I can’t stand that people try to blame someone else…it did not come too late she just decided to stay….I live in Tampa and I watched my weather guy tell us it looks like it is making a slight turn to the right 2 days before. This was one of the slowest moving hurricanes I have ever witnessed, being so big and slow that is why so much damage.
I do not live in Florida and I heard officials telling people to evacuate well ahead of the hurricane. I cannot understand why people refuse to listen. People want to blame others for bad decisions. I am glad she survived.
People are saying: “some people had no choice! What if they’re disabled?” Would you rather be broke and safe in another city or die in your own home? I know what I would choose
Did you guys see that video of a guy who hunkered down in a trailer home with two pets and six kids ??? Unbelievable.... And yes, I agree with the fact that this is what we will see when humans build communities in places that are really on shaky ground when it comes to viability and safety when Nature throws them a really bad one... the view may be breathtaking , but the place itself is vulnerable when mother nature gets mean ...
I live in Lee county and can say without a doubt that evacuation notices went out two days in advance of this storm. I live inland and even our area received continuous alerts via automated messages to evacuate and seek shelter. It’s easy to blame the system and hard accept a poor decision. I was annoyed and impressed at the amount of information provided via alerts before and during this storm. The system didn’t fail us. Our stubborn believes based on previous experience however did.
We were on "mandatory evac" in Zone B, Sanibel is Zone A. We got a text on Tuesday 9/27 at 9:05am for mandatory evacuation, so Zone "A" was alerted before us. We are inland and 'protected' by all of the barrier islands. We still got surges and destruction to our homes here; just not like the islands that are 10 minutes away "as the crow flies." I'm glad that she made it safe!
Exactly. She’s passing blame. Even when she said she got the notice, she chose to stay. I don’t know why people just can’t take responsibility. Even in their reasoning - she has a story to tell to those who choose to ignore and stay. She can talk to those in the future who think like she did and reach out to them. Instead she’s prefer to save face.
I live near there and kept a close eye on the hurricane track. The center of the track was almost directly over Sanibel a good 24 hours before it hit and the island was in the probability cone for days. Category 4 winds of over 140 mph and storm surge of 15-18 feet were projected well in advance for Sanibel and the surrounding area. Sanibel is a glorified sand bar that sits literally three feet above sea level. An evacuation order was given the day before it hit. I'm glad she survived but I wish people would take things like this a little more seriously.
Meteorologists didn’t know exactly where Ian was going to hit, but they did know there was a large storm surge regardless, they didn’t believe the meteorological report because some don’t believe in science, it’s as simple as that.
@@Dec1duousTree I watched the news reports every day since before it hit Cuba. Everybody was warned well in advance. There really was no good excuse. She learned a valuable lesson.
Heck there was no gas to be found over here in Sarasota county 2 days before the storm. Which is another issue! You’d run out of gas in a grid lock on I-75! Plus the airlines days before jacked the price to fly up north from $330 to 1,200. SINFUL! Then all along the way. Hotel prices jacked up to $300-400 a night. In all areas and surrounding states. Sinful again how the world has become. But back to the original post. I agree with you. I been down here 9 yrs now. I blow up inner tubes, even queen inflatable mattress incase of rising water. And take my extention ladder and put it right inside the garage door. INCASE I had to get on roof. I’d rather have it and not need it then the opposite. Plus I’ve tried talking people into flood ins. Even though we are in a low rated flood zone. The perfect storm negates that! Unfortunately people dont listen. And now are paying the consequence. So sad. I give GOD all the praise for saving my house. I sat in the laundry room praying for 13 hours. I never thought that storm was going to leave! It was forever slow moving! Blessing to all. I pray for everyone. 🙏
@@FloridaGirl- you are so right. The time to look out for each other is instead an opportunity to price gauge customers and hoard more than one needs for a few days. I remain hurricane-ready once April hits because the regular Spring rains flood Florida anyway. By June the season begins so last-minute panic buying really doesn't make sense. If I even has a doubt, IRMA was the worst I experienced.
Mandatory evacuation….mandatory? I am very glad that you survived, and very sorry you went through such a terrifying ordeal. When you live on an island, a couple feet above sea level, and a hurricane is coming do you really need a mandatory evacuation ORDER?
Yes, some people do. They refuse to see reality and must be forced out. But, I think people should have the free will to take all the risks they want, so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.
This woman paid no attention to warnings and just assumed everything would be okay. You don't mess around when a 150mph Cat 4 Monster is at your door, when her power went out at 7am she had HOURS to evacuate!
Any one who is Educated on Hurricaines would know that if you live on a barrier island you need to evacuate! Period! In this case there was ample warning that Ian was going to hit the west coast of Florida. If your on a barrier island on the west coast you had plenty of time to pack up and leave.
No, 24 hours is not plenty of time to evacuate. By that time you could not find fuel. Then you’re stuck on the highways with all the other evacuees. Then there’s the issue of vacancies at hotels. Add to that, people panic-buying all the food, water, toilet paper, plywood, generators, and gas cans.
@@N1976DL LOL. Are you from FL? You FUEL UP DAYS BEFORE the Hurricane. You HAVE TIME. We fueled up even though we were not under the cone 5 days before Ian hit. Because, as a Floridian, you KNOW it can change LAST minute. Sounds like you are a procrastinator. That's on you, bud. The rest of us, were gassed up, shuttered up and LEFT!
@@tls9507 Yes, I currently live in the Tampa Bay Area, and I originally moved to Port Charlotte in 1996. I have family from here all the way down to Ft. Myers. I kept my tank tank topped off, but if you actually have to drive your vehicles, you are consuming said fuel. Did you fuel up and then not drive for five days? By the Friday before the hurricane made landfall (the following Wednesday), gas stations here were already running low. People had already panic-bought everything. I’m more inland, so I stayed and put the wood up on my windows. So, I am speaking in defense of the many people I know, who face complex scenarios, regarding evacuation. And, it was only about 24 hours before landfall that it was going to hit Tampa Bay. Prior to that, it was projected to hit slightly north or even the panhandle. Then, within that last day (Tuesday) it curved to Lee County. Everyone trying to avoid the cone would’ve been headed East. But, even Kissimmee endured massive flooding. This was trying to dodge a moving target with a very indeterminate destination.
@@N1976DL idgaf what your saying you live in a mandatory evacuation zone you drive your car and what gas you have in it tf away from that water. No excuse . So many shelters and emergency numbers you could call to get a ride. Multiple messages sent threw text. She had multiple choices. Multiple. Don’t make excuses for stupidity
Actually, it was not too late to evacuate. The hurricane was tracked all the way for days in advance. It made a clear turn toward Sanibel more than 48 hours before landfall. So, she just wasn’t paying attention.
I have been a resident of Central Florida since 1986 and have seen a number of hurricanes, including Andrew. When I saw this one coming and heard the REAL reporters (ie: Ryan Hall) on RUclips talk about Ian having a mind of its own, I started to prep a week before. My grown sons did not help to prep because they thought I was being ridiculous. These things CAN TURN at any time. Yes, meteorologists usually have it right, but they are predictors - NOT wizards. Now that we see what happened, my sons realize why I did the prep that I did. Perhaps we have gotten too comfortable here in Florida with our largely accurate predictions of where these hurricanes are going, and people that should have left the area trusted the landfall location they thought it was going to be. Just remember that meteorologists do not have a crystal ball that sees into the future. I was saying, "get the hell out of any coastal area on the west side" TWO DAYS before it hit. If I had been anywhere over there, I would have gone to the other side of the state ... or central at LEAST. I guess we need to be reminded that mother nature does whatever it wants.
