Aerial footage of Fort Myers, Florida, circulated on social media Thursday, showing the almost total devastation from Hurricane Ian.
Footage taken during an aerial tour of the area by former Director of the Florida division of emergency management, Jared Moskowitz, showed a majority of the coastal community in ruin following storm surges and high winds from Hurricane Ian. The extreme weather event hit southwestern Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, but nearly reached Cat. 5 status before making landfall.
Sand appears to be covering a majority of the roadways and areas where homes and businesses once stood along Fort Myers beach, with Moskowitz noting in the caption that “most of it will need to be completely rebuilt.”
I got an aerial tour of Fort Myers beach. Most of it will need to be completely rebuilt. pic.twitter.com/9WgZJdXnfm
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) September 29, 2022
Similar images and videos have been shared of other parts of Fort Myers, such as the iconic pier, which was ripped down to its studs. Businesses and restaurants around the pier were flattened in many areas, with those still standing in dire need of rebuilding after just one day of storm surges.
Before and after of the Fort Myers Beach Pier pic.twitter.com/rT6zWXjQR4
— Sean Breslin (@Sean_Breslin) September 29, 2022
Fort Myers Beach destruction drone footage. Not my video. I’ll share his channel below. pic.twitter.com/5L9Vgng4cV
— Max Huber – The Magic Travel Guy (@MaxJHuber) September 29, 2022
Other social media users shared videos of entire blocks of houses disappeared to the elements, their materials strew haphazardly throughout the town. Drones flying over the area show nothing but carnage, seemingly void of life in the wake of the devastation. (RELATED: Terrifying Timelapse Of Hurricane Ian Shows Mass Devastation)
Hurricane Ian struck Florida as a Category 4 storm, edging toward Cat. 5 wind speeds of 157mph. Warnings have been issued to Georgia and the Carolinas as the weather system regains strength after flying over Florida and back out into the Atlantic on Friday.