HURRICANE IAN - A Story of Survival

For licensing contact Aaron at [e-mail]
On September 28th, 2022 the deadliest hurricane since 1932 struck Southwest, Florida. Ian made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane bringing with it a 15ft+ storm surge into Fort Myers Beach, Florida. While we documented the 150+ mph winds to the North the surge probe Max Olson and I left captured a remarkable story of survival.
This is the story of Tod and Anette. Two residents of Fort Myers Beach who were swept away from their home and hung on for dear life as debris, waves, and powerful winds slammed into them before carrying them across the canal. Just 24 hours after feeling terrible about ourselves not knowing they were inside before publishing the original video. We got to shake their hands and a new friendship was born.
Tod and Anette lost everything. We have the power to help them out. Please consider donating to their GoFundMe and help get them back on their feet.
www.gofundme.com/f/tod-and-an...

[@ArthurVoikos-ni6hq]

I won't forget the ones we lost💜 but I'm so happy for all of us that survived we went for a ride of a life time

[@USMCSDI]

I pray we NEVER see on like Ian again.... completely and utter DEVASTATING

[@NefraJaxxia]

My husband and I lived on Matlacha when Ian hit. We didn't get out in time because we couldn't find the cat. We managed to get trapped outside in the surge with no protection. A neighbor pulled a boat to where we were when the eye wall passed and got us to his place. I think the angels we had on us were the same as those around that family and their dogs. No worries, we now live in Iowa with the cat we couldn't find; my husband went back for her, and we're doing good. God Bless to that family on Fort Myers Beach and everyone else that survived.

[@TerroristFunds]

glad to hear you moved on but that’s a sad thing to happen i’m sorry it happened hope things work out better for you in your new place!

[@candacebradshaw2315]

Good luck to you. I never thought i would ever want to leave Ft.Myers. I would love to go now.

[@StormyMonday0896]

Omg

[@MrDogmanissad]

Rip cat🕊️🪦

[@NefraJaxxia]

@@MrDogmanissad I'm sorry, the cat is still alive. Sorry about the misunderstanding. Thank you though.

[@opo3628]

These folks certainly learned a BIG lesson that day…the hard way!

[@Trahzy]

Happens a lot when the strong ones come. Unfortunately.

[@martinavaslovik3433]

I rode out Ian at home in Cape Coral, and it was one hairy experience. Much worse than Irma was, and the water was up to my house before it stopped rising. The street was a rapids full of wreckage going by fast. Power went out just after 4:00 and was out for 9 days. I came through it with very little damage, but I know some who lost everything in it. The good Lord was watching over me in that one.

[@BadWeatherfreak]

For me Irma was worse in central FL. We had winds if category 1.

[@slingshot7792]

@@BadWeatherfreak lucky you, I’m jealous. Here in swfl it was the worst storm I’ve ever been through. I’ve been through a lot of bad storms and this video was hard for me to watch without getting emotional remembering this beast. But I appreciate what this guys done, he really showed the impact and the people’s perspective that got hit the worst. Truly a great video that I wish was longer and had more views. People I work with lost their homes or was trapped due to flood waters or trees and I had part of our roof cave in from a tree uprooting and hitting our side. Two people in my neighborhood died. It was a nightmare

[@239fla8]

I didn’t get any flooding where I’m at in Cape Coral but I had no power for 28 days

[@taurusquweenn]

Cape coral was hit so hard! Glad you got through that!

[@martinavaslovik3433]

@@taurusquweenn Thanks Kat, we are all recovered now. That was a bad one, I went through Irma here too, and Ian was much worse.

[@haleyhawn4506]

First time seeing Ian from someone's view besides my own sadly, how the pain and fear still so alive all these months later. I hope all my fellow neighbors, community, and survivors are doing well on their journey to healing. Reading comments has made me realize I don't need carry the pain alone anymore

[@brandypearlgurl]

My family and I were also on fmb during hurricane Ian. I’m so glad this couple and their dogs are okay. It was the most intense thing I’ve ever been through. We were able to have some neighbors kayak over since our house was up high. Prayers for fmb. ❤️‍🩹Great doc!

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

So glad y'all survived the storm! I can't imagine what it was like being there. Sending all the good vibes your way for a speedy recovery!

[@tomboytalk2108]

Lived at Board Walk caper behind Pinchers. Stayed also. 2nd story condo. Came 2 steps from entering. My area is at 15:51 time stamp by Getaway Marina. What an experience.