Many older people in Florida maybe dont have the strength or money to pick up and drive to other side. Not knowing where it will turn in you might go across where the storm will follow you. Thats what happened to my neighbors during another hurricane some years back.
@Angela Pastorius, I’m in Tampa and was packing days in advance while the males in the house watched football and thought I was being ridiculous, too! 🙄🙄🙄
If you tell a 5 year old to MOVE OUT THE WAY they'll heed the warning and be scared because of the unsurety of events that may follow. How many warnings do adults need?
I live on a barrier island in Daytona Beach and they never issued us a mandatory evacuation notice like they normally do, and I’ve lived here almost 22 years. During most storms my entire neighborhood leaves. Everyone stayed during Ian. They told us “strong tropical storm” conditions for our area. The beach got completely destroyed and eroded all the way up to the foundation of some condos. Two of our piers are gone. Not much news coverage about us over here.
I am your neighbor and agree. Many people here in Volusia county on the east coast lost their homes due to flooding, me included. Its been devastating and most of us did not live in a so called flood zone so we didnt carry flood insurance. Daytona Beach Shores beach is destroyed as is Ponce Inlet. And yes...no coverage and very little help. My home took on a foot of water. I am so tired of people saying we dont heed the warnings. This storm was not even predicted to come close to us.
Yep. You’re exactly right. Not a single evacuation order was given for Volusia county. We have the most incompetent local government in central Florida. Absolutely embarrassing and a disgrace. My property had nearly 3 feet of water for over a week. They’ve built tons of new homes all around us, hauling in truckload after truckload of fill dirt that made all the older properties essentially a bowl. The country didn’t maintain our local creek that runs along Old Mission. And they didn’t install pumping stations at all for any of these new developments in low lying areas.
You need a mandatory evacuation order from the government to tell you to evacuate??? That storm was HUGE!!! People all over the world were watching it! You were told to get out, you live in an island, you know a hurricane can change course, and you know meteorologists ALWAYS predict the weather wrong or at least 95 percent of the time! Use common sense. Take responsibility for yourselves!!!
She did not listen to the warnings and had plenty of time to evacuate. She almost died because she made a foolish choice to ignore the evacuation order.
Anyone who didn’t evacuate and required rescue or services provided in order to survive should be required to pay and then have their names placed on a published and maintained “ idiot” list.
I evacuated a few years ago and the storm kept moving west and ended up heading straight for where I had evacuated to. By then there were no hotels left and most gas stations were out of gas. Evacuating can be scary too.
Sanibel was always on the evacuation area. Even if the storm continued north and turned at Tampa, it would still traveling right over Sanibel. She just didn't listen.
WITH SOME OF THESE “ INTERVIEWS” WHAT WERE THEY “THINKING?” NO! THE ORDER TO “EVACUATE” DID NOT COME TOO LATE! SHE’S WRONG! SHE HERSELF,DECIDED “TOO STAY” REMEMBER “WHAT CAN HAPPEN/WILL HAPPEN :-| JUST SAYING
When you live a few feet above sea level and a hurricane is headed your way, what other decision is there but to evacuate? And there was pretty good information to make that decision.
You have to have a place to evacuate to and a plan to do it. But yes, Saturday and Sunday the forecasted tracks were projected to come close. Ppl tend to forget that the projected tracks are for the eye of the storm and that the wind field is often hundred miles across or more. I was lucky to be on vacation up in Georgia and just stayed away. Not everyone has that option. Also Lee County opened the shelters for the elderly on Monday. So evac was possible.
@@GillAgainsIsland12 oh you mean when the storm turned with three hours to spare ? That means with your logic over 2 million people would of needed to evacuate.It was meant to hit Tamp,not ft myers.
I lived in Fl for 18 years, most people do not believe the storm will be dangerous , when they are told to leave, that’s the reality, sure all those unfortunate dead bodies did regret it at the end.
You live on a barrier island in Florida. Do you know how barrier islands even got there in the first place? They were created by hurricanes pushing sand and water up. So, no, the order to evacuate did not come too late. I am glad you survived....but Sanibel has always been full of entitled rich people who think they have enough money to keep the 'plebs' out. I grew up in the area, I know. So don't blame your issue on an evacuation order that came 'too late'. Because it didn't. Nature is indifferent. Sanibel, Pine Island.....devastated. Maybe the issue should be,,,,one shouldn't live on a barrier island....and one should ALWAYS evacuate when living on a barrier island and a hurricane is coming.
You’re extremely insensitive and rude! Money is earned for most and can be used as the possessor of it sees fit to fulfill goals. I don’t think anyone considers the worse case scenario when thinking about living in a tropical paradise. You should be ashamed of yourself for this comment, although we’re living in an ugly self righteous, full of hatred and criticism society so I really shouldn’t be surprised…careful for your ill wishes, they come back to haunt us.
@@Proverbs--tx6yr My point is nobody is focusing on Pine Island. Because the 'ways of this world" focus on the "LOVE of money, which is the ROOT of all EVIL'... rich people live on Sanibel...and have the money to rebuild...Pine Island residents...not so much. And again...from experiences of my childhood.....Sanibel residents HATED any locals who came there.. that is why causeway tolls were always increased. A bunch of liberal elites who wanted to keep the 'riff raff' out. So ,...karma, baby. Help Pine Island is my point... Sanibel...they will be fine.
@@holliberry2614 I agree Sanibel resident most who are FL transplants are getting way too much focus compared with Pine Island but they aren't Liberal over there quite the opposite. I'm sure they all voted for Do nothing Desantis. Sanibel and Pine Island sadly most of Florida are not Liberals do your homework. Lee county overwhelming is Republican and conservative.
Hours before Ian hit there were lots of people walking about and at bars drinking ,cause the whole mantra in that town was we been through many hurricanes and we rode it out its going to be fine.
The mandatory evacuation did not come late. The mandatory evacuation order came 4 days before Ian made landfall. The earliest mandatory evacuation order in FL history. People were also told over and over that this was going to be a water event, likely the one of the biggest storm surges in FL history.
There was plenty of warnings! I don’t understand why anyone living on an island with a bridge wouldn’t evacuate when they were on the general path that Tampa was going to be hit. Hurricanes vary their paths! Living in stable Ontario, enjoying the fall leaves..I will never understand the risks so many Floridians take to live that close to the ocean without the proper insurance to rebuild with so many hurricanes that keep coming their way yr after yr? And.. they never seem to heed evacuation warnings in huge numbers when their time comes up??
Every Floridian knows that Hurricanes are only predictable in a general manner. They are known to not follow the predicted path! I shuttered up for Ian and I'm on the east coast of Florida.
I live in Melbourne and I shuttered too. Quite a few in my neighborhood did too. Better to be safe than to end up with damage you could have prevented.
