Lost my home and all contents, the truck, bikes, etc LIVED between FMB and Sanibel (Iona) . Blessed to have found another place in the area. I love Florida ❤

I live in Fort Myers and used to frequently visit Fort Myers Beach. I haven’t been down there since Ian hit but I saw the devastation on pictures and here on KZfaq. Thanks for this split screen video. I see so many places that I frequented totally gone. It’s so sad that my beautiful island will never be the same. Prayers for all of the people who lost their businesses, homes, jobs and lives. ❤

I was amazed at how wonderful your two videos together were so accurate. I was raised on Fort Myers Beach and my Dad owned a Hardware Store, that he sold many years ago, as he passed away himself 25 years ago now. He also had a stilt home 3 homes away from the hardware store and they were both across the street from the beach. After Hurricane IAN, they are both completely gone. I was also the 1962 Island Shrimp Festival Queen and I've been looking forward to coming down to one of those, but after Hurricane IAN, I'm not so sure there will ever be another one. I live in a small town 25 Miles NW of Orlando.... Pam Lewis was my maiden name.

Our family is/was here. Washed away. Have been dozens and dozens there. Was there last week. Getting better and better slowly. Thank you SO much for the split scene. Got to see our house in real time.

Brilliantly captured. Thanks for your efforts with this. Overwhelming devastation.

Paul this is incredible! So sad but you nailed it!

I saw the replay of the storm via live stream where the pink/red house (5:38) collapsed during the thick of the flooding with the people inside. So heartbreaking to see but glad they survived. I am speechless looking at the before and after. I can't imagine what anyone went through during and after the storm. My prayers are with you all and hope those directly affected had since recovered.❤

best video i have ever seen showing what was and what is now.

Amazing video production!

Ian completely hollowed out the entire island, the buildings, the trees, the streets. Haunting and so very sad!

we were just there a month before Ian, celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary. we got married on the beach behind Lani Kai, have been vacationing on FMB for a number of years at the Estero Beachand Tennis Club... It felt so natural there as my wife said reminds of the Movie Cocoon when we hit the bars on the southside of the Island. The impact is devastating. Seeing our favorite Restaurant Heidi's Island Bistro and then looking down and seeing it gone is so hard. They made our wedding cake.. FMB Strong. we will be back

An amazing job of restoration, repair, and rebuilding understates what has been accomplished. Great effort paid off.

It's unbelievable about all the green that was destroyed too. The trees/shrubs/grass. I've driven down the beach since Ian and until this comparison i didnt realize how many trees/shrubs were gone too.

I have been up and down Estero Blvd so many times since the 90's and this video just breaks my heart. This video is well done and really shows the destruction due to Ian.

Thanks for posting this. While I no longer live in FL, I grew up in South Florida. I've experienced a few hurricanes, none of this extent, but I understand what people are going through. Before Ian made landfall, I was trying to explain just how bad this was going to be. Of course no one can really "get it" unless they've experienced it themselves. Press on. This too will pass.

I visited Ft. Myers before the hurricanes. It was such a beautiful and unique town. Very clean. It's devastating to see the destruction. Hoping it is rebuilt soon. This footage is amazing! God bless Ft Myers!

Fort Myers Beach was my happy place for as long as I've lived in SW Florida (30 years). Whenever I felt down, an excursion to Times Square, Dairy Queen, the pier, and spending time in that wonderful water, always made me feel better. My heart was broken after Ian (as was my house), and the world looks much less beautiful and colorful. We were blessed to have this happy place for as long as we did. I will forever mourn it.

So sad, I made so many memories down there. I moved to Ft. Myers Beach in 2005 when I moved to FL and lived on the beach for about 6 months. My dad operated the old Ramada Inn hotel which was turned into the Pierside View hotel. Now Margaritaville sits on that same property. It's so sad to see all of the memories just gone. Mother nature is a powerful thing.

We had A time share in FMB. Of all the videos I’ve watched this shows the devastation if the Island and its not even all of it. Just breaks my heart for the locals. Thank you for posting this.