[@meljane8339]

​@@StormChaserAaronRigsbyp

[@exarchyrel3056]

​@ohiostormchasers Hurricane ian flooded my street and almost destroyed my menorah because I didn't board my windows, I also didn't get sandbags but thank god, me and my family survived so did my home despite we payed money to repair the one broken window, but everyone in my house were scared especially me because I did my best to keep my family safe and my youngest child was crying when she saw the flooding and my son cried when he saw the horrific storm surge in fort myers

[@oof_est2023]

My house had no flooding

[@Julia-jw2nm]

Thank you for speaking about Englewood! It was probably one of the hardest hit areas for wind and BARELY got any mention in the news.

[@brandynewton9433]

I had no idea and I'm from Lee County, but live in Hendry, so we weren't damaged directly. I think Ft Myers was the main focus, but seeing this video has shown me what ya'll endured as well. #FloridaStrong

[@mahomeymike]

Yeah I live in Fort Myers and didn’t hear much about englewood, port Charlotte or north port but y’all were the most direct hit.

[@elizabethgrace3748]

it was horrible

[@jamesm3471]

You guys captured some of the best footage of storm surge I’ve ever seen. It displayed perfectly the power and danger of a hurricane, that so many, even here in Florida, completely underestimate. Here in St Petersburg, we were for a time, in the forecasted bullseye of Hurricanes Charley, Irma, and Ian. Those storms either missed us, or at worst delivered just a glancing blow. That had been the case for many years down in Fort Myers Beach too, people become complacent over the years, they stayed, and tragically many of them died. I think anyone who lives in a hurricane evacuation zone should see your video; it will save lives.

[@CynthiaCedergren]

I live on the eastern side of Florida, and the mixture of emotions is something we all felt. Gratitude it isn't us, but heartbroken that it's our neighbors to the west. I've went outside during Irma (Cat1) and the wind steals your breath and the energy is inredible. I cannot begin to imagine what this couple and their dogs went through. Their determination to stay alive is incredible.. Thank you for this video; it gives us a real time view into just how bad Ian was.

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

Thank you so much for these kind words. Very happy you guys also made it out safely from both with minimal impacts. Always a breathe of fresh air vs the constant scene of disaster

[@chrisrobertson3189]

Full time FMB resident that rode out the hurricane on my second floor of my home. We lost the first floor as it washed out into the back bay and the five paid off vehicles. Prayers for all families affected by Hurricane Ian.

[@travelingdude33914]

I evacuated at 5am the day of the hurricane. The whole day before CCPD was driving through my neighborhood telling us to leave. 3 of my neighbors stayed and said it was the worst hurricane ever and they will never stay again. There are still 2 houses with tarped roofs on my street almost 2 years later. Took me almost a year to repair my house with NO help from anyone or any agency except my homeowners/hurricane insurance. My home is now for sale and I am leaving SWFL for good

[@D0NCH33T0]

If you wanna avoid this stuff, you gotta leave Florida and just don't stay on the east coast. Go up north but don't go too far West cause you'll just get stuck in Tornado Alley and it'll get torn up again.

[@liadelrio1091]

My whole immediate family lives here in Ft. Myers, there's 4 houses between us and we all rode out the storm. The news was telling us it was a Cat 3, and I've lived in FL all my life so I didn't really think about evacuating. Me and my stepbrother live more inland, nowhere near water, so both of us had minimal damage. My stepsister is in Cape Coral, she had pretty bad roof damage and all her well equipment was gone. My mother is the one that got hit the worst. She lives very close to the water, not the beach but a few canals. She called me mid hurricane yelling that they had to flee the house because the water was inches away from the front door. They were able to make it safe to my stepbrother's house. The next day she told me 'everything is gone!'. I was honestly expecting to find out the house was just gone. That wasn't the case, it was still there, but everything inside was ruined. The storm surge was about 5 feet, you could see the line of water was halfway up the walls. The floor was caked in mud, all the furniture was scattered around and filthy, the bedrooms were disasters. She lost a lot of things she had collected over the years, but at least the house itself was still standing. We've been through plenty of hurricanes but we've never been as impacted as we were after Ian.

[@lhyork1608]

We moved to Cape Coral in 2021…was amazed at how much our neighbors helped us prepare and we helped others. After the storm everyone worked together…never saw that in New York….we still love it here …and we were heart broken for those who lost so much …ppl rebuilding …the human spirit at its best ….❤

[@a.l.mengel3808]

This video was riveting and utterly tragic. Thank you for risking your own lives documenting a storm and bringing a glimmer of hope with the story of survival. This is a historic video of a storm which history will remember for generations.