@@trudypope2113 same… days in advance… and bought everything I’d need on Friday before, avoiding stress,long lines and shortage of bread & canned goods… and that was when models were still aiming for Tampa as a large storm. Not because I’m so smart, but because in 40 yrs of hurricanes I have a healthy respect for them.
I grew up on the Outer Banks with one bridge off the barrier islands we left before mandatory evacuations. These hurricanes can wobble and be at your doorstep in a few hours. One broken down vehicle can prevent your family from crossing the bridge and low country safely. Evacuate early. It's your life. Go to Orlando and make the evacuation into a vacation at Disney! Many Florida bridges are closed when winds reach 35 mph so leave early if you are at 10 ft elevation above sea level.
I feel bad for the people who just had a mid sized house in a neighborhood in fort Myers that their children lost EVERYTHING!! Clothes, all their belongings, vehicles ! Everything!!! That’s who I really feel bad for !!! 😞
I live on the Mississippi Gulfcoast, I've gone through Camille and Katrina and countless others. I have seen so many turn at the last minute, that if it becomes a Cat 2, I am out of here.
She’s brave to do this interview considering how we all feel about people who thought they know more than The National Hurricane Center!!!!! I’m glad you survived I would never want anyone to die but had it been…your own stupidity! I’m in Ohio and I knew what the evacuation orders were and when!!! Take responsibility!!!! 😡😡😡
You people quit blaming and show some compassion. People have the right to stay in their home unless there's a mandatory order to evacuate. Glad the lady is OK and had the guts to tell her story.
@@deeb2021 "People have the right to stay in their home unless there's a mandatory order to evacuate" She got a mandatory evacuation order more than 24 hours before it hit. People like her, put other lives at risk and hurt loved ones when they get killed for ignoring common sense and evacuation orders.
@@deeb2021 i think people are taking issue with her blaming the evacuation order for being too late. But yeah she has a right to make the decision to stay. She just shouldn't then try to blame it on someone or something else. She should take responsibility for her decision.
Sanibel and Captiva along with other surrounding barrier islands should not be rebuilt and should be reduced to beaches like Cayo Costa and Sanibel used to be 60 years ago. These repeated emergencies are dangerous, expensive and kill people who refuse to follow evac orders.
Good grief! Even in Canada we could see this was heading towards Ft. Myers and I knew Sanibel Isl. was going to be greatly affected. There is no accounting for her stupidity. She’s lucky to be alive.
It is unkind and harsh to call it "stupidity", I would call it denial, she is clearly traumatized by her experience and needs to tell her story in order to warn others. People will still make poor choices, we see it every day.
As a Lee County resident we received multiple multiple phone alerts the day before and hours before the storm. She chose to stay and now wants pity for her stupidity!
@@maureenmcdonald8841 if you've ever been to Sanibel it's a one way in one way out island they have flooding issues yearly when we have tropical storms. Unless she just moved here before the storm she's stupid. I evacuate and I live inland because of the sever tornadoes we get during hurricanes, she should only blame herself she was warned like all Lee County resident were.
@@Lewisa369 Clearly you miss my point. I have an issue with people using the word "stupidity" when describing someone else's actions. People do dangerous things all the time without thinking of the potential consequences to themselves or others or they just believe that somehow they are immune to them. I object to applying labels. No one wants to be pitied as you imply. She is sharing her story as a warning to others and hopefully others will choose differently in a similar situation. I see it as a cautionary tale. Who are you or I to judge her?
I completely understand why she didn't evacuate. The news has a history over the years of overhyping hurricanes that turn out to be way less impactful than predicted. Ian turned out to be the opposite.
"our mandatory evacuation came late"...no you weren't paying attention or chose to ignore. Sanibel and all of outer Lee County was in mandatory evacuation zone from 7am on the day before the storm
I live in Florida. I wasnt even in an evacuation zone. There were multiple evacuation orders EARLY and MANY shelters available. Dumb risk. Glad shes alive but dont be STUPID WITH NATURE.
This is the problem with so many Floridians thay they think they can ride it out. I don't know why they don't comprehend that hurricanes are not predictable where exactly it is they're going to go and why in the world would you not be concerned about water when you're only a few feet above sea level?She's fortunate that she lived through her unfortunate mistake to stay. Others clearly not so much.
This is everywhere. People who know little assume the best outcome. Someone like me who has been through a few storms (not a cat 4) prepare accordingly and would evacuate and not ever “ride it out”.
Evac orders were issued in lots of time., if you weren't paying attention that's one thing but to blame not leaving due to short notice is utterly false.
The barrier islands know better. Even passing by a storm can do this level of damage. There are other places that weren’t warned as soon as they should but Sanibel knew. ETA: I feel for everyone and I’m glad she survived. But she needs to take responsibility for her own decisions.
This is the type of people who like to blame others, when she called her kids, did she really expected them to risk their lives and come and rescue her in the type of weather? No one will do that if you were warned before. That torture will sink in your brain for the rest of your life unfortunately, but the Almighty is Good every time...if are still alive
So, she admits that she should have evacuated, but she thought it was going to Tampa. She just said, she thought the county was wrong. She thought, she was smarter than emergency management. At least, she admits that she screwed up, but she still tries to lay part of the blame on others. The evacuation order didn't come late. I live in south FM. I got the same alerts she did. She's in zone A. I'm in zone B. I know when she got the alert because we were all getting the same alerts. We all watch the same news and they were saying, back when Ian was on Cuba, that the coastal areas were getting bad storm surge. She had days to evacuate on her own volition. The evacuation order was for people who were complacent, to tell them to get the hell out because it's your last chance and that was on Tuesday. It got there Wednesday afternoon. She had 24 hours after she had to be told to get out and she says, the order came late? No. You can't say "my bad" and then say it wasn't your fault.
I have been down in ft Myers running tug boat out of the punta rassa boat ramp ferrying equipment and utilities to Sanibel island. Had to drive through ft Myers and countless neighborhoods that were totally inundated with water and destroyed while omw back to my hotel every evening. I clocked it on my odometer from the punta rassa boat ramp where the Sanibel causeway begins all the way 6 mi inland was covered in storm surge. You can see a definitive line in the vegetation and grass where the saltwater killed every blade of grass, shrub, and tree The only green around from the coast to that six mile point is palm trees. Driving through the neighborhoods there is literally solid walls of brush and debris from peoples belongings that they pulled out of their homes that was ruined by flood water. Ditches are clogged from storm debris still so when it rains it floods again because there's nowhere for the water to drain. I say all this because it's a travesty that every ounce of aid that is being brought down to that area is going out to made the upper class population of Lee county at Sanibel Island. I didn't see one truck and trailer being loaded with debris didn't see one worker other than homeowners doing any amount of cleanup in the middle and lower class neighborhoods. Those people have been abandoned and defend for themselves. Sanibel Island should be bulldozed and reclaimed as a wildlife sanctuary like a barrier Island should be. It's foolish and as nine to build million dollar homes on real estate like that. Real estate that has been smashed multiple times in the past before the real estate boom by hurricanes one of which actually split Captiva Island into two different islands. My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives on Sanibel Island and to the people who lost their homes but it is a foolish way of thinking to rebuild that Island. The people who really need the help are being forgotten about and abandoned while the more affluent part of society gets all the help and aid
@@pm5206 Charley, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Wilma, Irma, Michael, Ian since 2004. Anyone in Florida who was indirect path of those hurricanes probably have survivor bias and think hurricanes are no big deal.