Paul, Another master at work. Thank you. ✔️👊🏽

Wow! This is an amazing perspective. Thank you for sharing.

I wasnt far from this and we stayed through it. One of the most terrifying experiences in my life. We were lucky though and we got everything replaced with the help of the insurance company. I know many here that lost everything though very sad.

Thank you. Brilliantly done. Difficult to watch.... heartwrenching.

So heartbroken to see the devastation- but unless you have been through this you can never understand- I survived Harvey and Ike on the Texas coast so I feel your pain Florida - stay strong 🌹💖🌹

Fantastic, really well done. Perfect, actually.

Thank you for sharing this video. I went there in 2018 for our 1st anniversary...it hurts my soul to see what has happened to the fort! Your video is well done!

My brother lived there back in 1979-1984. Wow everything I remember is gone. Terrible storm. Excellent job on video.

Fantastic work. You really did a great job with the two viewpoints. You should sell this to major news networks. Bravo!

Great piece. So tragic. Done with class and some nice music for so many who lost so much. Well done. Really puts things in spectrum for those who know nothing about the devastating and the ruined lives of many people. Thank you, Mike

Great work! I walked out onto our lanai and my wife was crying watching the video…Times Like These (Foo Fighters) make us stronger!!!! We are Americans, as one.

Seriously best footage of before & after!!! I was a bartender @ The Lani Kai years ago & yep. Still standing!!!

This is a awesome video! Thank you!

Beautiful. And tragic. Thank you for this.

Excellent Video!!!!!

You nailed it but so so sad 😢 I’m here this winter but can’t go see it . Went down and started crying and had to leave. Be strong everyone prayers

This was very well done

Spent time every year on FMB as a kid and into my twenties with my family. Seeing this perspective really drives home the devastation and loss those poor residents and business owners have endured. I watched this with a truly broken heart. Lord help them.

K'nell... Im in England and didnt realise the carnage that happened. Bless all you poor bastards, it looks devastating...

The News footage usually just shows the destroyed buildings. Viewing it this way shows how many trees and shrubs were devastated as well.

Fantastic job syncing those two video! Riveting!

I live here and forgot how pretty it was. It's almost unchanged since the day after the hurricane as of today

I'll bet you can't find an insurance agent for 100 miles! I don't see any of those Brand Name SUV's with Progressive, Allstate or State Farm on the side in any videos like this. You will only see them on TV because when Disaster Strikes you have to go find your insurance agent. The only time they will voluntarily show up at your door is to collect a premium or up your insurance policy.

Man, at 2:33 them tiki-hut (or they may be Seminole Indian made) awning/roofs held up SO well. Buildings are blown apart but those palm fronds held up!

You Captured this real well It is so sad But Ill still come back!

Lived in a studio apartment to the right at 6:31 for a couple years in the early 1980s. Tracy's Tombs, a 2-story building, was right behind me. All leveled and gone after Ian.😢

Most amazing video I have ever seen. Not a word spoken but spoke volumes about the devastation caused by that storm. It literally looks like a war zone. A beautiful clean community turned in a trash pile in a matter of hours. I'm sorry I know there is suffering elsewhere in the world but I would rather see our tax dollars clean up this war zone first. I have seen other videos about increased crime and growing gangs also.

This makes me cry. If this can be done to Fort Myers, it can be done anywhere it wants.

I AM BRAZILIAN BUT I HAVE APPRECIATION FOR THIS COUNTRY, SAD THIS COMPARISON BEFORE AND NOW!

we had friends that lived on the beach, visited there many times, so sad

Just breaks my heart. 😢

Paul that is a BIG change

Thank you so much for the amazing and unbelievable perspective.

It's not only a a lot of demolished buildings. Just imagine how many thousands of tons of sand there is in the storm sewer system. And how do they get rid of that? Can it just be flushed away?

