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    After Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers Beach struggles to become 'a functional paradise'

    Nearly every building on the barrier island in Southwest Florida was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ian's 15-foot storm surge. It's left the town with almost a clean slate for redevelopment.
    by Greg Allen Mar 28, 2023 5 minutes
    Six months after Hurricane Ian stormed across Southwest Florida, people in many areas are still struggling to rebuild. Fort Myers Beach was particularly hit hard by the 15-foot storm surge.

    FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Few communities in the U.S. have seen the level of destruction Hurricane Ian brought to Fort Myers Beach. The town's vice mayor, Jim Atterholt, compares it to the destruction some European cities saw in World War II. Six months after the storm, he and other officials are working in tents and trailers. The town hall was destroyed.

    The oldest church on the island, Chapel by the Sea, also now is just ruins. "You can see how the front of the sanctuary was just devastated." But the storm's impact was unpredictable. "On the front of the church," he says, "you see this beautiful pristine stained-glass window that was perfectly untouched."

    Like most buildings on Fort Myers Beach, Atterholt's home is unlivable. A 15-foot storm

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