I'm rethinking about moving to Florida for retirement. The hurricanes and floods and rising sea levels will make Florida uninhabitable in the next decade.
This must have been incredibly terrifying. I grew up in the Midwest where there are many tornadoes. We knew that as soon as you heard that warning sign to hunker down in the fruit cellar. There was no grabbing anything. Unfortunately we just got accustomed to not following evacuation orders and it wasn’t only her it was many of us. She was blessed because she made it through.
She can’t be kidding, so what if it was going towards Tampa, these storms can be unpredictable. I would have gotten out of harms way prior. Because I’m in Louisiana and live further North of the state. These storms can cause wind damage for miles. Plus flooding. So yeah, leave the area.
I've helped on the construction and many phases of these houses. They'll hold. But they will also hold water once it gets above that level.... that was a massive storm... crazy
The personal stories of survival are sad and the loss of life is tragic. Condolences to everyone there who survived and now must make important decisions. Florida needs to seriously re-evaluate barrier island development, preferably implementing a moratorium on all new construction. This will not be the last hurricane or tropical storm to strike, and long-term planning will be the only way to prevent further destruction and its inevitable heartbreak.
I don’t think we can judge someone’s decision to stay. So many factors are involved. Also some spotlight needs to be put on the media. They have lost the trust of the public over their own politically biased behavior and they need to have the humility to return to an objective source of information the public can trust.
Oh please! This may be the only time I won’t blame something on the media!!!! The National Hurricane center is NOT media!!! There’s not one reason these people should not have evacuated! 😡😡
What factors could possibly be involved? If you have any possibility of a storm surge of 10+ feet heading your way and your home is only 3 ft above sea level, there is no justification on earth for riding it out. That's a death sentence and the media is not to be blamed. Good information was reported. If people refuse to face the facts right in front of them or wait until it's too late to act, that's not the media's fault.
You just don't know what's going to happen. The hurricane took a turn and caught everybody off guard. The best thing to do is to be on high alert at all times making a plan of evacuation if need be and doing what you need to do to get out.
The news kept telling us it would hit Tampa then between Sarasota or farther south. When they increased the expectation of the height of the storm surge, we left in the night just over 24 hours before it - though they still thought it would hit to the north - the area that only got cat 2 winds.
The true is…like so many times going thru hurricanes and never getting one this bad, we kind felt confident (my husband specifically)we thought was going to be another one (the same as the others)! Well sweet mistake!! I will always be prepared ahead no matter what. Lesson learned!!! So sorry for the ones that lost everything, but most sorry and sad, for the ones that lost their lives😔
About that causeway to Sanibel Island. Did you notice on a good day that the road is almost at the same elevation as the Gulf on both sides??? Yeah, that needs to go or let Mother Nature reclaim her land....
I'm sorry, I have no pity for ppl that choose to stay in a storms path. We've seen time over time storms change course in a second. What possesses people to them think they're invincible? What is the harm of relocating until the storm passes?? Unbelievable. Isn't the complete destruction of property and animals enough?
Apparently she didn’t go through Andrew! I thought it was going through Tampa 🤦🏻♀️ Hurricane Andrew was going through West Palm Beach and Broward county! But at that the last min it decided to go to Homestead! People need to understand hurricane are unpredictable 🤦🏻♀️
She is deceived and will believe anything but her irresponsible behavior...warning came late? The European model predicted this a week or so before the event.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I can’t stand that people try to blame someone else…it did not come too late she just decided to stay….I live in Tampa and I watched my weather guy tell us it looks like it is making a slight turn to the right 2 days before. This was one of the slowest moving hurricanes I have ever witnessed, being so big and slow that is why so much damage.
Totally! 😱😱😱 I never thought it would leave! Unbelievable!
I do not live in Florida and I heard officials telling people to evacuate well ahead of the hurricane. I cannot understand why people refuse to listen. People want to blame others for bad decisions. I am glad she survived.
People are saying: “some people had no choice! What if they’re disabled?”
Would you rather be broke and safe in another city or die in your own home? I know what I would choose
I think their decision originates with protecting their possessions, albeit a wrong decision.
Did you guys see that video of a guy who hunkered down in a trailer home with two pets and six kids ??? Unbelievable.... And yes, I agree with the fact that this is what we will see when humans build communities in places that are really on shaky ground when it comes to viability and safety when Nature throws them a really bad one... the view may be breathtaking , but the place itself is vulnerable when mother nature gets mean ...
@@jzamo1990 There is no not a choice. Everyone had the opportunity to evacuate. I had 4 hours when they said the storm direction shifted and I left.
@@sharcrum Yes, greed.
I live in Lee county and can say without a doubt that evacuation notices went out two days in advance of this storm. I live inland and even our area received continuous alerts via automated messages to evacuate and seek shelter. It’s easy to blame the system and hard accept a poor decision. I was annoyed and impressed at the amount of information provided via alerts before and during this storm. The system didn’t fail us. Our stubborn believes based on previous experience however did.
@J Rains - more and more I’m thinking humans are a ridiculous species overall! 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Everyone’s an expert, sigh….
@@Ayyeliki it's called common sense.
We were on "mandatory evac" in Zone B, Sanibel is Zone A. We got a text on Tuesday 9/27 at 9:05am for mandatory evacuation, so Zone "A" was alerted before us. We are inland and 'protected' by all of the barrier islands. We still got surges and destruction to our homes here; just not like the islands that are 10 minutes away "as the crow flies." I'm glad that she made it safe!
Exactly. She’s passing blame. Even when she said she got the notice, she chose to stay. I don’t know why people just can’t take responsibility. Even in their reasoning - she has a story to tell to those who choose to ignore and stay. She can talk to those in the future who think like she did and reach out to them. Instead she’s prefer to save face.
Yup.We all knew.Their the idiots that had no respect for the power of the sea's.Very very strange really.
I live near there and kept a close eye on the hurricane track. The center of the track was almost directly over Sanibel a good 24 hours before it hit and the island was in the probability cone for days. Category 4 winds of over 140 mph and storm surge of 15-18 feet were projected well in advance for Sanibel and the surrounding area. Sanibel is a glorified sand bar that sits literally three feet above sea level. An evacuation order was given the day before it hit. I'm glad she survived but I wish people would take things like this a little more seriously.
What was striking about this storm. When the eye wall replacement occurred, that may have enhanced storm surge.
Meteorologists didn’t know exactly where Ian was going to hit, but they did know there was a large storm surge regardless, they didn’t believe the meteorological report because some don’t believe in science, it’s as simple as that.
Did u not hear what she said. Her electricity was shut off at 7 am in the morning u clown.
@@Dec1duousTree I watched the news reports every day since before it hit Cuba. Everybody was warned well in advance. There really was no good excuse. She learned a valuable lesson.
All I need to evacuate is one, maybe two hours. You grab your most cherished possessions and haul ass! Traffic might be a problem.
As a 71 year old seeing Ian on MyRadar app the massive area covered days BEFORE it hit any one in the whole state should have evacuated.
