I was a paramedic on Sanibel in the late 70s. I know the island well. It’s vulnerability was the one-way on/one-way off bridge. We all knew this would happen someday though. The price you pay for paradise. It’s a very sad situation, but mother nature always prevails.
So true. I visited for the first time last year. My daughter & I both remarked how scary it was knowing there’s only one way out & what would happen if a storm hit.
Yes i wouldnt live by water either. You can not pay me to go on a cruise nope not for me. I love the water and beach l lived in clearwater almost 2 yrs. But now im older and i could not do it.
It's a mix between decades upon decades of propaganda against any form of regulation in the US and capitalism (greed) as the sole purpose of society. I guess. What I don't understand is how many people in Florida are willingly helping each other in a time of crisis, but would never, ever allow for any kind of relief for the poors that are in need of help at any other time (let's say through public education or public healtcare). This just... baffles me. I guess they are only able to see problems when they're right (visually) in front of them. This is sad.
WOW who could have imagined this happening on a thin sand bar 3 foot above the water in a sever storm area! WHAT A SURPRISE! Just like the last 30 times and the next 30 times!
I grew up out onSanibel island. I truly hope they just turned it into a big nature preserve. The island will never be the same again. All I will have is my memories.
I doubt it..nature repairs itself fast. Irma in the Keys was worse in 2017. 5 yrs after and except some mangroves that are still dead, everything else has recovered and looks the same as before.
I’ve driven that causeway 100s of times. Going from FM to Sanibel was intoxicating. My heart rate and blood pressure would drop as I drove over the causeway looking at the gorgeous scenery 😢
The drive over the Sanibel causeway, up Sanibel and down Captiva is one of the most beautiful drives you can take. At least it used to be. It'll be great again but will probably take 10 years to get there.
Yes and no. If u look throughout history over continents / borders you basically do not find a place which did not have any catastrophy over the years and still offers a good place to life with water access (river, sea) or other necessary geographic features - however there are areas which are more dangerous than others. If u look at the current videos u will see a strong discrepancy between the damage done on captiva island vs sanibel - sanibel is much worse, which is the reverse picture of the destruction done by charlie - so houses/homes build after charlie did a lot better, so re-building does make sense if you build it properly, still expensive repairs every 15-22 years though ;-)
I’m astonished, I lived in Punta Rassa, the condos right at the entrance of the Sanibel causeway I looked at this beautiful causeway everyday, watched the sunsets at night, I went through a hurricane in those condos, hard to believe what happened. Very sad.
I would kill to get this footage, you're very lucky to live so close to it. I'm in Arkansas, my hobby is storm chasing and this is just wonderful footage.
Unbelievable destruction. I used to visit Sanibel all the time as a kid, and I would go fishing with my family right on that strip where the causeway was destroyed. Sad to see the entire places pretty much gone, hope they can somehow recover from this.
@@KeepItSimpleSailor do you also say people that live in Hawaii deserve to lose their houses to Volcanoes or people that live in California deserve to lose them to Earthquakes and people in the Midwest to Tornadoes and none of those people should ever rebuild because they will just get one of those again? By that logic no one should ever build anything, lets just go back to living in caves like your grandfather.
When you see devastating things like this you realize that we are just visitors of this place called earth and nothing we do here is guaranteed or permanent
First time I went to Sanibel was around '63 or '64, right after the causeway was built. There was a wooden "general store" on the island where the ferry used to dock, and was one of the few places to buy groceries. There were a few motels and a few restaurants, but lots of open space. Stayed on the north end at The Castaways by the bridge to Captiva.
This is why you don't build on sandbars. This would take years to rebuild. I'm not a tree hugger or anything, but maybe it's best to remove all the buildings and turn Sanibel Island into a nature reserve.
Thanks 4 sharing ! This is so sad 2 see. Sanibel Island is so beautiful. No one would ever be able to see or know the extensive damage from these hurricanes w/ out all your work. Praying 4 Sanibel & everyone effected by Ian, one of the worst storms ! 🙏 I'm so glad you showed this & I got 2 see it, Thanks again! May God bless you!
