Hurricane Ian: Category 4 storm devastated west coast of Florida in 2022. Everything to know
On the morning of Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa, Florida, a barrier island west of Fort Myers in Lee County.
A Category 4 storm, Ian packed 150 mph sustained winds and 10-15 feet of storm surge, making it one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall in Florida.
Ian slowly moved across the Florida peninsula, hammering the state with heavy rains and powerful winds, causing catastrophic flooding before exiting the state and into the open waters of the Atlantic as a tropical storm where it restrengthened and made its final landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in South Carolina on Sept. 30th.
Ian was Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935 and could also be the costliest.
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What part of Florida did Hurricane Ian hit?
Hurricane Ian barreled into Southwest Florida with 150 mph winds when it made landfall on the small barrier island of Cayo Costa.
The storm thrashed parts of the western coast with intense winds and catastrophic storm surges before tracking over the Florida peninsula as a tropical storm and dumping flooding rain far inland.
What areas were hit the hardest by Hurricane Ian?
Fort Myers Beach, along with Lee County’s other barrier islands, including Pine Island, Sanibel Island, Captiva and the fishing village of Matlacha, took the brunt of Hurricane Ian’s assault on Florida’s coastline.
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Ian’s deadly storm surge pushed the Gulf of Mexico as high as 15 feet above the normally dry ground on Fort Myers Beach causing death and devastation on the island.
Parts of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed and the Pine Island bridge was partially washed out, leaving residents disconnected from the mainland.
As Ian pushed inland, the storm surge caused severe flooding across Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples.
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Ian’s ferocious winds and water flooded entire communities and left residents stranded in their homes.
Rainfall along and east of Interstate 4 totaled 10 to 20 inches or more, inundating the St. Johns River basin and other low-lying areas across Central Florida for months.
In Daytona Beach Shores, Wilbur-by-the-Sea and across Volusia and Flagler counties, Ian's storm surge collapsed seawalls and eroded beaches and backyards, leaving many oceanfront homes, condos and hotels damaged and unsafe.
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How many people died in Hurricane Ian?
At least 144 deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Ian in Florida, five in North Carolina and Virginia, and three in Cuba.
Up to 60 people reportedly drowned in Florida, and at least 30 died partially as a result of existing medical conditions. At least 85 victims were 65 or older.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian ravaged Florida's west coast in 2022. Everything to know