[@GemRippers]

Agreed, but the even better, crazier, historic video is the entire 10-hour uncut version from that probe (camera)! Its beyond awe-inspiring, especially now that I know there were ppl in that house...and they survived!!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5jWq2qZpsxgkM0

[@FreedomGundamX10A]

This was a wild, insane ride to watch. I honestly got tears in my eyes from imagining what they had to go through in those harrowing moments. Thank you for bringing their story and the intensity of this act of nature to everyone.

[@Decimalten]

Wow!! I second this entire comment. I was in it but in North Port away from the ocean. This was a very powerful video for sure, their story is incredibly touching.

[@user-fy2tu8cd3w]

OMG!!! The images of that storm surge got me terrified and in awe at the same time. Thank God the people in that red house lived!! And you guys also!!

[@debspeelman]

What an incredible story. Thank you for putting this together. I live a bit inland but seeing that house in initial clips sliding off the foundation was devastating. I had no idea they were inside with their dogs. I'm so glad they made it out alive. As a lifelong resident of SW Florida, that storm was the worst I've seen in my lifetime.

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

Thank you so much for watching and keeping this video and their story going! Very happy yall made it through the storm safely.

[@jeffscott548]

I have lived in Naples for 40 years and have had many Hurricanes hit our area. Ian was different, and the storm surge predictions changed at 11:00 am. The new mantra is run from the water and hide the wind. When we drove away at 11:00 am the water was rising. We could not return till the next day, till after the storm surge had subsided. Excellent video that captures the fear and horror of storm surge.

[@DawnWebb]

Thank you for making this. I live 4 miles inland and rode out the storm. But I lost my business of 11 years on Fort Myers Beach. This whole thing has been heartbreaking on so many levels.

[@carmine_]

That family story is crazy.. imagine seeing your neighbors house floating next to yours and basically a freaking ocean in your front lawn.. inane.. i did not finish the video yet but i hope the dogs made it also and good thing they got prepared and was ready, it probably saved them Incredible story man!!! I can bet some ppl would have just left the dogs behind to make sure they save themselves (which those type of ppl are terrible i know it definitely happens) but you guys are heros man and have REAL heart!!!! Smart thinking with the life vest and everything they did

[@donaldbeetyjrii6509]

Moved to fort Myers 2 years ago. Lived here years ago. Experienced a few hurricanes. But nothing like IAN. That was brutal and we lost a lot of people here. It was one for the records. Thanks for sharing what it was like here.

[@meganarpasi]

So glad this doc was made, people can never understand unless they went through it. I’ve been through every hurricane in FL since 1988 and I’ve NEVER experienced anything like this! 😔

[@PineIslandSeeds]

I lost everything. Ian was bad, but I think it was made worse by the people messing with the weather, and, YES...that is a real thing!! I am angry as all hell!!!

[@meganarpasi]

@@PineIslandSeeds I completely agree! “Seeding” is a known and well documented thing, I also think all the recent tornadoes and bad weather back to back up North is caused by seeding as well.

[@lhyork1608]

The woman in the red house with the dogs ….she AMAZED ME …SHE IS MY HERO saving herself and those dogs until her boyfriend showed up. God bless your family. You kept those babies alive …..🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🤗🤗🤗

[@johncmoore416]

All of my hurricanes have been inland (Kate, Michael, Hermine, etc.) The most rain I have ever seen in my life was in Fay. But I have seen nothing like the surge from Ian.

[@brebritt1315]

As a Cape Coral resident and going through this as my first hurricane I am bawling. I did see this video on tik tok, hoping they had evacuated. I am so glad they are okay. ❤❤️‍🩹❤️

[@lhyork1608]

We were new to Cape Coral as well…so happy they survived…she was a super hero …..keeping her babies alive for hours. …truly amazing ❤

[@Labyrinthine_Complexities]

Damn. This is harrowing footage Aaron & Max. I'm so grateful 🙏 you guys made it thru and your friends did too. Seeing this now for the first time has me gutted. I did IRMA relief in Ft Myers. Seeing it gone just did something to me on the inside. There's still people I've not heard from since that I stayed connected with after my journey there. 😢

[@RoySATX]

So glad to see Tod and Anette make it through this, and Anette is my new hero, despite her and Tod's life being at risk she wasn't going to abandon her pups. Never underestimate the power of a storm, get out of harms way when you can, but if you find yourself in the storm never underestimate yourself.

