Ian Storm Victims Show Great Personal Strength

Posted: October 7, 2022 3:51 am

Hurricane Ian became the deadliest storm to hit Florida since 1935, and that’s particularly significant in a state that faces some aspect of hurricane-generated weather every year. The worst areas of devastation resembled war zones, and according to a post at accuweather.com, the death toll has climbed over 100 and likely to swell even more as rescue workers track down isolated and hidden pockets of survivors. The death toll can be attributed partly to the storm’s intensity, the inexperience of relatively recent Florida transplants in preparing for storms and the incredible speed of Ian intensifying before making landfall.

Storm Could Become the Most Expensive in History

Initial estimates of the costs of the storm placed the price at $60 billion, but critics immediately denied that the costs would be so small. Accuweather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers claimed that the final costs would run between $180 and $210 billion, which easily surpasses the $160 billion dollars in 2022 costs attributed to Katrina. Katrina holds the record as the most expensive storm ever, but the damages could easily vault the monster storm Ian into first place.

Thousands of residents remain stranded, and they often have no power for communications, cooking, heating or providing relief from the tropical heat during daylight hours. Roadways across the state remain flooded because storm debris often block pathways to drainage. Officials authorized construction of a temporary bridge to rescue victims trapped on Pine Island.

Barrier Islands often suffered extreme damages and increased death rates, and Lee County had the highest number of deaths which reached 55 on October 5, 2022. Some officials criticized Lee County for negligence in failing to evacuate the residents soon enough, but Lee County officials claimed to follow a precisely timed timetable.

The Lee County disagreement is likely to come under investigation as negligence to follow procedures or develop procedures that provide sufficient time for residents to evacuate. Lee County claims that they have special problems during an evacuation that include insufficient citizen resources to fund an evacuation, a high percentage of Florida newcomers who chose to ignore evacuation orders and a widespread population that was difficult to track.

Most hurricane deaths come from drowning after being injured or becoming too exhausted to fight for survival. One cause of death was determined to be a power failure that shut off an oxygen-generating machine that an elderly couple needed for survival. The statistics also showed five deaths in North Carolina and three in Cuba.

Impacts of Monster Storm Ian

Ian definitely deserves the title of monster storm because of its intensity, destruction and its ability to come back to life after seeming to fade away. The economic damages, if confirmed to be about $200 billion, would add up to 1 percent of the U.S. economy. That amount could easily drag U.S. business interests into a recession and force the Federal Reserve Board to raise interest rates and ignite inflation.

Other damages include the isolation of Pine Island, multiple destroyed bridges, whole buildings missing entirely and the worst flooding in history confirmed by modern scientific measurements. Storm surges broke all available records, and automated gauges confirmed 31.52 inches of rainfall near the Ponce Inlet, which is located northeast of Orlando. Together, these dangers nearly obliterated the Barrier Islands and other coastal areas well-known for catering to tourists.

Tornadoes Wreak Havoc

Ian spawned at least 11 confirmed tornadoes across southern Florida on September 27-28, 2022. The most powerful of these officially confirmed sightings occurred near Kings Point and registered as an EF2 storm on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This scale compares tornados and works like the Saffir-Simpson Scale does for hurricanes. An EF2 rating means winds between 113 and 157 miles per hour.

The power of an EF2 tornado can easily strip roofs from frame houses, destroy mobile homes, topple boxcars and uproot trees and utility poles. The destruction can easily make dangerous projectiles out of storm debris and inspire recurring nightmares in those susceptible to post-traumatic stress syndrome.

San Carlos Island

San Carlos Island, which housed mobile homes and RV parks along its Main Street, suffered almost total annihilation. Storm victims lost everything they owned and gathered at Joe Fernandez’s motor shop business, which became a de facto shelter and eventual food pantry for stranded, isolated storm victims.

Survivors gathered to grieve, let off steam and swap stories of their Hurricane Ian experiences. Most of them had no other place to go, and some stayed for the camaraderie despite the fact that the survivors looked like refugees from a “Walking Dead” movie franchise.

More than 20 people gathered on the second floor of a 2-story building to share their pain and try to find some glimmer of hope from their Pandora’s Box situation. The real-world victims realized quickly that they must help each other and not depend on rescue workers to save the day. They began sharing generators, fuel, medicine, food and other necessities of survival.

In addition to flooding and loss of power, San Carlos residents also faced the threats of multiple tornadoes on September 27 and 28. Unlike common memes of fights among survivors, these residents cooperated, shared their resources and bonded in an extraordinary way.

Troubled Lee County

Lee County didn’t have much of a chance to redeem its image on the Barrier Islands, which were devastated by the storm’s various threats. Gale-force winds destroyed homes and surrounding buildings, and debris littered the islands in all directions. Despite these dangers, the sheriff department’s rescue teams were able to save 800 people. Those efforts are continuing with reinforcements of 100 National Guard troops.

Florida Governor DeSantis revealed Monday that 1,900 rescues had been made in the state by 1,000 search-and-rescue workers. Sudden sea surges caused by Hurricane Ian forced many victims to start swimming and abandon their positions. Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis handled raising money for the Florida Disaster Fund and revealed a total of almost $35 million raised in the first five days.

Worst Disaster in History

Many declared Hurricane Ian the worst disaster in history, and that was certainly true for many victims. It’s unknown what shape rebuilding will take, or whether some areas will be rebuilt at all. The shocking scenes of destruction most closely resembled a war zone, which it was in some ways: humans against nature.

The destruction of lovely Fort Myers Beach probably affects people more deeply than the other damages because it brings to mind the idea of “Paradise Lost.” For many, the enhanced effects of global warming have never been more evident. Hurricane Ian will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever — if not the worst.

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