My home is here ;( FMB and SWFL will never be the same again. Thanks for this video, we still have no power and cellular is crap. My household was in the middle of this BS Storm. Never seen anything like it ever...breaks my heart. So many I know, too many lost everything
i just drove that bridge last week our friends have a vacation home on sanibel they just bought and my husband and i were the last ones in the home it’s majorly flooded and there car has floated away . thank goodness they were not there and were going to be there now but can’t . the island is beautiful it breaks my heart that the storm destroyed the beauty of it . i feel lucky to have gone to visit last week when i did . i pray for all that are affected by this it’s just beyond awful
I lived on Sanibel from 1997 to 2002 and from 2014 to 2016. The original causeway was built in 1963, and by the early 2000s, it was significantly corroded. At one point, they closed the causeway for something like a week and replaced one bridge slab with a steel grate deck, imposing a 10 mph speed limit. The new causeway opened in 2007 and was significantly higher than the prior span, even aside from the high span that replaced the drawbridge. It's stunning to see it torn to pieces like this. I'm curious to find out what it will take to rebuild it. Obviously the islands and the bridge approaches will have to be replaced, but are the bridges themselves still safe, or will they have to be replaced as well? Regardless, I would be shocked if anyone is driving on a new bridge before late 2024.
Yeah this will take years and years to rebuild the whole island and area. I think they should turn the entire island into a nature preserve. Rebuild some bike/walk paths, but no more homes on the island. All it takes is another storm of similar strength with another power storm surge and this will repeat itself. Building island a few miles is one thing, building on a tiny island is just silly. Think of how much toxins are in the water now from the fuel, debris, sewage...
I remember that steel grate, it was on the third bridge section (the one closest to the island). Of course they will need to be inspected, but given the rebuild after Charlie I suspect the bridge sections should be good. as for how long to rebuild, that depends on whether they rebuild the connecting islands (which would likely be done via sand dredging, the same method used to create manmade islands in Dubia and China) or if they just shore up the ends of those islands and build bridges the whole way. Definitely a long road ahead.
@@KeepItSimpleSailor but yet Florida continues to grow in population at an astounding rate despite the regularity of destructive hurricanes. Rustbelt states like Ohio barely hold onto their current population numbers. Yes, we suffer tornadoes and ice storms that destroy infrastructure-but with much less frequency and force. Everyone wants to live and visit paradise. While in the Keys I enjoyed wonderful accommodations, restaurants, tourist attractions. None of this will ever be discontinued lol. Billions of dollars in federal aid and insurance monies will be given and I fully expect an increase in my property insurance though I live far from hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires. It will be a cost we all will bear for better or worse.
The extent of the damage is astounding. Parts of the road are just gone, along with the causeway beneath. It's surprising how much of it appears to be just paved sandbars
I never noticed that until you said it!🤯 it does look like there's the pavement just sitting on sandbars without any reinforcement. It won't be built that way if it ever comes back. Bridges back to Sanibel Pine Island Captiva are going to be the last thing that gets addressed with all the damage on the mainland😭
To understand the strength and fury of hurricane Ian, is to ponder how the power was so great, asphalt roads and supporting structures were broken into bits and pieces.. Nature has a mind of its own..
I'm a stormchaser based in Arkansas/Oklahoma and this footage is amazing.. .makes me inspired and happy that such things are possible. This type of footage is what I live for, puts a huge smile on my face, thank you
I'm a roadway and bridge inspector. CEI. The scope of work to rebuild the causeway and redesign it is going to be a herculean feat. Prayers to those affected.
@@carryfreak5059 You're right. Too many people will miss the beloved island and the everlasting urge to rebuild what was paradise will take over. Walking down the Sanibel beaches during the day and especially at night with an extremely bright full moon is utterly jaw dropping. I would give anything to go back.
WOW...they will have to pile drive sheathing on both sides of the roadway to keep it dry to be able to rebuild it. As the storm or ocean has made a number of complete cuts or voids. Or just bridge the whole length. What a project and time it takes to complete.