[@HopeOnTheHorizonPodcast]

okay... so I found you from the Mississippi tornado March 2023, but this, this documentary is the best reason that NO ONE should stay with their house in a hurricane. We used to live in Galveston. While we lived there, I educated my children about why we don't stay with a house. We lived there in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. We had moved there to rebuild houses (we own a construction company). So many houses were damaged and so many houses had never tasted the effects of a devastating hurricane and we heard so many stories. But your video highlights WHY you don't stay with a house. Thank you for a job well done.

[@ZackSansing]

Ian was worse than Ike.

[@mintybadger6905]

I’m from Tampa and we had some major survivor guilt after for quite some time. I had fully expected Tampa to get the worst of Ian but it shifted course at the last minute.

[@demu1]

from tampa as well, only lost power for 2 days we got lucky

[@WendyHardy-wo6gl]

It always does...Tampa hasn't been hit in decades. Hurricanes love South and peninsula Florida.

[@robinkrieger8003]

Yes we are on Anna Maria and expected to be wiped out…..survivors guilt for sure

[@calvinjames7032]

Y’all did an awesome job capturing the wrath of Mother Nature with this storm. I gotta admit, hurricanes can be quite fascinating to watch although the devastation they cause is very sad.

[@ellenbryn]

Amazing. I had seen the original viral video but didn't know the full story (except I recall reading that the house's occupant had made it) I'm so glad they're OK. Kudos to them for sharing their story to help others escape a similar ordeal. I have a fair number of followers on some social media channels, and I'm going to bookmark this so I can post it before big storms with expected surges. . This is such a powerful video showing both the true strength of a strong hurricane and the destructiveness and danger of storm surge. Also I think you were rash to go south - you could've been killed driving in the storm? - but unlike a lot of storm chaser videos it really shows how dangerous it is to be out, even for you guys. I think some people who see weather channel and storm chaser videos think "well if they can stay I can stay" and don't realize - you're mobile in a way residents aren'. You scout and choose where to make a stand, plan escape routes, are monitoring the storm with wx experience and know when to bail, know what kinds of walls to get behind and on which side to avoid the wind, and have a storm shelter fsllbsck position. Homeowners are stuck in a house rhey don't want to leavd.

[@rexmonarch2]

In Port Charlotte the surge was just inches from coming into the back lanai and then it stopped and stayed there and then receded. It was like a miracle.

[@jaycasteel2640]

My girlfriend and I were at lani kai about 3 weeks before Ian. We have followed the whole storm coverage from day 1. We are going back in 2024!! Beautiful place and awesome people !

[@JakJam-fw4zo]

Lived through 12 hurricanes....myself and other floridians will keep doing it..... This is our home..... We always rebuild

[@zeitgeistx5239]

lol its not your home if you have no money to rebuild. Insurance companies are leaving in droves and if you have a mortgage and you lose insurance coverage you are in default if you don’t get a policy in 30 days.

[@Gsmart87]

Hurricane ian survivor here. I remember the day before the hurricane hit, we were happy we had no school for a week. In case of flooding we put sandbags in our backyard, the winds the day the hurricane hit were devastatingly high. Rest in peace to anyone who died in hurricane Ian.

[@mandogfish1Explorer]

Thanks for the link to Tod’s go fund me. That’s a valiant effort and was happy to help a fellow FL resident. That was one nasty storm and I’ve been through a few. Great job capturing its impact and providing footage that can help folks truly visualize what those beasts are like. Cheers

[@pinkrizo3815]

I love this video because it's the best video on the net right now of hurricane 🌀 Ian.. I got chills and tears watching this.. We rode out the storm in a small bathroom. You could hear the winds coming threw the pipes. It sounded like the rooftop was going to fly off. You could hear stuff slamming against the house.! It was definitely intense where we was at.. I got some photos and videos of right before the eye came and right after the storm.. We had hail from a tornado that was near by.! Surround what looked like a lake outside the house.! But thankfully we are alive 🙌 I feel bad for anyone who was in this storm... This is not my first hurricane 🌀 I've been threw so many. This storm & Charlie was definitely storms to remember..

