Four Years On: Remembering Hurricane Ian and the SW Florida Communities Still Rebuilding

“Four years later. Our commitment has not changed. Our gratitude has not faded. Our community is our why.”

Four years on

It has been four years since Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa as a high-end Category 4 hurricane on September 28, 2022 — devastating Lee County, Charlotte County, and a wide swath of Southwest Florida.

For the families of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, Cape Coral, Estero, North Fort Myers, and the canal communities throughout Lee and Charlotte counties — Ian was, for many, the worst day of their lives. The storm surge alone killed dozens. The wind and water tore through homes that families had spent generations building.

Four years on, the recovery is still happening.

What we saw

WrightWay was on the ground in the immediate aftermath of Ian and stayed for the long haul. Some of what we saw is impossible to forget:

The man in San Carlos Park who, on the day after the storm, walked us through what was left of the home he had built with his father in 1978. The Sanibel resident who lost everything except a metal photograph holder her granddaughter had given her, and asked us to please be careful with it during demolition. The Fort Myers Beach business owner who watched his restaurant — a place his family had run for 30 years — vanish in the surge.

And alongside the loss, the strength: Cape Coral neighbors organizing meals for displaced families before any official aid arrived. Volunteer chainsaw crews from out of state who showed up unpaid and stayed for weeks. The Florida Building Code, written hard by the lessons of Hurricane Andrew, doing its job — saving lives in the homes that had been built or upgraded to current standard.

The recovery is still happening

Four years is a long time. But for many Lee and Charlotte County families, four years is not enough. Insurance disputes that started in 2022 are still being litigated. Construction that started in 2023 is still being finished. Homes that took on saltwater have hidden damage — slab corrosion, electrical issues, mold in spaces that were “dried” but never fully — that is only now revealing itself.

If you are still in some stage of Ian recovery, please know:

• You are not alone. Many of your neighbors are still working through it, too.
• Hidden damage is real. If something feels off about your home — a smell, a stain, a soft spot in a floor — it’s worth getting checked.
• Lee County continues to administer federal CDBG-DR funds for Ian-related home repair and reconstruction. Check leegov.com for current program status.

The names matter

Hurricane Ian killed at least 156 people, with the majority in Lee County alone. They were neighbors, parents, grandparents, business owners, retirees, working families. Today, four years on, we remember every one of them. Their families are still living with that loss, and we hold them in our hearts.

What we’ve learned in four years

Ian taught Southwest Florida some hard lessons that have shaped how we work:

• Storm surge is the killer. Wind damage is recoverable; saltwater inundation is not. Evacuation orders for surge zones are not optional.
• Flood insurance is essential. Many Ian-impacted families discovered too late that their standard homeowners policy did not cover their flood losses.
• Reconstruction takes years, not months. Realistic expectations and long-term planning matter more than speed.
• Local matters. Out-of-state contractors who arrived with magnetic signs on rented trucks are mostly gone. Local Florida-licensed contractors who knew the codes, the inspectors, the supply chain — those are the ones still finishing work today.

To the Lee County and Charlotte County community

What you have rebuilt — together — over the last four years is extraordinary. Houses, businesses, neighborhoods, schools, restaurants, churches. The Pine Island bridge. Fort Myers Beach. The Sanibel causeway. None of that came back by accident. It came back because the people who lived there decided it would.

WrightWay is honored to have been one small part of that work. We will continue to be — for whatever next storm comes, and for the families still putting their homes and lives back together from this one.

WrightWay’s continued commitment

If your home or business has unfinished Ian-related work, hidden damage that’s surfacing now, or storm-related issues you’ve been putting off — call (941) 379-8669. We’re a Florida-licensed General Contractor (CBC1253650) with IICRC certification, available 24/7, and our service area covers Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties.

🕯️ Four years on. Still here. Still helping. Restoring homes. Rebuilding lives.

— The WrightWay Emergency Services Family