WHAT A TRAGEDY FOR SURE! MY HEARTS GO OUT TO EVERYONE..I live in Ct and was looking to move to Orange county or Lee county in the Spring..I am now rethinking this decission..MY QUESTTION>>>> how do you even clean up after something like this? Where does all the wood and furniture go? what about all the cement?? What is done with it? what do they do with all the boats? my mind is boggled! thank you and God Bless everyone including all the rescuers xo
Sanibel and Captiva are one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Been there a cuple of years on summer vacation. I can not imagine that this happened. Take care all that are involved.
I find it very interesting that the bridge itself was not damaged - or it didn't look like it was. The removal of all that asphalt will be a huge task and hopefully some day that will all be replaced with concrete but even that will need to be built higher.
Amazing how mother nature can do such things. It also amazes me how fast Florida always sends to rebuild after every hurricane. I've always wondered why some folks are obsessed with living somewhere, KNOWING that they will have to rebuild their house every year. What possesses a person to keep going back? Either way, God bless the ppl who were affected. May you find peace and be able to rebuild as quickly as usual.
They don’t rebuild every year the average person in Florida living on the coast has to rebuild once in their life that would be a lot… i’ve gone through five hurricanes and had no damage to my home whatsoever you just never know…
I was in Florida a few days ago. When I was there, many of power companies sent their trucks down to restore power. We talked to a Duke employee, he said it was total devastation as this video attests.
Freaking chills. My heart goes out to them. I grew up in the panhandle and I had just moved away for college when cat 5 Michael hit and destroyed almost everything I loved and grew up around. Nature can be scary.💔🙏🏿
This footage is unbelievable. Irma ran me out of cape a few years ago and charley was a disaster. I can only Imagine there's more to come at the rate were going.
BEST Video I have seen with BEST RESOLUTION. Incredible footage of Massive Destruction. Though, the drone footage shows the first half of the Causeway Destruction up to the Arch.
I will miss that scenery after years of driving across that bridge working in people's homes. My favorite lunch stop was a little store on Periwinkle called Huxters.
BOOM exactly what ive been saying. For gods sake get a ferry service going, first to do it wins basically. Ya'll dont need a expensive roadway over a ocean. Its called boats, use them.
I would love to see the before then the after pictures give us a better idea what it used to look like and you are doing a great job on the pictures it gives us an idea what's happening down there thank you
What befuddles my mind is the idea that a lot of effort and money went into building a causeway to a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico. The hubris involved with a project like this is beyond the pale. I think this project deserves it's own category in the Darwin awards
If you've been there you wouldn't think that. Sanibel also connects to Captiva island. It's too much to ignore. There are a lot of islands, or keys along there. I stayed a week on Long Boat Key, near Sarasota. It was supposed to be a 5 star resort, it was a converted 1960s motel. Never the less it was amazing. I liked Sanibel more. Once you get below Ft. Meyers it changes a lot. Ford looked at growing rubber there for cars. Edison has a place there. It's one of those things you have to experience. It's like going out to the grand canyon and calling it a ditch in the earth. Out there you can see for 70 miles. Again, you have to experience it to appreciate how beautiful this place we live on really is. They'll make it great again. Most places have hazards. California with mud slides, Oklahoma with twisters, Chicago, NYC, Houston, Baltimore with criminals thugs, Los Angeles, San Francisco with criminals and really crazy people, other places with flooding. There's no Sears guarantee no matter where you live.
I lived with my mother and stepfather for a year when I was age 5 (around 1978) on Pine Island in Fort Myers area, and we used to often go to Sanibel Island nearby on trips, as it had the nicest beach in the area. My fondest memory was the SEASHELLS - the beach had so many beautiful ones of different colors! - I accumulated a huge collection of them, which I kept in a large white Styrofoam box. My favorites were the pink scallops! And fascinating also as a child to see porpoises! So it's so sad to hear about this destruction now. Even though I'm far away in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we're having our rainy season also here...Chang Klan Road was like a river on Monday, but people were still going in the Kalare Bazaar building!
the army engineers could have put up a temporary bridge in several hours - it also a could training for them instead of them sitting in basses doing nothing --- till repairs can be done we need to start mobilizing our troops in such emergencies and its a like I said early a good training for them
Is it just me or the road didn't have any road clay or stone under the pavement. No riprap or bulkheaded on sides. Interesting causeway. Who owns the road
I remember back in USSR something like this happened military would come and put pontoon bridges in matter of hours not here I guess.military busy with something else.