[@BufordTGleason]

The images before the storm are haunting, it’s like a lost world

[@Isabella.s414]

First time I’ve seen this particular video. Still can’t get thru this without tears. I’ve only been living in Fla. 2 years. Never dreamed this would happen. The strength of the people devastated by this is still amazing. 💙

[@aprilbrooks1026]

living in Florida or anywhere that's prone to Hurricanes you're expecting to get situations like this I like in South Carolina which is also a Hurricane prone state but I live far away from the coastline the only thing we've got to worry about is heavy rain and strong winds from Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

[@cynthiafroley4415]

Excellent footage of this powerful storm. My family and I stayed in our home during Ian. I sat in our walk in closet and prayed 🙏. Horror experience to live through 😮

[@townbizness8800]

Will you ride out another big storm ?

[@sunnydaze2359]

@@townbizness8800 my friend, and I rode out Ian in my house on the water in Placida. It was frightening yes, but I would ride the next storm out because to me evacuating turns out to be more trouble than help. A lot of people that Steve said if they hadn’t stayed, they may have lost their house.. so it’s kind of a darned if you do and darned if you don’t situation. But whatever happens to me, I want it to happen in my home..

[@HurricaneXplorer]

Great Work, Guys!! Thank you for your documentary and the amazing survival story. Great Footage.

[@beckyhardebeck2065]

Thankful they made it. I cannot imagine what they went thru. Being in the center of the state was bad enough for me.

[@GemRippers]

Crazy to now know that there were ppl in that house, as I am halfway thru watching your 10-hr real-time uncut video from that probe that miraculously lasted the entire storm. I was thinking the entire time there was no way someone was in that house, then to come see this video, wow! It's just an absolutely incredible story of survival, and a testiment to the mental & physical fortitude humans get in life or death situations. Like Tod said, he had no idea where he got the energy to pull himself up to the porch, that was his "fight or flight" taking over right there. So happy to see the 4 of them survived such a harrowing experience. And to anyone reading this, I highly suggest start watching the full uncut version from time to time (10hrs is a long time to watch something straight thru lol)! Youll think your eyes are playing tricks on you with what mother nature does in that video! Thanks Ohio Storm Chasers for the incredible content! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5jWq2qZpsxgkM0

[@samuelstahl5828]

My wife use to manage a doctors office in Fort Myers. Just in her office alone, 4 patients have never been found, who decided to stay and ride out the storm close to Fort Myers beach. Makes you wonder how many bodies are still laying in the mangroves.

[@melissakline8738]

It was the scariest day evening and night of my life. Lots of people thought it was going to be like Irma but Irma but Ian was so destructive. I live in cape coral. By the time we knew it was coming straight to us alot of people were already going to Miami and weather was already getting bad. My wink news app at one time showed winds saw 116 mph. Extreme wind warnings for almost 9 hours. So sad so many lost so much. Thank God my area missed the surge.

[@snicksss]

My family also thought it was gonna be like Irma where it would die down to a 2 or 3 by the time it reached us, and boy were we wrong. We got complacent since we weren't hit too hard by past storms so we really weren't expecting to get stuck in the eye wall for around 5 hours or more. Still can't believe we survived it.

[@melissakline8738]

@@snicksss yes. I won't ever stay for anything above 3. Too close. My sliders were actually moving because the wind was so strong. Thank God we are all ok.

[@snicksss]

@@melissakline8738 Yeah. My front door was like being pushed in by the wind so we had to put stuff in front of it so it didn't burst open. I'm actually shocked my lanai cage survived cause it's very rickety and rusted at the nails.

[@Leg239]

Also in Cape Coral, and also thought it was going to be similar to Irma. I don’t think anyone knew it was going to hang over us for so long. Will never forget it.

[@melissakline8738]

@@Leg239 me either. Extreme wind warnings for hours! We even got the animal cages out in case we got the surge. Crawl up on the truck then onto the flat garage room. And we have a higher flat spot at the very tops of the house for us and the dogs and cats. Praying we don't get anything close to that again!! Glad you were safe!

[@thebrightphoenixx]

I remember watching the snapchat stories of a few friends in the area. It was insane to see it in the perspective as the flooding and destruction occured.