Heck there was no gas to be found over here in Sarasota county 2 days before the storm. Which is another issue! You’d run out of gas in a grid lock on I-75! Plus the airlines days before jacked the price to fly up north from $330 to 1,200. SINFUL! Then all along the way. Hotel prices jacked up to $300-400 a night. In all areas and surrounding states. Sinful again how the world has become. But back to the original post. I agree with you. I been down here 9 yrs now. I blow up inner tubes, even queen inflatable mattress incase of rising water. And take my extention ladder and put it right inside the garage door. INCASE I had to get on roof. I’d rather have it and not need it then the opposite. Plus I’ve tried talking people into flood ins. Even though we are in a low rated flood zone. The perfect storm negates that! Unfortunately people dont listen. And now are paying the consequence. So sad. I give GOD all the praise for saving my house. I sat in the laundry room praying for 13 hours. I never thought that storm was going to leave! It was forever slow moving! Blessing to all. I pray for everyone. 🙏
Not the whole state.....
@@FloridaGirl- you are so right. The time to look out for each other is instead an opportunity to price gauge customers and hoard more than one needs for a few days. I remain hurricane-ready once April hits because the regular Spring rains flood Florida anyway. By June the season begins so last-minute panic buying really doesn't make sense. If I even has a doubt, IRMA was the worst I experienced.
Mandatory evacuation….mandatory? I am very glad that you survived, and very sorry you went through such a terrifying ordeal. When you live on an island, a couple feet above sea level, and a hurricane is coming do you really need a mandatory evacuation ORDER?
Humans are idiots. Most that stayed would still even if they bull horned down every street to gtfo
Yes, some people do. They refuse to see reality and must be forced out. But, I think people should have the free will to take all the risks they want, so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.
What do you mean?
Mandatory means people can’t sue officials if they need help. That’s all.
ol judge judy over here
This woman paid no attention to warnings and just assumed everything would be okay. You don't mess around when a 150mph Cat 4 Monster is at your door, when her power went out at 7am she had HOURS to evacuate!
She's playing the victim of the mean ole Hurricane Ian....
Agreed
Any one who is Educated on Hurricaines would know that if you live on a barrier island you need to evacuate! Period! In this case there was ample warning that Ian was going to hit the west coast of Florida. If your on a barrier island on the west coast you had plenty of time to pack up and leave.
The mandatory evacuation DID NOT come late. She had over 24 hours notice and that is PLENTY of time to evacuate. She CHOSE NOT TO.
No, 24 hours is not plenty of time to evacuate. By that time you could not find fuel. Then you’re stuck on the highways with all the other evacuees. Then there’s the issue of vacancies at hotels. Add to that, people panic-buying all the food, water, toilet paper, plywood, generators, and gas cans.
@@N1976DL LOL. Are you from FL? You FUEL UP DAYS BEFORE the Hurricane. You HAVE TIME. We fueled up even though we were not under the cone 5 days before Ian hit. Because, as a Floridian, you KNOW it can change LAST minute. Sounds like you are a procrastinator. That's on you, bud. The rest of us, were gassed up, shuttered up and LEFT!
@@tls9507 Yes, I currently live in the Tampa Bay Area, and I originally moved to Port Charlotte in 1996. I have family from here all the way down to Ft. Myers.
I kept my tank tank topped off, but if you actually have to drive your vehicles, you are consuming said fuel. Did you fuel up and then not drive for five days?
By the Friday before the hurricane made landfall (the following Wednesday), gas stations here were already running low. People had already panic-bought everything. I’m more inland, so I stayed and put the wood up on my windows.
So, I am speaking in defense of the many people I know, who face complex scenarios, regarding evacuation. And, it was only about 24 hours before landfall that it was going to hit Tampa Bay. Prior to that, it was projected to hit slightly north or even the panhandle.
Then, within that last day (Tuesday) it curved to Lee County. Everyone trying to avoid the cone would’ve been headed East. But, even Kissimmee endured massive flooding. This was trying to dodge a moving target with a very indeterminate destination.
@@N1976DL idgaf what your saying you live in a mandatory evacuation zone you drive your car and what gas you have in it tf away from that water. No excuse . So many shelters and emergency numbers you could call to get a ride. Multiple messages sent threw text. She had multiple choices. Multiple. Don’t make excuses for stupidity
Evacuation came late? We had days to observe the cone of this storm. I'm glad she's okay. I can't imagine riding out that storm alone.
Yes, you can’t fix stupid! She should be thanking God for protecting her.
Actually, it was not too late to evacuate. The hurricane was tracked all the way for days in advance. It made a clear turn toward Sanibel more than 48 hours before landfall. So, she just wasn’t paying attention.
I have been a resident of Central Florida since 1986 and have seen a number of hurricanes, including Andrew. When I saw this one coming and heard the REAL reporters (ie: Ryan Hall) on RUclips talk about Ian having a mind of its own, I started to prep a week before. My grown sons did not help to prep because they thought I was being ridiculous. These things CAN TURN at any time. Yes, meteorologists usually have it right, but they are predictors - NOT wizards. Now that we see what happened, my sons realize why I did the prep that I did. Perhaps we have gotten too comfortable here in Florida with our largely accurate predictions of where these hurricanes are going, and people that should have left the area trusted the landfall location they thought it was going to be. Just remember that meteorologists do not have a crystal ball that sees into the future.
I was saying, "get the hell out of any coastal area on the west side" TWO DAYS before it hit. If I had been anywhere over there, I would have gone to the other side of the state ... or central at LEAST. I guess we need to be reminded that mother nature does whatever it wants.
Smart talk.
Many older people in Florida maybe dont have the strength or money to pick up and drive to other side.
Not knowing where it will turn in you might go across where the storm will follow you. Thats what happened to my neighbors during another hurricane some years back.
@Angela Pastorius, I’m in Tampa and was packing days in advance while the males in the house watched football and thought I was being ridiculous, too! 🙄🙄🙄
Praise God. She's praising herself
I think this is why women live longer. They don't normally ignore clear instructions.
We were told to evacuate several days before people chose to ignore the evacuation message
Come back to Jesus he’s coming back very soon repent John 3 16
NEVER STAY ON A BARRIER ISLAND DURING A HURRICANE.....NEVER!
If you tell a 5 year old to MOVE OUT THE WAY they'll heed the warning and be scared because of the unsurety of events that may follow. How many warnings do adults need?
Glad she made it through to speak about her experience. Lesson learned.
I live on a barrier island in Daytona Beach and they never issued us a mandatory evacuation notice like they normally do, and I’ve lived here almost 22 years. During most storms my entire neighborhood leaves. Everyone stayed during Ian. They told us “strong tropical storm” conditions for our area. The beach got completely destroyed and eroded all the way up to the foundation of some condos. Two of our piers are gone. Not much news coverage about us over here.
I am your neighbor and agree. Many people here in Volusia county on the east coast lost their homes due to flooding, me included. Its been devastating and most of us did not live in a so called flood zone so we didnt carry flood insurance. Daytona Beach Shores beach is destroyed as is Ponce Inlet. And yes...no coverage and very little help. My home took on a foot of water. I am so tired of people saying we dont heed the warnings. This storm was not even predicted to come close to us.
