Remembering Hurricane Ian
From the deck of the Nautical Mile
4-minute read
When I tell people I rode out Hurricane Ian in Bokeelia they look at me like they’re surprised I’m alive.
Pine Island on SW Florida’s Gulf coast is about 18 miles long with St. James City on the south end, and Bokeelia on the north. I’m in Bokeelia.
About 12 days out, NOAA put Hurricane Ian’s center-line right through Bokeelia.
The line shifted a few times over the next few days, at one point it went west as far as Pensacola. When Ian made landfall, sure enough, that line went right through the center of Bokeelia.
Ian was huge, slow, and very powerful, so nothing was “good,” but the center of a hurricane is better than the south end. A hurricane spins counter-clockwise which pushes water on one side, while the opposite side sucks water out. So if you have no choice, the center is the least threat.
St. James City got the south side of Ian and a surge of almost 15-feet which completely covered homes. Bokeelia got around 5-feet. Here on the island, 5-feet is not much more than an extreme full-moon high tide. While 15-feet swallows neighborhoods.
24 hours prior, when I saw it was going to be bad, is when I decided to stay. Surge is the threat, and my home is on a ridge surveyed between 13-14’ above sea level. While water may come close, I didn’t think it would enter the home.
My construction build-up is another two feet, then my floor is a bit above that. If water got that high it would likely sheer across the island before entering the home.
But then again….. 11 hours of high winds pushing water can be unpredictable, and nobody knows what a hurricane is going to do till after it happens.
A wind inspector on my home asked if I custom built this house myself. He was surprised at how everything was doubled-up. He said the roof was bolted to a slab and a house was built in between.
The builder of my house built over a hundred houses out here on the island then built this one to retire in.
Retirement bored him so he started collecting and restoring old cars and needed more room, so he built the same house a few blocks away with an 18-car garage. Mine is only 6.
I don’t mean a traditional 6 where you could only actually fit 4.3 cars inside. I mean a true full sized 6-car garage, which always leads to collecting a lot of “stuff.”
I LOVE my garage. It’s a typical “guy” room that can only fit one car because of all my stuff.
One of the garage’s features is that the builder converted a bay into an elevated poured concrete safe-room. My wife made this her office because it’s soundproof and she can focus.
This room is about 8X12’ with cabinets, a desk, washer & dryer, and a sink. The walls are poured concrete with a steel door, it’s a pretty tough room. If the house blew away, that room would likely still be there.
The floor-space is about 5X8, and we put this room to the test during Hurricane Ian by spending 11 hours in it with a 120# Doberman and a parrot.
A few days out when Ian started shifting back to the east and NOAA put us back in the cone, I started loading up on supplies.
Water and fuel could be used if the storm were to take a last-minute turn, so I loaded up on what I thought was way too much, but we ended running out of everything.
I start early to avoid lines, plus grocery stores and gas stations run dry. I had about 400 gallons of water in containers in the garage, 10 cases of drinking water, 3 cans of propane for the grill, I froze several buckets of ice, and 40 gallons of gas.
I also started creating a pile of supplies like tarps and ropes. You just never know what you’ll need. You also want to know what you have and where it is.
We spent the day prior securing outdoor items the best we could, put items of priority in the safe-room, and waited for Ian’s landfall.
The island was being evacuated but “Mandatory Evacuation” does not mean you have to leave. It means there will be no services till further notice. No police, no EMS, no medical assistance, and no fire dept. It means you’re on your own.
I’ve taken a lot of chances and risks over the years. I’ve bet on things that could have cost me dearly, and I’ve put a lot of faith into guesses throughout my life, but nothing I’ve experienced compared to the feeling I had when the sky got dark, the winds started to howl, and I knew we were on our own and there was no turning back.
We made a video of the whole house inside and out for insurance purposes, and as the sky got dark and winds increased, we took one last look at our home and entered the safe-room.
Roaring winds and unexplained noises had us on edge, but I peeked out occasionally and thought it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Perhaps the storm shifted south?
About 5 hours into it, which is a long time to ride out a storm this powerful and unpredictable, the winds subsided and the sky turned white.
Ian didn’t pass over, this was the eye and the back side was coming. We went outside to re-secure items, check for damage, stretch a bit, walk the dog, etc.
Trees were down and there was some cosmetic damage to the house, but nothing serious. Roads were blocked in every direction and we were confined to less than a block radius because of fallen trees.
Ian’s eye was huge, about 50-miles across, so we had some time to prep for the second half. About 45-minutes later the sky got dark and we could hear wind roaring in the distance, so we headed back into the safe-room for round two.
The back half was much worse. Winds were much stronger and louder, and there was a lot of banging outside. We thought for sure part the roof was gone, but it was just soffit and tree limbs.
As soon as it was safe to go outside, I went straight for the generator and we spent that evening organizing supplies and running electrical cords.
Nobody was hurt so reserving food and water was the current priority. Information was what we wanted the most, and it was the one thing we couldn’t get. There was no phone signal, no power, no contact with anyone, and no radio signal. What a feeling!
I’m quite a “Boy Scout” in times like this. Not only did I have water & fuel but I also store a small portable A/C, lots of battery powered lights, air mattresses, and a bit of whiskey.
