Hurricane Ian - Category 4 With 155MPH Wind

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We were just there a few months ago. We booked a VRBO for the last week in January 23 in Naples. I hope it is still there!
 
My son made it home after a very difficult ride, picking way through debris, blocked streets and detours. It took him hours.

He got to his neighborhood and almost every house is damaged, some badly. Debris everywhere.. a very bad scene.

Every house has damage.. except his. He is unscathed. Literally no damage that he can find. Even his pool lanai is fine.. those things fly easily.

Can't explain it. He has no power but does have a generator and got his fridge and AC going.
He cannot freaking believe it.

At same time, heartbroken for those less fortunate.
 
patswin said:
My son made it home after a very difficult ride, picking way through debris, blocked streets and detours. It took him hours.

He got to his neighborhood and almost every house is damaged, some badly. Debris everywhere.. a very bad scene.

Every house has damage.. except his. He is unscathed. Literally no damage that he can find. Even his pool lanai is fine.. those things fly easily.

Can't explain it. He has no power but does have a generator and got his fridge and AC going.
He cannot freaking believe it.

At same time, heartbroken for those less fortunate.
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Wow.
 
What is not being publicized is casualties. One officer / coworker of my sons found 8 bodies all on his own today.

The toll may rise much further. I heard an estimate from his PD contacts that was scary. I don't want to say it because I hope it's not true and I don't want to spread rumors.
 
patswin said:
What is not being publicized is casualties. One officer / coworker of my sons found 8 bodies all on his own today.

The toll may rise much further. I heard an estimate from his PD contacts that was scary. I don't want to say it because I hope it's not true and I don't want to spread rumors.
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I have a friend that is a Capt. in a FD "down there" and he messaged a bunch of us some details and it isn't a rumor. Bodies are going to be getting found for weeks.
 
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Can I ask, why do so many people in the US build houses with wood? Especially in areas prone to hurricanes and tornados?
 
Roberto71 said:
Can I ask, why do so many people in the US build houses with wood? Especially in areas prone to hurricanes and tornados?
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Plentiful and inexpensive generally. Many houses in Florida are not 100% wood, I'd even say most are not. Concrete block construction is common. That really doesn't hold up to extreme storms either.
The building code in Florida has been greatly strengthened since Hurricane Andrew in 2001. A lot of destruction is older homes or mobile homes that don't stand a chance. Also the building code is for wind damage but nothing can survive flooding.

Example my kids house was built in 2006.. went through this storm with a direct hit and no damage. That is pretty lucky, but everything on his street has "damage" , not catastrophic damage. So the code helps with that.
 
2 of my parents' neighbors refused to evacuate Cape Coral. The neighborhood is, of course, without power. My parents' house lost shingles and a few screens of the pool cage, but nothing else. My parents are in RI and will be heading up to stay with family in Ontario this weekend for a month or so while they wait for power to be restored.

A friend of their lost his dock, the boat lift and the BOAT. He wasn't in Florida and couldn't get back to get the boat out of the water. It's just gone out to sea.
 
Phil Elliott said:
I was supposed to go there for 10 days on 10/11 as I have every October since 2005. My wife and I have gone there virtually every month of March since 2005, as well. That area is a 5 minute walk from our rental and what was there where the rubble is were some of the best live music venues, cheap beer, fun places ever. So heartbreaking.
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I was headed for Venice, about an hour south of Tampa, the same day as you. My first time in that locale. From what I can tell it wasn't as bad as Fort Myers as they didn't sustain a direct hit, but it remains to be seen if we'll be going or not. I'd just as soon send a donation to the Red Cross and just cancel the flight, but my Wife prefers to wait and see and make that call later.
 
Hawg73 said:
I was headed for Venice, about an hour south of Tampa, the same day as you. My first time in that locale. From what I can tell it wasn't as bad as Fort Myers as they didn't sustain a direct hit, but it remains to be seen if we'll be going or not. I'd just as soon send a donation to the Red Cross and just cancel the flight, but my Wife prefers to wait and see and make that call later.
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It's a really nice area. I'm guessing you'll hopefully be ok by then. But, not sure about their damage there.
 
Phil Elliott said:
It's a really nice area. I'm guessing you'll hopefully be ok by then. But, not sure about their damage there.
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I guess the trailer parks are a complete mess, but that's all I've been able to find out. We've got a connection to some locals so I expect
to have a better idea within a few days. Maybe it'll be fine and they could use the tourist cash we'll spend but OTOH maybe the infrastructure of the entire region
is so stressed that we should just stay the hell out of everybody's way.
 
Hawg73 said:
I guess the trailer parks are a complete mess, but that's all I've been able to find out. We've got a connection to some locals so I expect
to have a better idea within a few days. Maybe it'll be fine and they could use the tourist cash we'll spend but OTOH maybe the infrastructure of the entire region
is so stressed that we should just stay the hell out of everybody's way.
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The locals could likely give you a good sense of how to proceed.
 
Phil Elliott said:
The locals could likely give you a good sense of how to proceed.
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Being in daily touch with a local, the situation is very grim, and even the basic necessities are lacking for most of the area now. No power, no water, no fuel, no grocery stores, no nothing. Until and unless those basics return, I would not think of visiting. And even then, the beaches and marinas are all ruined.

I too was planning to visit my son a month from now. ( Cape Coral / Fort Myers) it's possible but unlikely that we will go.
 
Hawg73 said:
I guess the trailer parks are a complete mess, but that's all I've been able to find out. We've got a connection to some locals so I expect
to have a better idea within a few days. Maybe it'll be fine and they could use the tourist cash we'll spend but OTOH maybe the infrastructure of the entire region
is so stressed that we should just stay the hell out of everybody's way.
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Nearly 2,000,000 trailer park residents in florida. Perfect terrain for hurricanes to head off on a double-wide safari.

Cheers
 
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