Causeway repairs, utilities and more; Sanibel officials update public on Hurricane Ian recovery efforts

Samantha Neely, Fort Myers News-Press
·5 min read
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As of Nov. 1, more than 1,000 Sanibel residents now have power restored in their homes since Hurricane Ian slammed the island on Sept. 28

This and other key information was shared on Tuesday by Sanibel officials at a packed conference room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fort Myers.

Sanibel Causeway reopens: Residents and business owners return to Sanibel on the repaired Sanibel Causeway after Ian

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Referring to the past 34 days as "paradigm shift," City of Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza said Sanibel has experienced catastrophic damage and officials have been working around the clock to return it somewhat to normalcy.

Throughout the efforts, he praised the efforts of the different departments working together. He reminded residents that this recovery will take awhile, adding "just because you don't see it happening, doesn't mean it's not."

Dana Souza, the City Manager for Sanibel prepares to speak during a city council meeting at the Crowne Plaza at Bell Tower Shops. The primary talking points on the agenda were about recovery efforts on Sanibel after Hurricane Ian devastated the island. City hall has been moved to the hotel in Fort Myers until further notice.
Dana Souza, the City Manager for Sanibel prepares to speak during a city council meeting at the Crowne Plaza at Bell Tower Shops. The primary talking points on the agenda were about recovery efforts on Sanibel after Hurricane Ian devastated the island. City hall has been moved to the hotel in Fort Myers until further notice.

Here are the main takeaways from the meeting:

Council comments on recovery

Starting off the Hurricane Ian agenda with council comments, members brought several key topics to the discussion, including the future of Sanibel.

"I think the future of Sanibel's new construction is stilts … it's pretty obvious but my house and many others are elevated but they have walls around them and boy, I wish it didn't," Council member Dr. Scott Crater said. "I had to come back to try to scoop out all the mud that was trapped under my house, in the storage and garage areas and throw everything away that we had stored there. So did everybody else who was in my situation."

Kevin Guthrie, the Director of Florida Division of Emergency Management speaks during a Sanibel city council meeting at the Crowne Plaza at Bell Tower Shops. The primary talking points on the agenda were about recovery efforts on Sanibel after Hurricane Ian devastated the island. City hall has been moved to the hotel in Fort Myers until further notice.

Members also addressed debris pick-up from the island: The city has collected a total of 193,239 cubic yards as of Oct. 31. The island cleaned up a total of 170,000 cubic yards after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and a total of 253,000 cubic yards after Hurricane Charley in 2004.

Council member Mike Miller touched on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's deadline to receive full reimbursement for debris cleanup; as of now, the city has to complete its cleanup within 60 days. The city does plan to request an extension.

"This is all kind of preliminary to ask residents for patience because, at some point in time, we may need to restrict resident access for a day or so to accelerate the process of debris removal," Miller said. "Just remember, the purpose will be ultimately to save you time, money and get as much FEMA reimbursement as possible."

Members touched on the four Sanibel lives lost during the storm, adding they want to acknowledge the loss of life more.

"Strive to be the best in country"

Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, spoke about the work his department has been doing with debris removal since he arrived in Fort Myers on Oct. 3.

He said FDEM had gotten approval from FEMA to offer both private property removal and commercial property debris removal, adding the removal will be completely paid for.

To sign up for clean-up, he stressed these steps:

  • Go to Iandebriscleanup.com or call 850-961-2002

  • From there, you will need to sign a right of entry, upload your insurance documents and a copy of your ID and then sign a list of waivers.

  • For commercial properties, Guthrie recommends to go to the county's property appraisers website first and make sure the business title matches up with what you put on the application.

He also discussed two housing programs, both that require residents to register with FEMA.

Here are the two programs:

  • FDEM's six month temporary sheltering program on your property

  • FEMA's 18-month housing program

"You need to think about what month seven will look like for you," Guthrie said.

Lastly, he said FDEM have removed over 100 vehicles from the coastal waters surrounding the barrier islands following Ian's wrath, aiming to have the rest removed in the next 90 days.

FDOT shares plans for two bridges

Florida Department of Transportation Engineer Kati Sherrard opened her presentation about the Sanibel Causeway.

Originally collapsed in three different places from the storm surge, crews were able to provide temporary repairs and allow residents back on the island on Oct. 19.

Sherrard said there are three different phases to the causeway rebuild, and what residents are currently looking at is "Phase 1A."

Here are the different phases:

  • 1A - Repairing the causeway after it collapsed and working to repair it

  • 1B - Will be completed over the next month. Crews are working to add more stabilization to the bridge. Sherrard said while they have no worries, they will prepare them for another year in case of another rain event.

  • 2 - Starting at the same time as 1B is finishing. These will be permanent repairs to make the causeway more resilient. Crews will be finalizing the design and breaking it down into pieces. Expected to be complete by October 2023.

Another bridge Sherrard updated residents on was the Periwinkle Way Bridge, which was also destroyed by the storm surge and has since been closed.

She said the materials have been ordered and they expect to begin work in the next week. Once they begin work, the repairs will be completed in two weeks.

Souza said both of these repairs are paid for by the state, saying the typical $800,000 to $3 million for bridge repairs would have set them back, so they are grateful.

Water, electric update

Diana Wilson, Island Water Association general manager, said the utility has reestablished water to more than 3,000 properties on the island. The IWA gets 100 requests a day, so she advised residents to be patient.

She also advised that the island is still under a boil water notice and they are working hard to rescind it.

Lee County Electric Cooperative Key Account Executive Tricia Dorn spoke about electricity on the island, where the co-op has been providing power for 80 years.

As of Nov 1., LCEC has 200 crews working daily who have restored power to over 1,000 homes. She said they have more than 1,485 affidavits requesting power.

Both officials said if residents have problems with their utilities, they can contact their offices.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel officials discuss Hurricane Ian recovery efforts on island