My goodness. Living on rock solid sand cays, at least a foot or two above highest tides, pouring at least a few inches of concrete as a house slab, building with super strong pine timber. How could such things happen. Who ever thought a hurricane might arrive. My goodness it’s unprecedented, unforseeable, unbelievable.
Nice sarcasm and appropriate. I've lived in North Florida most of my more than half century of years. When I was a kid they were already bemoaning the folly and danger of Miami and South Florida coasts being over built and overpopulated with Hurricane Camille being fresh in many people's minds. The worry was that such a catastrophe as this was inevitable. But technology improved and forecasts got better so alerting the population got easier and folks could still get away in time in most cases. Hurricane Andrew was the next big shock and awe event but that and Charley only served to improve building codes, while the population on the coasts and in the state just continued to increase. Now for that massive population to get away, they have have to drive all the way through the peninsula on basically only two major highways to get fully safe. The amount of gas and food that it takes for that population to prepare takes much more time and effort because so many more people have to stock up, the competition empties the shelves. Add to that the irony that the largest senior population in the country lives in south Florida with more coming to retire there everyday and now you have a vulnerable population that cannot get away so easily if they can't drive or they need oxygen etc etc. What could possibly go wrong?
Barrier islands are beautiful to live on but they change with the years, seasons and storms, sum disappear and others appear. Just one more of Mother Nature’s endless cycles…
If there are any ROLLING STONES fans out there, if you didn't already know, the cover photographs of their album entitled " BLACK AND BLUE " were taken on Sanibel Island somewhere back in the 70's .
It should be made a designated nature preserve. This will certainly happen again it will just be a matter of time. That’s what happens and that’s the price you pay when you build on a barrier island that is susceptible to hurricanes!
Wow, lots of areas have been devastated. First video I've seen of the devastation around me been without power for a while. Been kind of cut off from the outside world
Mother Nature too back what was once hers! I used to go there all the time with my family! So beautiful but so heartbreaking to see! My heart goes out to you all! ❤️😔🙏
Why don't you and other sleepy-heads do some serious research into all the weather manipulation / GeoEngineering Patents that have been approved over many years and then come back and revise your comments about Mother Nature's rath....
This just makes me sad i have gone to that island so many times and have had amazing memories on it and it is so fun and I feel so bad for all the people who lost there homes and for the people who died
The Hurricane Ian damage has showed up a disturbing substandard road construction in Florida. It appears the road has just a thick black top bituminous layer overlaying a very poor foundation layer that seems to form out of using local soil that lack granular content. Normally a road base or sub base should form out of granular material like hard core or lean concrete. At the very least if local sand was used then it should have been mixed with cement to form a hard and durable load bearing base layer. Whatever material and base course put in the roads did not hold together under the wave attack from the Hurricane Ian. The road failed easily when it was next to an abutment, sometimes at both sides of a bridge. This is a strong evidence of lack of compaction in the backfilling after the abutment had been installed. Due to the relatively loose soil next the the abutment the Hurricane Ian could undermine the road by removing the soil away. This fault appears universal from the footage. The other disturbing feature of the Sanibel Island, apparently about 19km long, is the obvious lack of coastal defence work. It appears the ocean side did have some shore small defence implementation but the lagoon does not seem to have anything against the wave attack. IN the end even the Ocean side has a big area washed away. I suggest anyone who think Sanibel island sufficiently safe to take a look at the 28km long Houtribdijk coastal causeway arrangement in Holland from Den oever to Gooium. Only by comparing the coastal defence work between this Dutch causeway with Sanebel island would one appreciate how vulnerable or underdesigned is the latter. The Houtribdijk, also called Afsluitdijk, was constructed between 1927 to 1932 and is still standing today visibly untouched by the environment the several times I crossed it in recent years. The Dutch is of course the world leader in coastal engineering. US is also very strong in coastal defence as the rest of the world use its Department of Army's "Shore Protection Manual" as the bible. However the Sanibel Island might have been built before the "Shore Protection Manual" was accepted as its first edition appeared in 1973.
what man builds in years, nature finishes in minutes😭😭
الله قادر على كل شيئ
@@gatina7713 if you think God did this you have some bigger things to worry about
yep, or in a few hours more or less.