[@lucienvandegaart3611]

Been through 3 hurricanes in 22 years here. Ian was the worse. Thank God the surge didnt hit us here on the charlotte canals with huge rising water. Those pictures looked like Indonesian from 2011 where the place there qas leveled for miles. Got some damage was un insured sometimes better off than insured. Time to say enough this time..offered on house still pretty good but the way the world of real estate is today I definately lost my ability to own a home because Ian and the insurance industry. Selling what left and leave ir for the spectularors. Grateful were all alive in todays world. Pray that was the last big one for decades. God had his hands on us. Miracle only afew were killed

[@keepingitreal7183]

One of the top 3 videos about Ian. Luved through hurricane Andrew back in '92 and had our entire roof, in very well built home tear off. My brothers and sistera and I were crying like babies as my mom and dad brough the littlest mattresses in their bathroom where we lived to tell our story with countless others. Thanks guys

[@carmine_]

This is crazy.. i seen a lot of hurricane footage and hurricane Ian footage and this is definitely one of the best ones

[@charissescully5893]

Wow! All I can say. Just Wow. Thank God you guys made it. We came down to our place inland Fort Myers. We were fine but so saddened to see the unbelievable damage to Fort Myers Beach.

[@pollyanna3591]

Incredible and well done documentary!

[@Neitajamaica]

Thank you for this, I watched it with my 14-year-old son and was troubled because I thought I watched the last moments of someone's life. I am so happy to know that they survived. I agree that this video needs to be shown to help people to understand the horror of storm surges.

[@terasgamer9097]

Irma was worse for me since the eye went directly over. I'm glad they are okay.

[@kernajohn8744]

Hey guys, almost an entire year later, I can't believe this. Guys, I love watching natural disasters and I came upon a video at work by chance where I saw a fast forwarded video of a storm surge in Fort Myers from Ian. I was intrigued and decided to follow links to this video, when I noticed a man entering his home. I couldn't keep my eye off it. Silently praying at some point he got out. I found a 9 hr upload of this and continued watching when I went home. Only to find that I never saw him leave. I was devastated. 4 days later while going through videos of the record breaking rains in NY, I came upon this video and to my astonishment, the man is alive. Praise God. You can't imagine how sad I was seeing his house float away and never having seen him left. For a moment, I thought he had left without my knowledge, cause no way could someone survive this. Guys, your camera did an AMAZING job capturing this. And like Tod said, leave it out there so ppl can see the dangers of storm surges. We are never really told of storm surges and we don't take them seriously. I was born in 1979, 2 weeks before Hurricane David struck my Caribbean island Dominica. Then 6 yrs ago, Hurricane Maria destroyed the land again. So anything I learn about storms interests me. Thanks for your video. May God bless your work.❤

[@sharoncarcone5832]

Awesome work!! A great job! I’m glad you came through it safely.

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

Thanks so much for the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@stephaniewalchle4033]

💯 the best hurricane Ian video 💯

[@stephaniewalchle4033]

Live in North port just over the bridge on ponce de Leon on the dry side thank God

[@AndrewStahl-fc3ts]

North Port was fun. Didn’t get this surge, but the eyewall sat on us for 5 hours. Then came the flooding. Never again.

[@1970boobear]

Excellent coverage of this horrific storm. We were on FMB. It was as though a massive tornado came ashore & stayed, bringing 1/2 the Gulf w/ it. We were grateful to be alive... Of course the next day brought sapphire blue skies & achingly beautiful weather. It was a surreal backdrop to the post apocalyptic conditions around us. Stay strong FMB. Love you ❤

[@Srixua]

Sorry I’m late just having a look back at all of this, so well made dude

[@kianna270]

I grew up on fort myers beach, and I fear it will never be the same 😢 looking back a year later, it still gives me anxiety and the chills. My mom was alone and stubborn and wouldn’t leave, her house is 5 miles from the gulf. She didn’t even put shutters up, it’s a miracle nothing happened. Thankfully, she was fine but I could not get into contact with her for over a day, and I was seconds away from calling search and rescue before she called me, and I burst into tears. She said she was hiding in her closet for a whole day and was afraid to leave. Thank you for covering these storms. Stay safe everyone. Hurricanes are no joke.

[@chuckjackson1814]

The Pink House,,,,, historical , never be the same without it.

[@Randor10]

I found the 9 hour video just by accident and have had it playing on my big screen TV all day while I work on my computer. It's only 3 hours in and the house is still there. (I peaked and know how it ends.) Then I found this video which tells the story while I'm still watching it unfold. I'm so glad all 4 of them made it out alive. Tod is right. Everyone who ever thinks about riding out a hurricane should be forced to watch this.

[@michaeljohnson9805]

Definitely sharing this video. Good luck with this season everyone.

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

Thanks so much!