Yep. You’re exactly right. Not a single evacuation order was given for Volusia county. We have the most incompetent local government in central Florida. Absolutely embarrassing and a disgrace. My property had nearly 3 feet of water for over a week. They’ve built tons of new homes all around us, hauling in truckload after truckload of fill dirt that made all the older properties essentially a bowl. The country didn’t maintain our local creek that runs along Old Mission. And they didn’t install pumping stations at all for any of these new developments in low lying areas.
You need a mandatory evacuation order from the government to tell you to evacuate??? That storm was HUGE!!! People all over the world were watching it! You were told to get out, you live in an island, you know a hurricane can change course, and you know meteorologists ALWAYS predict the weather wrong or at least 95 percent of the time! Use common sense. Take responsibility for yourselves!!!
Exactly
Amen!!!
One of those people that you cannot tell anything. And she makes the news.
😆
😔
Fox News viewer
She did not listen to the warnings and had plenty of time to evacuate. She almost died because she made a foolish choice to ignore the evacuation order.
This is why I don’t feel too sorry for people who foolishly decided not to evacuate. Use common sense.
I feel sad for animals and children who get to die for stupid adults.
Once again we learn, if you live on the coast anywhere in Florida you’re taking a risk. Let’s not pretend you’re not. It’s paradise. But risky.
@@philippians4410 Ok, then think of the most beautiful place on the coast of Florida. It is a high risk place to live.
Anyone who didn’t evacuate and required rescue or services provided in order to survive should be required to pay and then have their names placed on a published and maintained “ idiot” list.
Amen!
What part of “Category 4” did these people not understand?
It must be 'just a storm', type crowd
The "4" 🤦🤦🤦🤦
Im a Seattle lite so I don't know wtf is going on man I'm from the west
I think it was the part where it was almost a “Category 5” hurricane 🌀 😆
Thank God she is okay. This storm was out there for days, people should not wait on the government to tell them what to do.
Yeah, but they said they whole time it would hit further north. Unfortunately, it had other plans and decided to go south.
The Government told them to evacuate.
Thank God you’re okay. What a horrific experience but now you have your life to live.
If you are in a high rise you don’t have to evacuate no matter where you are.
I evacuated a few years ago and the storm kept moving west and ended up heading straight for where I had evacuated to. By then there were no hotels left and most gas stations were out of gas. Evacuating can be scary too.
Sanibel was always on the evacuation area. Even if the storm continued north and turned at Tampa, it would still traveling right over Sanibel. She just didn't listen.
Sanibel has NEVER been hit by a hurricane since it became a city, there have been many false alarms, I can understand
WITH SOME OF THESE “ INTERVIEWS” WHAT WERE THEY “THINKING?” NO! THE ORDER TO “EVACUATE” DID NOT COME TOO LATE! SHE’S WRONG! SHE HERSELF,DECIDED “TOO STAY” REMEMBER “WHAT CAN HAPPEN/WILL HAPPEN :-| JUST SAYING
Do you have to yell for goodness sake.
When you live a few feet above sea level and a hurricane is headed your way, what other decision is there but to evacuate? And there was pretty good information to make that decision.
You have to have a place to evacuate to and a plan to do it. But yes, Saturday and Sunday the forecasted tracks were projected to come close. Ppl tend to forget that the projected tracks are for the eye of the storm and that the wind field is often hundred miles across or more. I was lucky to be on vacation up in Georgia and just stayed away. Not everyone has that option. Also Lee County opened the shelters for the elderly on Monday. So evac was possible.
I agree. They did a great job warning everyone within the cone of probability we’ll in advance. Really can’t blame the authorities this time.
Yeap that is what we do even if we are in the cone and Don't know the exact point.
@@GillAgainsIsland12 oh you mean when the storm turned with three hours to spare ? That means with your logic over 2 million people would of needed to evacuate.It was meant to hit Tamp,not ft myers.
@@brandonking2679 Only 3 hours? You're another one who wasn't paying attention.
I lived in Fl for 18 years, most people do not believe the storm will be dangerous , when they are told to leave, that’s the reality, sure all those unfortunate dead bodies did regret it at the end.
Do people think they can save their home by staying? It's going to flood or wash away whether you're they're or not!
You live on a barrier island in Florida. Do you know how barrier islands even got there in the first place? They were created by hurricanes pushing sand and water up. So, no, the order to evacuate did not come too late. I am glad you survived....but Sanibel has always been full of entitled rich people who think they have enough money to keep the 'plebs' out. I grew up in the area, I know. So don't blame your issue on an evacuation order that came 'too late'. Because it didn't. Nature is indifferent. Sanibel, Pine Island.....devastated. Maybe the issue should be,,,,one shouldn't live on a barrier island....and one should ALWAYS evacuate when living on a barrier island and a hurricane is coming.
You’re extremely insensitive and rude! Money is earned for most and can be used as the possessor of it sees fit to fulfill goals. I don’t think anyone considers the worse case scenario when thinking about living in a tropical paradise. You should be ashamed of yourself for this comment, although we’re living in an ugly self righteous, full of hatred and criticism society so I really shouldn’t be surprised…careful for your ill wishes, they come back to haunt us.
@@Proverbs--tx6yr My point is nobody is focusing on Pine Island. Because the 'ways of this world" focus on the "LOVE of money, which is the ROOT of all EVIL'... rich people live on Sanibel...and have the money to rebuild...Pine Island residents...not so much.
And again...from experiences of my childhood.....Sanibel residents HATED any locals who came there.. that is why causeway tolls were always increased. A bunch of liberal elites who wanted to keep the 'riff raff' out. So ,...karma, baby. Help Pine Island is my point... Sanibel...they will be fine.
I'm with you. No more new building permits for barrier sandbars... It's crazy!
@@holliberry2614 I agree Sanibel resident most who are FL transplants are getting way too much focus compared with Pine Island but they aren't Liberal over there quite the opposite. I'm sure they all voted for Do nothing Desantis. Sanibel and Pine Island sadly most of Florida are not Liberals do your homework. Lee county overwhelming is Republican and conservative.
Hours before Ian hit there were lots of people walking about and at bars drinking ,cause the whole mantra in that town was we been through many hurricanes and we rode it out its going to be fine.
The mandatory evacuation did not come late. The mandatory evacuation order came 4 days before Ian made landfall. The earliest mandatory evacuation order in FL history. People were also told over and over that this was going to be a water event, likely the one of the biggest storm surges in FL history.
This will happen again I hope and pray people will be more prepared and leave early
There was plenty of warnings! I don’t understand why anyone living on an island with a bridge wouldn’t evacuate when they were on the general path that Tampa was going to be hit. Hurricanes vary their paths! Living in stable Ontario, enjoying the fall leaves..I will never understand the risks so many Floridians take to live that close to the ocean without the proper insurance to rebuild with so many hurricanes that keep coming their way yr after yr? And.. they never seem to heed evacuation warnings in huge numbers when their time comes up??
Every Floridian knows that Hurricanes are only predictable in a general manner. They are known to not follow the predicted path! I shuttered up for Ian and I'm on the east coast of Florida.
I live in Melbourne and I shuttered too. Quite a few in my neighborhood did too. Better to be safe than to end up with damage you could have prevented.