Nature will always find a way.
@@gatina7713 اخبرني عن علامات العصر .. تقصد علامات اخر الزمان
@@gatina7713 yea the times of forever. There’s always been “natural disasters” don’t get ahead of yourself there al gore.
I was a paramedic on Sanibel in the late 70s. I know the island well. It’s vulnerability was the one-way on/one-way off bridge. We all knew this would happen someday though. The price you pay for paradise. It’s a very sad situation, but mother nature always prevails.
Mother Nature and weather modification, never forget the second part too.
@@Monicacride 🤔
Sadly Mother Nature always wins in the end. Prayers heading out to my fellow Floridians on the west coast God be with you 🙏
So true. I visited for the first time last year. My daughter & I both remarked how scary it was knowing there’s only one way out & what would happen if a storm hit.
We can only hold things back temporarily
Sometime I think we are nuts for trying to build and live in these types of places.
In Florida real estate developers view land with $ signs in their eyes.
I think people are nuts to pay what they do to live there. Houses are $1 million plus.
Yes i wouldnt live by water either. You can not pay me to go on a cruise nope not for me. I love the water and beach l lived in clearwater almost 2 yrs. But now im older and i could not do it.
Greed and damn high dollar Filthy rich money hungry developers!
It's a mix between decades upon decades of propaganda against any form of regulation in the US and capitalism (greed) as the sole purpose of society. I guess.
What I don't understand is how many people in Florida are willingly helping each other in a time of crisis, but would never, ever allow for any kind of relief for the poors that are in need of help at any other time (let's say through public education or public healtcare). This just... baffles me. I guess they are only able to see problems when they're right (visually) in front of them. This is sad.
Amazing work you're doing. Technology making it so you can see the damage at such a detailed degree is really something else
WOW who could have imagined this happening on a thin sand bar 3 foot above the water in a sever storm area! WHAT A SURPRISE! Just like the last 30 times and the next 30 times!
@@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307 🤣🤣🤣🤣
And I'm doing amazing work too.
3 cheers for me!
Hip hip sore shoulder!
@@tishkerrville8942 mm
I grew up out onSanibel island. I truly hope they just turned it into a big nature preserve. The island will never be the same again. All I will have is my memories.
I doubt it..nature repairs itself fast. Irma in the Keys was worse in 2017. 5 yrs after and except some mangroves that are still dead, everything else has recovered and looks the same as before.
The quality of this video is FANTASTIC!
Going to visit the ocean is awesome. Having the ocean come visit you, not so much.
Thoughts and prayers for all those affected by this horrific storm.
This one has grown very tired . Think of something clever on your own.
Breaks my heart to see once beautiful Sanibel Island like this. I have vacationed there and it was so nice.
I’ve driven that causeway 100s of times. Going from FM to Sanibel was intoxicating. My heart rate and blood pressure would drop as I drove over the causeway looking at the gorgeous scenery 😢
I've been on this road as recently as late January. Love Sanibel. Unbelievable.
The drive over the Sanibel causeway, up Sanibel and down Captiva is one of the most beautiful drives you can take. At least it used to be. It'll be great again but will probably take 10 years to get there.
Don't think they should rebuild in these areas.
Yes and no. If u look throughout history over continents / borders you basically do not find a place which did not have any catastrophy over the years and still offers a good place to life with water access (river, sea) or other necessary geographic features - however there are areas which are more dangerous than others.
If u look at the current videos u will see a strong discrepancy between the damage done on captiva island vs sanibel - sanibel is much worse, which is the reverse picture of the destruction done by charlie - so houses/homes build after charlie did a lot better, so re-building does make sense if you build it properly, still expensive repairs every 15-22 years though ;-)
I’m astonished, I lived in Punta Rassa, the condos right at the entrance of the Sanibel causeway I looked at this beautiful causeway everyday, watched the sunsets at night, I went through a hurricane in those condos, hard to believe what happened. Very sad.
I would kill to get this footage, you're very lucky to live so close to it. I'm in Arkansas, my hobby is storm chasing and this is just wonderful footage.