[@stephaniemooers5492]

Cape Coral resident here. The day ian hit was the most terrifying day of my entire life. When water kept rising all around me, that feeling of panic I will never forget. Considering moving after living here since 1996.

[@curtandoscar]

Hi - curious if you ended up leaving the area. Would not blame you one bit!

[@cannabis1490]

Respect to you all who made this possible LIVE AND DIRECT in the middle of the hurricane risking your lives...

[@BigMoistHere]

Was just south of Ft. Myers, absolutely insane storm! I had just moved to Florida from up north in Michigan and i'd never experienced anything like it, it's good to see it from someone elses view, thanks for making this, as most people from out of state don't even know about Ian!

[@yeoldegunporn]

Damn. I saw that raw footage first. I can't believe anyone made it out of that house.

[@maryanntulimieri8865]

Just watching this now , as I lived through it on that day in Englewood, near the Walmart that was on the video you guys got great footage of what we couldn’t see with all our shutters down listing to all the breaking things around us out side for 9 hours of wind with no eye to let up , I actually got chills seeing this all over again. And re-living it through this video almost a year later , we are still repairing Englewood to this day and still have home repairs but at least I have a home , still a lot of down signs and store roofs off in our neighborhood , the the win. Dixie plaza by placida

[@cudafisher238]

Such a good story and such is a lot to learn from super job guys

[@katejohnson2403]

I live in port Charlotte I’m so thankful my house was okay and only lost one shingle I thought we had lost our boat too

[@jehttyplayer1]

I remember, sitting in a parking lot with my dad, confused on why floridas weather was calm, and so I made the dumb mistake to wish for a hurricane or something, it was 5 or 4 weeks before Hurricane Ian made landfall, and when I saw it was going to make landfall, I had the worst feeling of guilt ever, I was living in Tavares, Florida at the time. I'm thankful I wasn't hit too badly, just some flooding and debris, I'm so sorry for everyone who got affected badly by this monstrosity, May those who died in this Hurricane, rest in peace.

[@ExtremAtmosfera_BrunoGoncalves]

Great video! Awesome work!

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@BadWeatherfreak]

Thank goodness for the changes made to the building codes in FL after hurricane Andrew. Ian's destruction was nothing compared to Andrew's destruction. Nevertheless, feel bad for people affected by Ian and wish for a fast recovery.

[@Ava_Orchid]

Those two storms were so different you cant even really compare them. Andrew was hundreds of times stronger than Ian but was more of a surgical knife strike and Andrew moved in and out fast. I think 23 people died directly from the hurricane in Fl (not including ppl falling off ladders traffic fatalities etc associated with hurricane prep evac etc). Ian while less powerful devastated a much much larger and more inhabited area of land. So resources were spread much more thing and the damage financially was worse. Andrew was more like a super tornado. Ian was slow moving and affected a good quarter of the state being declared fema areas. But yes its good that codes were changed. Though they seem to be eating away at many of those codes intentions to satisfy insurance companies and keep them in the area. Like before this year if your roof needed significant fixing they had to bring the whole roof up to code. Now only the repair area. Leaving us prone to future devastation needlesly. I see more of that type of legislation in the works which will only make matters worse in the future. We have got to start prevention rather than playing catch up

[@Bluewaterpi]

Great footage. Thank you for sharing. We live on Pine Island in northern Bokeelia. Unfortunately, our St James City neighbors took the brunt of the storm with the surge. We are Pine Island Strong!

[@bernadettealmeida2847]

God bless those people that were there, to see these pictures are terrifying , the lost was and is unbearable .

[@kenrichards4838]

I was on the east coast in Vero Beach. We had 3 hurricanes in 2 years and I swear for 65mph where we were felt like a cat 2. The energy in that storm was unreal

[@lhyork1608]

So happy and amazed that they survived with their furbabies…how she held on with her furbabies is incredible…the strength she had shows the strength of the human spirit and her will to survive and save her babies. I totally get it! My heart goes out to her. I have no doubt this changed their lives. Your dogs are beautiful and they know what you did for them. God bless you all. Great job to the storm chasers who got this footage for the world to see how amazing they were ❤️❤️❤️❤️….May life be great to all ! ❤️🎉

[@ericmoore571]

I grew up in Punta Gorda, as did my parents and my grandparents. The hurricanes are too much now. I've moved to NYC to get away from them. I know we get them here, but not like Florida has become

[@tundralife2024]

Unbelievable, I’m currently working in this area trying to repair what this storm unleashed. I feel so sorry for some of theses people that lost everything..and I now see what it is that caused this devastating destruction. I’m currently in englewood fl and rotunda west fl.doing what we can to rebuild

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

and now Idalia is coming :( I hope it's not a repeat of Ian. Please stay safe all who are in her path ♥

[@Southshore26]

It's been just over 11 months now.... 40 years of living in FL and Ian is now the name that all others are judged against... The FMB/Sanibel/Matlacha areas will never be what they once were before that day... Thank you guys for putting out the story... hopefully it will save lives in the future.

