11 days have passed since the Category 4 monster storm Hurricane Ian tore across central Florida.
Even in a state that is used to storms, Ian’s devastation was unimaginable: more than 100 fatalities, the majority of them from drowning; neighborhoods in ruins; an estimated cost of more than $100 billion for recovery.
We traveled to the epicenter of the hurricane’s ferocity, where Ian initially blasted ashore on Florida’s southwest coast.
The Sprecher Family evacuated Sanibel Island as Hurricane Ian’s devastation approached with little more than the clothing on their backs. The family returned to the island this past Wednesday, one week after the hurricane destroyed it, to see what was remained of the place they had called home for over 20 years.
Where are we, Milissa Sprecher? I’m not even sure.
The Sprechers had to return by boat since Ian destroyed the causeway that links Sanibel to the mainland.
You wouldn’t even know this is home, says Milissa Sprecher.
We were asked to accompany them home so we could see the damage caused when the Category 4 storm hit Florida. According to John Sprecher, the level of damage was shocking.
John Sprecher: This area seems to have suffered bomb damage. And I, you know, recall seeing our children at that age playing in the sand.
Milissa Sprecher admitted to having problems orienting herself.
According to Milissa Sprecher, there is currently no ferry, bridge, somewhere to stay, running water, power, air conditioning, or any other utility. Right now, everyone on this island is without a place to live.
It typically takes them a few minutes to walk from their home to the beach, but not today, they said. The walkway was coated in a layer of sticky, thick muck.
Watch the mud since it’s quite slippery, warns Milissa Sprecher.
The population of Sanibel is 6,500. The tropical paradise that the Sprechers described is now a wreckage area. The storm wave peeled the asphalt off their road, tossing cars about like toys.
William Whitaker Was this paved?
This was paved, says Milissa Sprecher.
The picture as they got closer to the house was bizarre: it was a gorgeous Florida day, the type that had drawn John and Milissa here from Wisconsin years before, yet the house and life they had constructed were now battered by the sun.
I’m astonished, says Milissa Sprecher.
In addition to hosting pool parties in the backyard and hosting birthday and graduation celebrations in these rooms, They are preserving what memories they can carry on a tiny boat now that the roof is gone and the accumulations of a lifetime are exposed to the elements.
Yes, pictures of granny and grandpa, Milissa Sprecher said. It’s amazing to be able to snap pictures of the artwork the kids have created and save them.
Yes, Bill Whitaker said.
Milissa Sprecher: I can hardly believe we have anything at all.
William Whitaker Have you spoken to your insurance company?
We do, indeed, Milissa Sprecher says.
William Whitaker Are you going to be able to rebuild what you lost?
Milissa Sprecher: I have no idea about it.
Mr. Sprecher In all honesty, we’re not even sure whether we want to.
Really? Bill Whitaker
Milissa Sprecher: I predict that many attendees will leave this event.
William Whitaker Are all the phones ringing nonstop?
Mr. Brian Chapman On Monday morning, we were receiving 15 calls per minute on average.
One of the biggest independent insurance companies in southwest Florida is owned by Brian Chapman. It has roughly 30,000 clients, many of whom reside on Sanibel Island and in hard-hit Fort Myers. Seven of his workers suffered house losses, while his offices had water damage and power outages.
William Whitaker You experienced wind gusts of up to 150 mph with this storm. There was a significant storm surge. How will those two storm arms affect the compensation that your homeowners will receive?
Mr. Brian Chapman Due to the fact that you have two policies—one for flood and one for wind—where that’s things start to get a little complex.
William Whitaker Why does it seem so difficult?
Mr. Brian Chapman Which came first, the water rising or the wind damage? And before it flooded, was there wind damage? And it’s challenging to know the answer to that query.
Florida homes only have flood insurance in 18% of cases.
William Whitaker So why are there so few?
Because it’s pricey, Brian Chapman but, not as costly as what just occurred.
According to Chapman, he worries that Ian will simply make an ongoing issue in Florida’s insurance market worse. Here are filed 80% of all homeowner’s insurance lawsuits in the nation. The majority of large insurers have drastically reduced their coverage, and small insurers are feeling the pressure. Just this year, six businesses failed.
William Whitaker What impact has this had on premiums?
Double-digit, triple-digit rate rises during the previous 24 months, according to Brian Chapman.
Mr. Brian Chapman Prior to $7,000 and now $10,000, my personal insurance coverage was $3,500. And it doesn’t even account for flood insurance.
Who could afford it, said Bill Whitaker?
It is neither inexpensive nor sustainable, according to Brian Chapman.
William Whitaker On Sanibel Island, where we were yesterday, there is extensive damage. What chance do you have of recovering from this if you’re still around?
Mr. Brian Chapman The path to recovery is going to be difficult. I’m certain that some of them who skipped insurance will sell their land or their real estate.
A storm that quickly transformed into an electric murderer caused all of this. Powered by the warm Gulf of Mexico seas, Ian grew from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4 hurricane in only two days, carrying 150 mph gusts and a storm surge that engulfed coastal villages in 12 feet of water. Catastrophic rains added insult to that two-for-one.
Over central Florida, the storm poured more than 20 inches of rain, swollen rivers, and flooded communities throughout a wide area of the state.
William Whitaker You anticipated this would be a monster, right?