My dear 80 something client moved there to ft Meyers with her daughter a mere 2 months before this tragedy… I lost contact shortly after the hurricane… I know they survived but that’s it … I pray my sweet Gloria is still enjoying this piece of heaven …

so much sand !! so much carnage !!! it was really beautiful and just nuked off the face of the earth !!! my heart just cries out such a sorrowful devastation !!!

Everything looked so beachy and clean / well kept 😔

This is so surreal and the music choices for this are spot-on. Anyone know what the selection is at about the 13:00 mark to about 14:45?

I lived and worked in Ft. Myers for 10 yrs in the 80s.I had a GF her parents had a Hobby Shop on the Island I think. Her parents home was right on the beach ,Her parents home was built stilts. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor, the Storm Just Took Everything. This is all so Very sad to see even after 30 yrs.

I just went through Fort Myers Beach a week ago which was about 11 months after Ian and I couldn't believe a lot of the just sheer destruction that took place in that area. In this video, you can even see how much of the plant life and trees that are just gone or killed. It literally looks like a bombing took place on the city and this was just a storm.. Mother nature is relentless. But please go support the businesses here. A lot of them have opened food trucks or temporary locations while they rebuild their brick and mortar and they need support more than ever.

Paul, how the hell are you been a while? What an amazing video so disheartening hope you and the Mrs. so well miss all the videos however, as long as you’re well and happy that’s what counts I keep an eye and see what else you post up. Take care buddy.

It was a hell of a storm , i watched the video of the storm surge again this week Australian

you can tell that the sun eats the paint down here just look at the vibrancy of the paint

Man those coconut palms are tough.

Have any of you gotten a look at the Diamondhead Resort?

They should build a reef in the ocean with all the debris.

So sad. It will never be the same.

What happened with the winter estates of Edison and Ford ( botanical garden and Museum ) ??

Wow

The Junkanoo sign is still there...and all it says now is "junk"...😂

Are the beaches still closed to tourists?

One would think that not a single tree or bush would have survived that onslaught of wind and inundation by saltwater.

Living on the beach is nice but when a storm comes that’s the last place I want to be. This is the cause of the worst damage that can happen called storm surge. When you build at sea level and you have a 10’-20’ surge of sea water this happens.

Omg, so sad:/

That split footage is amazing...sad, but amazing. We are having our fourth major weather event in 8 months. Two cyclones, January and February, all the rain, but not hurricane winds.

I think if we follow our hearts we would not venture to Florida. Our families are not normally in this state and we move to “get away” from it all. Many people suffer the loss when you leave. Strengthen and persevere in your home town. Does anyone agree?

My step mom was in the middle of this said never again

IN SUCH A SITUATION, HOW ARE THE OWNERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR PROPERTY? 😢

Great job. You did a good job video all this brings back too many memories

So sad…was here in March 2022.

OMG SO SAD!...

Thank you for sharing 😢 no I can hare nd ppl will see what the gov. Did.🙏👆🤙🌴🌴🌴

It looks like about 20 to 25% of the structures were completely wiped away. Just gone! And what survived was severely damaged

waw

😪😭😭😭

20 years to rebuild

this is sad i am from canada

$6 to $15 parking, @1:55

13:57 Tiki on the Beach 😢

15 to 20 ft storm surge that will do it every time

So sad....

its very sad

Make sure you do the same video in 5 years when the forest returns after the fire.

Living on the shore line without proper protection,you know mother nature is gonna strike some day,over here in the netherlands we have dikes wich are at least 24,5feet tall,and around the North Sea almost 40 feet tall to protect the country&people.

😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

doesnt look like to much has come back.

I like how you adjust the color saturation for the video after the hurricane trying to make it worse than it really is.

Thanks to desatan, there aren't any laborers to hhelp with reconstruction! 💙💙💙

Thats what happens when you build so close to the ocean. When a natural storm occurs. Things get broken. Rebuild move on. Goodbye

*split

Never understood the logic behind building cities right at the water especially in hurricane prone areas. Would save the countries billion of dollars and lives every year. Instead of rebuilding completely destroyed building structures leave that space empty , give it back to nature . To be honest the beach area looks better now than before less developed.