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Heartbreaking! Hurricane Ian leaves Sanibel Island covered in damage and debris.

On September 28th, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm.

The storm generated winds of up to 150 MPH and storm surge levels between 12 and 18 feet. Almost the entire island of Sanibel was covered in multiple feet of water.

Parts of the Sanibel Causeway (the only road that connects the island with the mainland) were washed away by the storm surge.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Sanibel Island was only accessible by boat.

100 crews worked around the clock to repair the causeway. Workers used 8,200 loads of fill dirt, 2,400 loads of rock, and 4,000 tons of asphalt. Emergency repairs to the Sanibel Causeway were completed in an unprecedented 15 days and recovery crews were granted access to the island. 21 days after Hurricane Ian, residents and business owners were allowed to utilize the repaired causeway to access Sanibel.

This video was created to document what Sanibel Island looked like in the days immediately after the Sanibel Causeway reopened after Hurricane Ian.

These video clips and photos were taken between Sanibel Causeway, Periwinkle Way, and West Gulf Drive.

This video is a Sanibel Barometer / Barometer Media production. See more like this on https://sanibelbarometer.com

Video and photography: Eric J. Taubert, https://taubertgallery.com