@@trudypope2113 same… days in advance… and bought everything I’d need on Friday before, avoiding stress,long lines and shortage of bread & canned goods… and that was when models were still aiming for Tampa as a large storm. Not because I’m so smart, but because in 40 yrs of hurricanes I have a healthy respect for them.
Famous words of every hurricane participant
Blaming late mandatory evacuation. With weeks notice, no one to blame but yourself. God bless everyone affected.
I grew up on the Outer Banks with one bridge off the barrier islands we left before mandatory evacuations. These hurricanes can wobble and be at your doorstep in a few hours. One broken down vehicle can prevent your family from crossing the bridge and low country safely. Evacuate early. It's your life. Go to Orlando and make the evacuation into a vacation at Disney! Many Florida bridges are closed when winds reach 35 mph so leave early if you are at 10 ft elevation above sea level.
I feel bad for the people who just had a mid sized house in a neighborhood in fort Myers that their children lost EVERYTHING!! Clothes, all their belongings, vehicles ! Everything!!! That’s who I really feel bad for !!! 😞
I live on the Mississippi Gulfcoast, I've gone through Camille and Katrina and countless others. I have seen so many turn at the last minute, that if it becomes a Cat 2, I am out of here.
She’s brave to do this interview considering how we all feel about people who thought they know more than The National Hurricane Center!!!!! I’m glad you survived I would never want anyone to die but had it been…your own stupidity! I’m in Ohio and I knew what the evacuation orders were and when!!! Take responsibility!!!! 😡😡😡
EXACTLY!! I felt for her until the end when she said it was too late when they gave the evacuation. No it wasn't! She CHOSE TO STAY.
You people quit blaming and show some compassion.
People have the right to stay in their home unless there's a mandatory order to evacuate. Glad the lady is OK and had the guts to tell her story.
@@deeb2021 "People have the right to stay in their home unless there's a mandatory order to evacuate"
She got a mandatory evacuation order more than 24 hours before it hit. People like her, put other lives at risk and hurt loved ones when they get killed for ignoring common sense and evacuation orders.
Republican's don't take any responsibility. They quickly blame others...Yes, these areas are heavily RED....
@@deeb2021 i think people are taking issue with her blaming the evacuation order for being too late. But yeah she has a right to make the decision to stay. She just shouldn't then try to blame it on someone or something else. She should take responsibility for her decision.
There's no cure for stupid.
Exactly!
It’s not easy for everyone to leave. Not everyone has the means. Don’t judge.
Do not disrespect a survivor okay.
@@seeleygirl6178 True, but people who could evacuate should have.
@@seeleygirl6178 That is quite true but those who can should, and those who don’t have the means can call friends, family and authorities for help.
Exactly…… they were told to evacuate…… never under estimate the power of a storm …. You can’t control that!
It's frustrating that time and resources had to be used on ppl that became complacent and ignored evacuation orders
It was not too late to evacuation, take responsibility, you chose to stay.
Sanibel and Captiva along with other surrounding barrier islands should not be rebuilt and should be reduced to beaches like Cayo Costa and Sanibel used to be 60 years ago. These repeated emergencies are dangerous, expensive and kill people who refuse to follow evac orders.
Good grief! Even in Canada we could see this was heading towards Ft. Myers and I knew Sanibel Isl. was going to be greatly affected. There is no accounting for her stupidity. She’s lucky to be alive.
It is unkind and harsh to call it "stupidity", I would call it denial, she is clearly traumatized by her experience and needs to tell her story in order to warn others. People will still make poor choices, we see it every day.
She's probably a Democrat. Denial. Denial. Denial.
As a Lee County resident we received multiple multiple phone alerts the day before and hours before the storm. She chose to stay and now wants pity for her stupidity!
@@maureenmcdonald8841 if you've ever been to Sanibel it's a one way in one way out island they have flooding issues yearly when we have tropical storms. Unless she just moved here before the storm she's stupid. I evacuate and I live inland because of the sever tornadoes we get during hurricanes, she should only blame herself she was warned like all Lee County resident were.
@@Lewisa369 Clearly you miss my point. I have an issue with people using the word "stupidity" when describing someone else's actions. People do dangerous things all the time without thinking of the potential consequences to themselves or others or they just believe that somehow they are immune to them. I object to applying labels. No one wants to be pitied as you imply. She is sharing her story as a warning to others and hopefully others will choose differently in a similar situation. I see it as a cautionary tale. Who are you or I to judge her?
I completely understand why she didn't evacuate. The news has a history over the years of overhyping hurricanes that turn out to be way less impactful than predicted. Ian turned out to be the opposite.
Praying for ALL the residents in Florida affect by hurricane Ian 😢
well, that's one way to learn a lesson.Respect Mother Nature..
Thank God you're alive
"our mandatory evacuation came late"...no you weren't paying attention or chose to ignore. Sanibel and all of outer Lee County was in mandatory evacuation zone from 7am on the day before the storm
I live in Florida. I wasnt even in an evacuation zone. There were multiple evacuation orders EARLY and MANY shelters available. Dumb risk. Glad shes alive but dont be STUPID WITH NATURE.
This is the problem with so many Floridians thay they think they can ride it out. I don't know why they don't comprehend that hurricanes are not predictable where exactly it is they're going to go and why in the world would you not be concerned about water when you're only a few feet above sea level?She's fortunate that she lived through her unfortunate mistake to stay. Others clearly not so much.
This is everywhere. People who know little assume the best outcome. Someone like me who has been through a few storms (not a cat 4) prepare accordingly and would evacuate and not ever “ride it out”.
As a born and Breed Floridan, you stay prepared, and you evacuate.
Evac orders were issued in lots of time., if you weren't paying attention that's one thing but to blame not leaving due to short notice is utterly false.
The barrier islands know better. Even passing by a storm can do this level of damage. There are other places that weren’t warned as soon as they should but Sanibel knew. ETA: I feel for everyone and I’m glad she survived. But she needs to take responsibility for her own decisions.
This is the type of people who like to blame others, when she called her kids, did she really expected them to risk their lives and come and rescue her in the type of weather? No one will do that if you were warned before. That torture will sink in your brain for the rest of your life unfortunately, but the Almighty is Good every time...if are still alive
So, she admits that she should have evacuated, but she thought it was going to Tampa. She just said, she thought the county was wrong. She thought, she was smarter than emergency management. At least, she admits that she screwed up, but she still tries to lay part of the blame on others. The evacuation order didn't come late. I live in south FM. I got the same alerts she did. She's in zone A. I'm in zone B. I know when she got the alert because we were all getting the same alerts. We all watch the same news and they were saying, back when Ian was on Cuba, that the coastal areas were getting bad storm surge. She had days to evacuate on her own volition. The evacuation order was for people who were complacent, to tell them to get the hell out because it's your last chance and that was on Tuesday. It got there Wednesday afternoon. She had 24 hours after she had to be told to get out and she says, the order came late? No. You can't say "my bad" and then say it wasn't your fault.
I live in Lehigh and we were getting massive alerts. She's such a poor little rich girl 🤥. Blaming everyone but herself.