@@LakefieldWay I wouldn't call him "very lucky"
Unbelievable destruction. I used to visit Sanibel all the time as a kid, and I would go fishing with my family right on that strip where the causeway was destroyed. Sad to see the entire places pretty much gone, hope they can somehow recover from this.
Unbelievable? In a known hurricane area. Living mere inches above highest astronomical tide. Unbelievable? 😂
@@KeepItSimpleSailor stop. Troll 🤮
@@inkpearls3364 it’s not trolling - any idiot knows living in those locations you have to expect hurricanes, thus it’s all totally believable
@@KeepItSimpleSailor do you also say people that live in Hawaii deserve to lose their houses to Volcanoes or people that live in California deserve to lose them to Earthquakes and people in the Midwest to Tornadoes and none of those people should ever rebuild because they will just get one of those again? By that logic no one should ever build anything, lets just go back to living in caves like your grandfather.
The toll to cross that causeway is now $9.
It’s crazy how water and wind can rip a thick asphalt road to shreds.
Wow! True footage of the damage. Great work!
Thank you. I have it in 4k on my page as well. Plus a lot of Sanibel content.
@@WxChasing Outstanding footage, WX! Thanks!
Thanks LSM for sharing storm chaser videos! That's quite a bit of missing highway - might be a challenge to repair it. Yes, ⛴️ ferry for quite a while
Thanks for your video. Sad to see such a beautiful place broken. Prayers for those affected by the hurricane.
This is so sad. Devastating. Lord please help the people in Florida and all that was affected .🙏
Lord already stepped in - he spared Tampa. He can't be everywhere.
Help the taxpayers not people who live the good life and cry poor mouth later.
@@Partsunknown426 Glad someone said this. And I quite agree. Next - cue the people who say - but, but...there are poor people in Florida, too.
Heartbreaking! My most favorite place ever for the last 25 years.
When you see devastating things like this you realize that we are just visitors of this place called earth and nothing we do here is guaranteed or permanent
Taxes
Such a heavy statement…
@@leedanielson7452 yea.. sometimes I come up with a good one 😆
@@PJL7095 Yeah we all do about once a year lol
First time I went to Sanibel was around '63 or '64, right after the causeway was built. There was a wooden "general store" on the island where the ferry used to dock, and was one of the few places to buy groceries. There were a few motels and a few restaurants, but lots of open space. Stayed on the north end at The Castaways by the bridge to Captiva.
I was looking forward to going back for a visit in 2024. Have to keep an eye on the reconstruction.
This is why you don't build on sandbars. This would take years to rebuild. I'm not a tree hugger or anything, but maybe it's best to remove all the buildings and turn Sanibel Island into a nature reserve.
6400 acres of Sanibel Island are a national wildlife refuge, 2300 acres are wilderness area.
@@onetuliptree your missing the point Eni. It's a barrier island, was never meant to be developed, it was supposed to act as a buffer to the mainland.
@@anarky305 Just like the Outer Banks NC...Only a matter of time.
@@matt8863 exactly. I'm in NC. Hopefully nature reclaims it as it would be a joy for us Natives to see
🪶
Mother Nature has had enough of humans massive overbuilding she wants her land back...!
Thanks 4 sharing ! This is so sad 2 see. Sanibel Island is so beautiful. No one would ever be able to see or know the extensive damage from these hurricanes w/ out all your work. Praying 4 Sanibel & everyone effected by Ian, one of the worst storms ! 🙏 I'm so glad you showed this & I got 2 see it, Thanks again! May God bless you!
Man I loved driving on the causeway it was such a beautiful sight hopefully I'll get to see it again
My home is here ;( FMB and SWFL will never be the same again. Thanks for this video, we still have no power and cellular is crap. My household was in the middle of this BS Storm. Never seen anything like it ever...breaks my heart. So many I know, too many lost everything
Modern world..... cellular is crap. Lol
I can't even believe the damage to roads, boating docks, businesses and homes. I hope the best for all of you! 🇨🇦🇱🇷🌅
I am a musician I work Captiva, live in Fort Myers This is the best footage I've seen thus far thank you.
