group of families who all have condos at Sanibel Beach club for 25 years.
Appreciate no interviews or commentary in VID. The footage speaks volumes. It's difficult to even comment. Great memories are all we have left. Historical Note: homeowners, decades ago, built only temporary structures (shot gun shacks) on barrier islands. If a storm knocked it down, no big deal.
Perhaps new buildings should resemble shacks instead of multimillion dollar mansions. Can't keep rebuilding the same way. God speed to all the residents in towns visited by Ian.
I've been vacationing on Sanibel since 2003. Seeing the damage from Ian is heartbreaking. There were a couple of things I was glad to see... one was the turtle and the iguana (I know it is an invasive species but I still wondered if/how they would survive the wind and water). One thing that caught my attention was the color of the water, especially there at the very end. It looks brown, even several days after the storm. Is that just from all the debris that is still in there? I hope some of the beautiful brown rabbits there survived.
Going to take 12 to 36 months I would expect just to get the causeway fixed.
My heart goes out to everyone.
My condo on LBK dodged a bullet. If the storm would have stayed on the initial forecast path LBK most likely would have been the Sanibel of Ian
I’m betting 9 to 31 months
@Guy Mann building low speed temporary bridge. Gov claiming the entire causeway will have to be rebuild. When dealing with any body of water and the Army Corp of engineers (permit required) it's not going to be fast process.
@@chrisvSTL agree. Not only that this post pandemic material supply/cost situation is rough.
@bobbi jensen iit is going to be a long slow road. The secondary affect over the next 3 to 6 years is the lost $$$ generated from tourism. It's been a hot minute since I've been to Sanibel. Not sure what the toll fee is currently. That's 1 to 2 years of lost toll income. Yeah, pretty much the worse case scenario took place.
All those people that evacuated just have to remember "stuff" can be fixed and replaced. Life can't be brought back.
It says FDOT awarded a contract today but nowhere can I find name of the firm awarded the contract!!++
The destruction is catastrophic. All our prayers for you and the people who have been impacted. One thing I'm noticing in these videos is the color of the ocean .... it seems to be very dark .... can you comment on this?
Can these block buildings be renovated?
I love Sanibel Island. This video breaks my heart. 💔 💔 💔
How is the Over Easy cafe? Is it still standing? What about the Crow building?
One of Our favorite places to visit, prayers for the families and businesses 🙏🙏🙏
I couldn’t make out any of West Gulf- specifically Mitchell’s Sand Castles Area. Did you make it down that far? 😢
I read somewhere that Mitchell's was completely destroyed.
Do you have any idea what happened to Beachview Cottages? On West Gulf Drive?
A great many of these structures are going to remain standing in ruins for a long time, surrounded by tangles of dead shrubs and trees.
It will take years, decades
@@passingthroughtime3033 1-2 years at the most
@@brandonking2679 False! Looking at other hurricane disasters. It's over 5 years, and still it never looks normal again. Many people don't rebuilt. No more mature trees. Billions of pieces of glass everywhere on the beach. Most don't have flood insurance. The insurance companies will blame most damage on the surge. People won't have the money to rebuild. Many of those people purchased houses decades ago when they were cheap, now it's a fortune to rebuild.
@@krissykrupski4973 stop being an armchair quarterback
@@cm-hw5ww I love the cold and snow, my time there almost killed me. Couldn’t thrive in that climate, felt sluggish and unproductive. Brisk walks thru snowy city streets is my cup of tea.
THE TURTLE!!!! I saw a video of a family that stayed on the island because they had two huge pet turtles but that they had lost them in the storm!!! Is this their turtle??? That would be really cool 😃
They need to rebuild with concrete 3D printed structures with rounded corners and less flat faces as well as steel trusses in the roofs
Wonder if anyone has reached out to the cruise ship companies to see if they'd be willing to house people pets and first responders off shore? Florida helped them after covid. Even trade.
I wondered the exact same thing the entire disney and carnival cruise ships should come out 🕺🏽
Hey! If anyone sees this….there was a family of 4 people that was interviewed and they said they stayed on Sanibel because of their THREE tortoises! There is one shown here walking down a street!!
Thank you so much for posting this. It is just heartbreaking. My husband and I vacation in Sanibel the last week in September every year. We were supposed to be on the island starting the 26th and cancelled. Song of the Sea was “our place”. Do you happen to have any video of Song of the Sea? Again thank you so much! Be safe.
Sorry for everyone. Where do they go now? 🙏
Thank you for sharing! Unbelievable loss! Kevin from my hometown was killed during the storm.
do the birds fly away from the storm or do they mostly stick around and regret it? i assume the ground critters mostly drowned in the hard hit areas
That's why their called barrier islands. There should be no building on these lands for this reason.
Instead of building, literally on the beach on these barrier islands, why not return to them to their intended use: PROTECTION instead of greed?
What happen to the bubble room restaurant?
I would love to know.
I googled and it is still standing.
Starting at 4:50, is that the bridge over Blind Pass btwn Sanibel & Captiva? I guess since the surge was powerful enough to destroy the seemingly strong "new" causeway, it would definitely take out this little bridge first.
Not the Blind Pass Bridge. This is the bridge on the road to the light house from the 4 way stop, just as you arrive on the island.
@@dalesmith1293 Thank you! You're right, the landmarks around the bridge, including a wide opening to the Gulf itself, weren't the same.
am from Illinois, I vacation Ft Myers/Sanibel Island every 2 years for a week. This breaks my heart!!!!
Saw a coast guard rescue video that said the folks didn't want to leave their tortoises that had been in the family for many, many years. It said they didn't make it.
Hopefully, that is one of the pet ones🙏!
I saw that story also and that was the first thing that crossed my mind seeing this tortoise. Theirs had washed away from the surge. Oh I hope they can connect somehow to see if it's their tortoise.
Can anyone tell me if the condos Pointe Santo de Sanibel are still standing or the grocery store just up the road from them. Can't think of the name of it.
@charlene anderson Because the people who work there and live there all year (not the snowbirds who you disdain so much snd who help fund the economy) don't need to eat or get anything ever..😐
Why don’t you check for yourself when you go there to help?
@@krissykrupski4973 My husband passed away a year ago and I am disabled or I would. Thanks for the snide remark anyway.
@@KrissyMeow Thanks for the snide remark anyway.