PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - 7Skyforce took to the skies the day after Hurricane Ian swept through Southwest Florida, and the images revealed widespread destruction.
The bridge to Sanibel and Captiva islands is destroyed. Ian’s violent storm surge washed out large sections of the road. There’s no way to get to or off the island.
Skyforce showed smoke in the distance from a beachfront house burning out of control. It will burn to the ground because rescue crews are unable to respond.
All across Sanibel, homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by Ian’s wind and water.
In Fort Myers Beach, the view from the air was heartbreaking. Entire blocks are just gone.
House upon house piled into each other by the storm’s pounding storm surge. An entire fleet of shrimp boats were washed ashore along San Carlos Boulevard.
There are dozens of piles of debris like this across the island. It’s all that is left of people’s homes, businesses and lives.
7Skyforce’s Ralph Rayburn, who has covered countless hurricanes over the years, said the pictures don’t do it justice.
“It was just an eye-opener for us to be 45 minutes away from South Florida on our side of the state and have things normal, and there see a situation that there are people without power. It appears that they lost their homes and most of their belongings,” he said.
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