[@WendyHardy-wo6gl]

Andrew and Katrina were worse

[@alexmetcalf8580]

Yo!! I live here and this story needs to get around! You guys are wild

[@StormChaserAaronRigsby]

That's our goal! Really hope we get momentum going and get this viral to help fund their fundraiser and help get them on their feet!

[@ButterfatFarms]

Just so everyone knows there wasn't loud dramatic music playing throughout the city as the storm came ashore. It was just the sound hurricane-force winds and storm blown debris.

[@flip3853]

😂😂😂

[@callipitter]

The beach damage was horrid, but we must not forget that everyone on the edge of the Caloosahatchee river, a long river, which is connected to the Gulf, and emptied into every little Gulf access canal for miles, also had up to 10 feet storm surge. So many houses lost and damaged. Mine was one.....

[@josephmoran2006]

I lived in Clearwater when this thing was coming. The night before landfall, it was forecast to go right over my house I’ve never boarded up or evacuated for a storm, but this one had us ready to go.

[@beastmode8157]

WE LOST EVERYTHING IN NORTHPORT, THE CIELINGS CAME DOWN ON MY SONS HEAD AS THE STORM PICKED UP STRENGTH WHEN IT HIT US. THIS HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE LIKE NO OTHER.

[@ralphstropicalweatherrtw1992]

Thank Lord and thank you OHIO Storm chasers for your probe and video. I am so happy to see a happy ending to storm surge video. God is good and surely was with this family.

[@theropesofrenovation9352]

And the storm just went on and on and just would not STOP!!!

[@aprilbrooks1026]

as of this year Hurricane Ian is officially a CAT 5 Hurricane according to the NHC Hurricane Ian was a CAT 5 Hurricane for a brief period of time with max sustain wind speeds of 160 mph before downgrading to a CAT 4 Hurricane right just before making landfall on southwest Florida according to the NHC 🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀

[@lovelyshirl]

Wow. I'm literally speechless, words completely fail me. 😪

[@dasreich8307]

My family and I were living on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, west of Mobile and east of Pascagoula, Mississippi when Katrina hit. We had pretty extensive damage, but it was nothing compared to what happened to Pascagoula and into New Orleans. Multi-Million dollar casino's that were anchored on the Gulf Coast were pushed ½ mile inland and completely destroyed. Homes were just gone and all that was left were hundreds of concrete slabs. I've never seen such massive devastation. After that we decided to move back to Maine. Id rather deal with blizzards and the cold than to go through that again.

[@richardsteffey4061]

Lived in Central Florida from 1984 to 2005,sat through a few of these.

[@karenphillips140]

Amazing video❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@gracethurn2134]

awesome footage wow

[@buffybrown1619]

I remember my stepson calling repeatedly from Orlando that we should evacuate north. By then it was too late and I declared, this is not the way I am Going to die.

[@SanibelJB]

wife and I with 2 small dogs didnt chance it.....we live in Zone A....we packed up our Hyundai Tucson with as much stuff as we could and drove to Valdosta for a week at Super 8....then headed back home....our Davis Woods condo complex looked like a war zone!....there were cars on top of other cars stacked!...the stench!...it was hell!...although our 2nd floor condo wasnt a total wreck, we ended up living in Indiana until new AC and power was restored...that took 6 months!...we came back on April 15...much more fortunate than a lot of others who still are waiting for repairs to be done!...ill never forget this!

[@postalfnj]

some people have no common sense

[@305ayeee]

My dad lives in Ft Myers and he rode out this storm and was one of the lucky ones who wasn’t flooded out. He still said even tho he was fine definitely one of the worst storms he’s seen in a long time.

[@snowyheart1397]

I still cant forget the fear my family and I had when our house started too flood, are area was zoned as a none flooding area so ofc we werent worried and stayed put, and we had been through many other hurricanes before and thought this one was gonna be just like the others, Ian will stay that one hurricane that makes me rethink living in Florida ;_;