I had recently taken a trip to Key Largo where I stocked up on lobster tails, plus we were at Costco a couple weeks prior, so we ate pretty good considering...
The next morning we got dressed early and attempted to drive through our neighborhood to do a damage check and find out what we were up against. At sunup, islanders with trucks were out pulling trees out of the road so at least one car could get by.
We couldn’t get out of our neighborhood till day-3 which is when we also got our first cell phone signal. We still had no idea what happened in Matlacha or Ft. Myers Beach, which is who suffered the most damage due to being on the south side of the storm.
Friends were sending text messages to check on us but there was no signal for a couple days so we didn’t get the messages.
We had no contact at all till the first text message came through which was 3-days old. We got one message to one family member who let everyone else know we were ok.
Dr. Jerry Cowan was one of the messages, my eye doctor, who was asking what we needed the most. What we needed the most was still information, which was hard to come by.
We had no phone service and the signal was not strong enough to send or receive photos. Text messages only worked for a few minutes a day.
For a while we only had an occasional signal strong enough to send and/or receive a text message, then it was gone.
I sent Dr. Jerry a note about my concern of running out of fuel. Gas and basic supplies were hard to come by locally so he drove to Clewiston, a town about 35-40 miles east, to buy gas cans and fill them. He didn’t know how he’d get them to me because he heard Matlacha was gone.
“Gone! What do you mean gone?” But the text didn’t go through so I got left hanging not knowing what “gone” meant.
This was the first I heard about Matlacha, and by day-4 and we were able to leave the neighborhood to go find out more about what was happening on the island.
Army Chinooks hovered over us with the National Guard and lots of supplies. It was quite a feeling. A camp was set up at the center of town, (roughly 6-7 miles from me,) where people started gathering and we were finally able to get information.
Fire trucks went up and down neighborhood streets on loudspeakers telling people we had to evacuate the island by boat because the bridges were washed out and gone. But locals wouldn’t leave.
You don’t abandon an island with thousands of residents. You do what you have to do to fix it and move forward.
My wife & I would rather be on our own for a few days as opposed to living in someone’s spare bedroom with the pets and no vehicle.
When the Army wants to go to war they build a bridge in a few hours, why are we being evacuated? Governor DeSantis quickly came to town put a stop to that nonsense.
Around day-6 text was working better. I sent a note to Capt. Gregg McKee, a friend and one of the paper’s writers, and asked if he could get the fuel cans from Jerry and run them out by boat. If the fuel ran out, we had no way to preserve food.
Gregg got the cans, ran them out to Tim Gleason’s house which was about a mile from mine, (another one of our writers,) where I met him with my empty cans to be refilled and brought out the next day.
Gregg and Capt. Alex Moran, another one of our writers, shared this task every day for a week. Every day around noon I’d go to the dock with empty cans and take the full ones left by Gregg & Alex. They didn’t only do this for me, they ran supplies for lots of people.
The first few days were quiet and a bit boring. Most of our time was spent cleaning up around the yard. We had a daily routine refilling buckets of water, hand-washing clothes, meeting at Tim’s for our daily fuel drop, and doing a daily supply inventory.
It was also a great opportunity for things that were due like cleaning out closets and boxes in the garage.
We were on our own for days and there was a lot of looting and robberies, but mostly by boat. I ran ropes for a clothesline and hung shirts & towels even if clothes were clean so anyone seeing the house knew people were home to help prevent unwanted guests.
Our Sheriff said there was no crime “reported,” that’s because we had no phones to report crimes. Go door-to-door and ask residents, you’ll hear about how much was stolen.
A guy I know went to a marina and siphoned fuel from a boat for his generator, but he left a note with how many gallons he got with his contact information. That’s the kind of people who live out here.
The death toll remains unknown. The guys running my fuel found 5 bodies in the mangroves. Reported numbers say 127, but insiders say more than 2,000. The same happened in Hurricane Andrew. They actually had no way of knowing how many died, but the reported numbers were a fraction of reality.
Internet was out for almost a month, but Verizon set up hot-spots around town so I could work from a laptop and return home with downloaded files. With everything else that was going on, going out to find a WiFi signal was actually a break from the situation.
A few days into post-storm life we saw a lot of people camped out in a nearby yard. It was a neighbor with the new Starlink system. He had a sign in the yard with the password and everyone was gathering to send and receive email.
One evening we went for a drive, partially to see progress, and partially just to get out. We drove to Matlacha and there was a road. We left the island but turned around and went right back home worried we may get stuck off the island.
After about 2 weeks the roads were replaced and we could come & go as needed. It took over a year to get all of the debris cleaned up, we lost some oak trees, but we’re alive and have a great story to tell.
The big question has been, “Would you ride out another?” In my house where it is, yes. (But I don’t know if my wife would.)
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A few memories-
A product called “The Bug Juice” came in handy. It’s by far the best insect repellant you can buy. The company is based in Ft. Pierce and they ran cases over to give away on the island to whoever needed it.
We had no power or running water for about two weeks, and that first shower where I didn’t have to use a cup of cold water felt GREAT!
