The Storm That Erased a Florida Beach Town — Ian 2022

On September 28th, 2022, Hurricane Ian came ashore on the barrier islands of Southwest Florida with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. But it wasn't the wind that erased Fort Myers Beach. It was a forecast that most people read the wrong way – a cone that had covered this coast in every advisory, a line down its middle that pointed at Tampa until the last day, and a county that waited until Tuesday morning to order its most exposed zone out. What followed became the costliest hurricane in Florida's history. 0:00 Tampa Bay Is Draining 2:15 The Hardest Place in the Country to Evacuate 3:08 Charley, 2004 3:43 Aimed at Tampa 4:47 Tuesday, 7 a.m. 5:31 Seven Hours From the Coast 7:02 10 to 15 Feet of Water 8:26 The Only Road Off the Island 9:24 The Hospitals Lose Pressure 10:08 The Hideaway Village 12:03 Why Lee County Waited For copyright and business inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] Music by Epidemic Sound.