Fort Myers Area Beaches Reopen After Hurricane Ian
Finally some good news for hurricane recovery in Southwest Florida. Fort Myers area beaches reopen after Hurricane Ian in stages. Lee County leaders announced the plans this week. However, they caution the reopening will be done in phases between now and May. Hopefully it wont take as long as May to get them all up and running.
Opening Lee County beaches and their parks involves more than just clearing debris and cleaning up the sand. Facilities such as bathrooms are important and not all are functional. Peeing in the bushes isn’t fun and not always safe. Let’s not even talk about if nature calls for more. For dogs, it’s not so much of a problem. Perhaps that is why Bonita Dog Beach is the first to reopen.
Fort Myers area beaches may be reopening, however, officials do NOT recommend doing this. There may be all kinds of debris right beneath the sand.
Beach reopening schedule
- Early March: Dog Beach and Boca Grande Beach Access
- Mid March: Captiva’s Alison Hagerup, Bunch Beach Preserve, and Bonita Beach access 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9
- Mid April: Bonita Beach Park and Lynn Hall Memorial Park on Fort Myers Beach
- May: Bonita’s Little Hickory Island Park and on Fort Myers Beach, Crescent Beach Family Park and Bowditch
Fort Myers area beaches reopen after Hurricane Ian, however, there are precautions you’re being advised to take if you visit. Beware of debris in the sand, the dunes and surrounding areas. It may look OK visually, but much of the debris is obscured. Wear shoes.
Storm damage has kept numerous Lee County parks closed, most of them are at area beaches. Here is a map for you to keep track of openings and closures as well as other updates. If you need information on anything else Ian related in Lee County, click here.
Searching Fort Myers Beach After Hurricane Ian
I spent some time this weekend searching Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian. More specifically, helping a friend pick through the rubble of what used to be her home.
It’s the first time I’ve been on the beach since the storm four weeks ago. Prior to this, I helped another friend (Louise) salvage items from her parents home off of Main Street at the base of the beach bridge. Pictures and story here. It was heartbreaking. She was with me on this second salvage trip.
Approaching the big bridge, I felt a knot of anxiety growing in my stomach. I remember the very first time I crossed that bridge. It was during the job interview that brought me to Southwest Florida. I arrived via the Palm Beach Blvd. exit from I-75. Almost 30 years ago, there were no chic high rises along the river. My first impression of the city was, well, uninspiring to say the least.
Then my soon to be boss took me on a tour. We left the station on Palm Beach Blvd. and drove down McGregor. I loved the tall swaying palms, the hidden oasis of the Edison and Ford estates. Fort Myers was beginning to look a little better.
Crossing the bridge to Fort Myers Beach
However, when we topped the bridge going to Fort Myers Beach, I exhaled. I knew I was home. There is something about the steep incline, cresting the bridge, then seeing the beach and water unfold in front of you. It’s a moment of decompression and it never gets old. But this time I crossed it with dread. I tried to hold back the dam of tears, however the cracks were already forming and finally gave way. It was just as heartbreaking as I had feared.
Searching Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian, this church was completely gutted inside. However, the stained glass windows were remarkably spared.
Searching Fort Myers Beach
We drove down Estero Blvd, hardly recognizing where we were at times. If I had not been following my friend, Tracey Stagner, I would never have found the sandy lot that used to hold her home. Like many people, she evacuated the island as Hurricane Ian approached, never imagining the only possessions she would have were those packed in her car.
Her home was one lot back from the Gulf of Mexico. It’s completely gone. Part of it ended up across Estero Blvd in the backyard of another destroyed property. She recognized the roof, her pink front door and part of her couch sticking out from underneath. Also under the pitched roof was a single, purple UGG boot. Remember the wicked witch’s ruby slippers under Dorothy’s house in the movie the “Wizard of Oz?” It was oddly similar.
Click the arrow in the photo below for a video
Our mission was to try and find things that were of sentimental value to her. Like the Pandora bracelets from her father. Even a fragment of some furniture the two of them had restored while he was alive. We did not find either. However, we did find some of her favorite plates from local artist Leoma Lovegrove, still intact. Also. a battered sweatshirt from a lost love that kept her warm on a few dark nights.
At the end of the day yes, those all just “things.” But when you are left with “no- things”, those little things mean everything. My heart goes out to the thousands of others in Tracey’s shoes. Please take care of yourselves.
Finally, here are some photos of what we found while searching Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian.