I was very impressed with private non-profit groups who offered help. Multiple unknown organizations had food every day and even locals set up smokers and BBQ grills on street corners for free.
Cases of waters were scattered all over the island and I heard “Do you need anything” more times than I could ever count.
The island was only partially evacuated. People out here are pretty tough and don’t run from storms. They know they have each other.
Residents who stayed impressed me beyond words. The first morning it was still stormy outside but dozens of locals were out pulling trees from the roads and knocking on doors to check on people. This was priceless to see since we had no police or emergency services available for the first 8-10 days.
Robin & I witnessed a car who caught a downed power line that flipped her into a ditch full of water. I jumped out and realized she was underwater and caught on her seatbelt and would be dead in less than a minute.
I was trying to reach into the car underwater to release her seatbelt and I heard someone yell, “Get back!” It was a local with a truck who showed up out of nowhere and latched a strap onto her axle, then pulled the car back onto its tires.
It all happened so fast I never even saw where that guy came from. Doors opened, water flowed out, and a lady got out. She had 3 dogs with her, shook herself off and asked for a ride home. She was in shock, but her and all 3 dogs were alive and safe.
I hung a towel on the downed wire hoping the next car would see it.
Misinformation was a problem for the first few days, but we’re Americans, it was nothing new.
President Biden did a fly-over, but he thought he was in South Carolina.
Williamson Brothers, a local business on the island, ran a barge across Matlacha pass several days in a row with 1,000 gallons of fuel. Everyone could fill one can per day for free. We had our own fuel coming daily and didn’t want to take away from those who were so desperate, but we filled cans for neighbors.
Insurance continues to be a hassle for most but mine settled pretty quickly. I didn’t get the damage so many others did. My wind insurance was through Citizens, which is government operated so they don’t have the option to file bankruptcy to get out of claims.
Bald eagles were the first on scene. The day after, right at dawn, you could hear them, and as it started to get light out you could see them flying around with branches rebuilding their homes.
Hurricane Charley only brushed us, but it was the closest comparison within the past 50 years. Charley picked up forward speed and passed through in a couple hours.
Charley was quick and powerful, yet small. For size comparison, Hurricane Charley fit completely inside the eye of Ian.
Ian’s forward speed slowed as it approached the coast and the storm was over 200 miles across with a 50-mile wide eye which caused hurricane force winds to last 11-12 hours.
The wash-out in Matlacha, the town between us and the mainland, was roughly 100-yards wide. Google photos for “Matlacha, Hurricane Ian.” It’s quite a sight. Homes, cars, washing machines, pool tables, all got washed out and never found.
It was quite a challenge to get that road built which took dozens of dump-trucks. The two top responsible parties were Governor DeSantis and Bokeelia resident Steve Honc. Steve paced with his phone for two days negotiating and pulling details together, while the Governor approved everything. This led to Sanibel and Flagler Beach also getting their roads fixed so fast after their last storm wash-outs.
Government assistance was a JOKE!
World Central Kitchen, WCK.org, was very impressive. They were on scene before emergency services flying helicopters back & forth from Ft. Myers to the center of Pine Island with hundreds of hot meals from sunrise to sunset every day for the first 8-10 days. That one group was more useful than FEMA and any other government agency.
An unknown man flew his private jet from central Florida to Ft. Myers loaded with supplies, which turned out to be john Travolta.
Publix and a Mobile gas station were protested a while back. Locals who want no growth, (except for their house…) didn’t want any more stores out here. But Publix came through in a big way to help storm victims.
Prior to the bridge opening, the staff at Publix ran carts of food out into their parking lot, everything was free. Their trucks were the first to enter when the road opened with 8 big-rigs at which time the store was open for business.
The new Mobile gas station did the same, plus they had 4 tankers on-site to keep the station full. Meanwhile, the Winn Dixie and Circle-K which have been here for years didn’t open for weeks.
Chuck, owner of Chuck’s Auto on Pine Island, lost his dog. He got scared and ran away the night prior to the storm. Chuck thought for sure he became prey to our coyote population.
They both got an early Christmas Miracle. A local was evacuating the night prior to the storm and saw a small dog on the side of the road. They grabbed it, put him in the back seat, and dropped him off at the Cape Coral Animal Shelter on their way out of town.
As the shelter was getting caught up on lost animals and scanned the dog, and sure enough, there was a chip, and they were reunited.
Costco ran a 18-wheeler flat-bed loaded with pallets of free waters and dropped a pallet off on the side of the road every mile up and down the island. Pretty classy!
Prior to having roads we would go to the town-center every morning to get a flyer which had the latest info on it. This was how we were getting the latest accurate info and didn’t know who was doing this. It turned out to be the local water company.
They also sent staff out to open the island’s water storage tanks so people could fill containers for drinking water plus they worked around the clock to patch holes and leaks so we could get water back into homes.
WINK News had great radio coverage, while the rest were all drama and useless.
We made history, and SW Florida will never be the same. Some will be worse, and some will be better.
If you ever have to deal with this and fight with your insurance company, please consider the many who lost their lives. You can always make more money and rebuild a house.
Jim Griffiths
Publisher, Nautical Mile
