This is what Fort Myers Beach looked like a day after Hurricane Ian hit.

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Fort Myers Beach, along with Lee County’s other barrier islands, took the brunt of Hurricane Ian’s assault on Florida’s coastline. The storm, a Category 4 when it made landfall, sent 150 mph winds and a towering storm surge tearing through the town’s center.

Fort Myers, boasting a population of more than 92,000, is a popular city for tourists and spring breakers. The nearby small coastal town of Fort Myers Beach, filled with beach-side bars and hotels and resorts, sits on skinny Estero Island, making it more vulnerable as Ian pounded the region. The town has a population of nearly 6,000.

The cities and towns there were some of the first areas to receive a lashing from the storm. Other areas of the state are still seeing heavy rains and haven’t broken free of Ian’s grip yet. Local officials and President Joe Biden say the storm is likely to be historically deadly and costly.

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