Hurricane

See what 4 Florida sites looked like before Hurricane Ian — and what they look like now

The images that have come out of Southwest Florida — during and after Hurricane Ian — are jarring.

Entire city stretches submerged. Roofs floating away. And the littered remnants of buildings that once stood tall.

The Category 4 storm battered Florida — but particularly gutted the southwest coast — with heavy rain, gusty winds, catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge.

Here are some before and after pictures of notable locations in the region.

Downtown Fort Myers

Streets of downtown Fort Myers flooded due to storm surge from the Caloosahatchee River after Hurricane Ian hit the West Coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28, 2022. Before: Google Maps; After: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald

Legacy Harbor Marina

Scene shows boats that were run aground at Legacy Harbour Marina in Fort Myers a day after Hurricane Ian hit the West Coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm. Before: Google Maps; After: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald
Scene shows boats that were run aground at Legacy Harbour Marina in Fort Myers a day after Hurricane Ian hit the West Coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm. Before: Google Maps; After: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald

San Carlos Island

Scene shows boats that were run aground in San Carlos Island a day after Hurricane Ian hit the West Coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm. Before: Google Maps; After: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald

Sanibel Causeway

A section of the causeway leading to Sanibel, Florida, in Lee County, was knocked out by Hurricane Ian. Before: Google Maps; After: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

READ MORE: Your favorite Sanibel hangouts were ground zero of hurricane. A look at some of them

This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 5:39 PM.

Profile Image of Grethel Aguila
Grethel Aguila
Miami Herald
Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.
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