I have been down in ft Myers running tug boat out of the punta rassa boat ramp ferrying equipment and utilities to Sanibel island. Had to drive through ft Myers and countless neighborhoods that were totally inundated with water and destroyed while omw back to my hotel every evening. I clocked it on my odometer from the punta rassa boat ramp where the Sanibel causeway begins all the way 6 mi inland was covered in storm surge. You can see a definitive line in the vegetation and grass where the saltwater killed every blade of grass, shrub, and tree The only green around from the coast to that six mile point is palm trees. Driving through the neighborhoods there is literally solid walls of brush and debris from peoples belongings that they pulled out of their homes that was ruined by flood water. Ditches are clogged from storm debris still so when it rains it floods again because there's nowhere for the water to drain. I say all this because it's a travesty that every ounce of aid that is being brought down to that area is going out to made the upper class population of Lee county at Sanibel Island. I didn't see one truck and trailer being loaded with debris didn't see one worker other than homeowners doing any amount of cleanup in the middle and lower class neighborhoods. Those people have been abandoned and defend for themselves. Sanibel Island should be bulldozed and reclaimed as a wildlife sanctuary like a barrier Island should be. It's foolish and as nine to build million dollar homes on real estate like that. Real estate that has been smashed multiple times in the past before the real estate boom by hurricanes one of which actually split Captiva Island into two different islands. My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives on Sanibel Island and to the people who lost their homes but it is a foolish way of thinking to rebuild that Island. The people who really need the help are being forgotten about and abandoned while the more affluent part of society gets all the help and aid
Amen! We need help inland too!
I can’t imagine being alone through that. 😢 My heart would’ve burst fro: the stress.
the evacuation came a day earlier. it was not late
Everyone over confident because previous hurricanes wasn't that bad when it didn't directly hit them head on.
How? Charley was the closest and Irma happened 5 years ago.
Exactly
@@pm5206 Charley, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Wilma, Irma, Michael, Ian since 2004. Anyone in Florida who was indirect path of those hurricanes probably have survivor bias and think hurricanes are no big deal.
I can’t understand why people don leave…it’s MOTHER NATURE! She doesn’t play and this woman’s car is damn near in the ocean. People are Crazy!
So sorry. So happy you are safe.
U never should have moved there to expect everyone to bail u out
Nope everyone new where that storm was heading plenty of warning she's a dope lucky to be alive
I'm rethinking about moving to Florida for retirement. The hurricanes and floods and rising sea levels will make Florida uninhabitable in the next decade.
Thank you for sharing. Glad you’re alive. If it would have hit Gainesville my mobile home would have been destroyed with me in it.😮
This must have been incredibly terrifying. I grew up in the Midwest where there are many tornadoes. We knew that as soon as you heard that warning sign to hunker down in the fruit cellar. There was no grabbing anything. Unfortunately we just got accustomed to not following evacuation orders and it wasn’t only her it was many of us. She was blessed because she made it through.
She can’t be kidding, so what if it was going towards Tampa, these storms can be unpredictable. I would have gotten out of harms way prior. Because I’m in Louisiana and live further North of the state. These storms can cause wind damage for miles. Plus flooding. So yeah, leave the area.
Its hurricane season people know there will be hurricanes, always be prepared this time of yr no matter what.
Amen!
I've helped on the construction and many phases of these houses. They'll hold. But they will also hold water once it gets above that level.... that was a massive storm... crazy
The personal stories of survival are sad and the loss of life is tragic. Condolences to everyone there who survived and now must make important decisions.
Florida needs to seriously re-evaluate barrier island development, preferably implementing a moratorium on all new construction.
This will not be the last hurricane or tropical storm to strike, and long-term planning will be the only way to prevent further destruction and its inevitable heartbreak.
I don’t think we can judge someone’s decision to stay. So many factors are involved. Also some spotlight needs to be put on the media. They have lost the trust of the public over their own politically biased behavior and they need to have the humility to return to an objective source of information the public can trust.
Oh please! This may be the only time I won’t blame something on the media!!!! The National Hurricane center is NOT media!!! There’s not one reason these people should not have evacuated! 😡😡
So.... You're saying Ian was politically motivated? That's why she stayed?
What factors could possibly be involved? If you have any possibility of a storm surge of 10+ feet heading your way and your home is only 3 ft above sea level, there is no justification on earth for riding it out. That's a death sentence and the media is not to be blamed. Good information was reported. If people refuse to face the facts right in front of them or wait until it's too late to act, that's not the media's fault.
You just don't know what's going to happen. The hurricane took a turn and caught everybody off guard. The best thing to do is to be on high alert at all times making a plan of evacuation if need be and doing what you need to do to get out.
we all got out days earlier from order
When you build on a sandbar that has only one access road........ And then choose not to evacuate, my empathy is diminished.
These folks are so attached to their material possessions. It's their life and worth. The planet cares nothing about mankind's earthy possessions.
The news kept telling us it would hit Tampa then between Sarasota or farther south. When they increased the expectation of the height of the storm surge, we left in the night just over 24 hours before it - though they still thought it would hit to the north - the area that only got cat 2 winds.
2 days before it hits is not that much time to evacuate
Always blaming others for her lack of action. The mandatory evacuation came late she says.
Hopefully the rest of the country’s insurance rates do not see an effect from the people who continue to live in these areas.
The true is…like so many times going thru hurricanes and never getting one this bad, we kind felt confident (my husband specifically)we thought was going to be another one (the same as the others)! Well sweet mistake!! I will always be prepared ahead no matter what. Lesson learned!!! So sorry for the ones that lost everything, but most sorry and sad, for the ones that lost their lives😔
When your beach front property becomes out to sea.
About that causeway to Sanibel Island. Did you notice on a good day that the road is almost at the same elevation as the Gulf on both sides??? Yeah, that needs to go or let Mother Nature reclaim her land....
With ALL the reports WHY THE HELL DID ANYONE STAY THERE???
It was a CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE, CATEGORY 4/5.
Honestly…. People who live near water need to have more respect for something that can wash you away!!! Never underestimate Mother Nature!!!!!!!!
I blame social media. People think they can ride something like this out and put out a viral video. I think she learned her lesson.
Concentrate on maybe survival. Very lucky lady.
I'm sorry, I have no pity for ppl that choose to stay in a storms path. We've seen time over time storms change course in a second. What possesses people to them think they're invincible? What is the harm of relocating until the storm passes?? Unbelievable. Isn't the complete destruction of property and animals enough?
She is not the sharpest tool in the shed
Apparently she didn’t go through Andrew! I thought it was going through Tampa 🤦🏻♀️ Hurricane Andrew was going through West Palm Beach and Broward county! But at that the last min it decided to go to Homestead! People need to understand hurricane are unpredictable 🤦🏻♀️
I bet she's a transplants! First year in her multi million dollar beach house.
@@Lewisa369 lol 😂
Are we supposed to feel sorry for her? She made that decision on her own, don’t care what happened to her.
The warnings were constant that’s why I’d never live there vist yes yr around NO
Thank you JESUS CHRIST for protecting this lady!!
Seriously? I live in Wisconsin and I knew people should evacuate. There were days of warnings. Give me a break.
We live in Phoenix Arizona and we heard about the Hurricane 3 days before it hit!
these newscasters esp the WC, spend years studying the weather. You don;t want to listen, don't complain. Its your decision.
She is deceived and will believe anything but her irresponsible behavior...warning came late? The European model predicted this a week or so before the event.