I did, Bobby Quinn.
Bobby Quinn, a native of Tampa and former Air Force weather forecaster who had founded a software firm, traveled south into the eye of the storm as Ian drew near because he wanted to assist.
Bobby Quinn: Kind of difficult to, um, leave this place…
he received more than he had anticipated.
There was nowhere to go, said Bobby Quinn. When I was sitting in the vehicle, trees were flying by, and if I had stepped out from behind that wall, the wind would have overturned my truck. The wheels lifted off the ground when I tried once.
After 13 terrifying hours, he finally began using his skills. Paypixl, a software start-up that Quinn owns in Tampa, crowdsources drone photography and compiles it into an app. When Ian struck, he changed the purpose of his website so that evacuees could examine pictures of their houses and evaluate the damage without paying.
Bobby Quinn: You can see the wreckage in the rear and the debris field. The satellite images may now be disabled so you can witness the pre-event. Before the storm, it seemed as shown.
William Whitaker What do you say?
And if we include our street-level images, someone can click in and see what that home looks like.
Wow, Bill Whitaker says.
Bobby Quinn: -after the storm, from the front.
William Whitaker You now have the whole event. Ground level, before to, after.
Bobby Quinn: You’re right.
After putting some of his work online, he received a ton of inquiries. More than 700 arrived from Rotonda West, a crowded, spiraling development 35 miles to the north of Sanibel.
Here we are in Rotonda West, Bobby Quinn. The neighborhood is this. Additionally, each individual photo that was shot in the area is represented by the pink dots that you can see.
Quinn combined satellite imagery with ground-level photographs he obtained while traveling street by street to create his database.
William Whitaker In order to take shots on both sides of the roadway, were you driving up and down every cul-de-sac in the enormous circle that we saw?
Every road, says Bobby Quinn. each home.
William Whitaker How long did you need to do that?
Bobby Quinn: I spent nine hours on it. 117 miles.
William Whitaker And how many photos did you ultimately have?
Bobby Quinn: Approximately 8,000.
He shot footage inside several homes.
Quinn’s efforts weren’t in vain; he informed us that an insurance provider and Florida’s emergency operations center had gotten in touch with him and requested his data.
William Whitaker How come you did this?
Robert Quinn You know it’s a dreadful sensation if you’ve ever experienced hopelessness, despair, or the worry that comes with the unknown. We are aware that there are innovative ways to utilize technology to reach the proper people, including friends, family, and loved ones. We aim to help them feel less anxious.
Twelve miles northeast of severely damaged Fort Myers, there could be a cure for that. Syd Kitson, an eco-conscious developer and former professional football player, is the creator of Babcock Ranch.
So, Syd Kitson, this structure has just been through a Cat-4 storm.
In 2006, Kitson and his partners bought 91,000 acres, an area larger than Manhattan, with the intention of creating the first tiny town in the United States to be completely sustainable, hurricane-resistant, and ecologically benign.
We are America’s first solar-powered community, according to Syd Kitson. We have a 150 megawatt solar field. But it just tells a portion of the tale.
Bill Whitaker: Presently, how many people reside here?
Syd Kitson: Approximately 5,000. Additionally, eventually—
William Whitaker And what are your ambitions for expansion?
Syd Kitson: Approximately 50,000.
In his lakefront residence in the city, Kitson weathered the storm.
Syd Kitson: I also recall sitting in this spot. The weather was on. “Well, this category four storm is now going towards Babcock Ranch,” the weatherman adds. At addition to going to Babcock Ranch, it will also be in the worst possible location: on the eastern side of the wall.
How long did the storm linger over you? Bill Whitaker
Syd Kitson: Eight to ten hours, roughly.
He used his iPhone to record a video. White caps could be seen on the lake during the height of the storm.
Syd Kitson: The next morning, I hopped in my vehicle and began driving away as soon as the sun rose. The only damage consisted of a few felled trees and a few roofs with missing shingles.
That’s it, Bill Whitaker?
By Syd Kitson I’m done now. Consequently, our recuperation took maybe a day?
Babcock Ranch was constructed 25 to 30 feet above sea level to prevent storm surges and was intended to support Florida’s ecology with native vegetation and natural canals for drainage. All telephone and power wires are underground.
William Whitaker Aren’t you glad to be located on a higher elevation than the majority of the areas of Florida that were swept away?
By Syd Kitson That is essential, I agree, but not when it comes to the wind, rain, floods, and so on. Therefore, if that infrastructure is improperly constructed, residences will flood. The wind damage will be yours.
Power was not lost here. We were taken to observe this enormous solar array by Syd Kitson.
What you see is 440 acres, according to Syd Kitson.
Built by Florida Power and Light are 700,000 solar panels. They endured Ian’s vicious beating.
There is a lot of water, but you can’t see a single panel that has been moved, according to Syd Kitson. And throughout the last three days, there was a fair amount of wind that passed through here.
Bill Whitaker: Wind gusts of at least 150.
Syd Kitson: It didn’t remove even one panel from here despite gusts of more than 150, which is quite amazing.
It was unusual to watch people having fun, dining at restaurants by the ocean, and children playing in parks after witnessing the destruction on Sanibel Island. Ian, the worst storm since Katrina, has left its legacy on adjacent villages.