Home damage from Ian exceeds $33M in unincorporated Sarasota County, according to initial report

Anne Snabes, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
Wayne LeBlanc pick up parts of his neighbors roof Thursday morning, Sept. 29, 2022 at the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park in Venice, Florida following Hurricane Ian. LeBlanc said he stayed in his trailer, in the background, during the storm. "Three-quarters of the way thru, I was wishing I hadn't. I watched roofs get ripped off." he said.
Wayne LeBlanc pick up parts of his neighbors roof Thursday morning, Sept. 29, 2022 at the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park in Venice, Florida following Hurricane Ian. LeBlanc said he stayed in his trailer, in the background, during the storm. "Three-quarters of the way thru, I was wishing I hadn't. I watched roofs get ripped off." he said.

Homes in unincorporated Sarasota County appear to have incurred over $33 million in damage from Hurricane Ian, according to an initial estimate from the county.

Sarasota County Planning and Development Services staff have been assessing the damage from the storm, and as of the end of the day on Sunday, they estimated 1,602 homes qualify as impacted structures under Federal Emergency Management Agency criteria.

Good to know: Charlotte County opens 3 food, water distribution points, temporary medical site after Ian

More on Ian: Charlotte County reports 23 deaths after Hurricane Ian search and rescue efforts

This number will likely increase because county staff haven't been able to get to some areas yet.

The impacted homes fit into one of four FEMA categories: “destroyed,” “major,” “minor” and “affected.” Affected homes have minimal cosmetic damage, according to FEMA. 

The number of homes in each category, so far, is:

  • Destroyed: 37

  • Major: 162

  • Minor: 439

  • Affected: 964

Sarasota County also estimated the amount of damage in each category:

  • Destroyed: $1.7 million

  • Major: $4.9 million

  • Minor: $13.1 million

  • Affected: $13.6 million

The residential damage from Ian, in total, is estimated to be $33,276,862. This number involves only unincorporated county areas, so it doesn’t include municipalities such as North Port or Venice. It does include Englewood, though, which was a hard-hit area of the county.

Related: 6 ways to help Hurricane Ian recovery in the Suncoast region

In other news, there were five food and water distribution sites open in Sarasota County on Monday:

  • Hyundai of Venice, 200 Jacaranda Blvd.

  • Wellfield Park, 1400 Lucaya Ave., Venice.

  • Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave.

  • Englewood Center Plaza, 240 S. Indiana Ave.

  • San Pedro Catholic Church, 14380 Tamiami Trail, North Port.

Monday was the last day the sites in Venice were open.

Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ian in Sarasota County: Home damage tops $33M in unincorporated areas