Barrier islands were never meant to have been built on. Why can’t we leave them alone and to nature? Would be safer.
plus they don't have flood insurance and want others to pay for their problems.
I was planning on going to Sanibel in November. Sanibel is a wonderful place. This is devastating. I feel for the poor residents there.
i just drove that bridge last week our friends have a vacation home on sanibel they just bought and my husband and i were the last ones in the home it’s majorly flooded and there car has floated away . thank goodness they were not there and were going to be there now but can’t . the island is beautiful it breaks my heart that the storm destroyed the beauty of it . i feel lucky to have gone to visit last week when i did . i pray for all that are affected by this it’s just beyond awful
Just visited there a couple years ago. Sad to see it got this devastated. It definitely was a beautiful place.
I lived on Sanibel from 1997 to 2002 and from 2014 to 2016. The original causeway was built in 1963, and by the early 2000s, it was significantly corroded. At one point, they closed the causeway for something like a week and replaced one bridge slab with a steel grate deck, imposing a 10 mph speed limit. The new causeway opened in 2007 and was significantly higher than the prior span, even aside from the high span that replaced the drawbridge. It's stunning to see it torn to pieces like this.
I'm curious to find out what it will take to rebuild it. Obviously the islands and the bridge approaches will have to be replaced, but are the bridges themselves still safe, or will they have to be replaced as well? Regardless, I would be shocked if anyone is driving on a new bridge before late 2024.
Yeah this will take years and years to rebuild the whole island and area. I think they should turn the entire island into a nature preserve. Rebuild some bike/walk paths, but no more homes on the island. All it takes is another storm of similar strength with another power storm surge and this will repeat itself. Building island a few miles is one thing, building on a tiny island is just silly. Think of how much toxins are in the water now from the fuel, debris, sewage...
No wise person would rebuild any of this. Fucking stupid place to build.
I remember that steel grate, it was on the third bridge section (the one closest to the island). Of course they will need to be inspected, but given the rebuild after Charlie I suspect the bridge sections should be good. as for how long to rebuild, that depends on whether they rebuild the connecting islands (which would likely be done via sand dredging, the same method used to create manmade islands in Dubia and China) or if they just shore up the ends of those islands and build bridges the whole way. Definitely a long road ahead.
Why would anyone rebuild there? I know they will, but it’s completely irrational.
@@KeepItSimpleSailor but yet Florida continues to grow in population at an astounding rate despite the regularity of destructive hurricanes. Rustbelt states like Ohio barely hold onto their current population numbers. Yes, we suffer tornadoes and ice storms that destroy infrastructure-but with much less frequency and force. Everyone wants to live and visit paradise. While in the Keys I enjoyed wonderful accommodations, restaurants, tourist attractions. None of this will ever be discontinued lol. Billions of dollars in federal aid and insurance monies will be given and I fully expect an increase in my property insurance though I live far from hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires. It will be a cost we all will bear for better or worse.
Thanks, that is the best footage that I have seen so far.
The extent of the damage is astounding. Parts of the road are just gone, along with the causeway beneath. It's surprising how much of it appears to be just paved sandbars
Because they saved money by not building a full Bridge. Hop skipped from causeway islets
Thats because it is/was
I never noticed that until you said it!🤯 it does look like there's the pavement just sitting on sandbars without any reinforcement. It won't be built that way if it ever comes back. Bridges back to Sanibel Pine Island Captiva are going to be the last thing that gets addressed with all the damage on the mainland😭
It is all sand bar, Cheap construction and it costed them more in the end
Why surpised ? A road built on a f in sandbar what the f were these f in engineers thinking
To understand the strength and fury of hurricane Ian, is to ponder how the power was so great, asphalt roads and supporting structures were broken into bits and pieces.. Nature has a mind of its own..
God BLESS the PEOPLE WHO LOST THIER LIFE
The way the hurricane tore through all of that rebar. Amazing.
Water weighs 8.33 Lbs. per gallon, just imagine the force of the Gulf of Mexico pounding on these structures. Mind blowing.
Excellent footage.Prayers and strength to you all from Aussie.🙏
I love the unique perspectives you bring
I'm a stormchaser based in Arkansas/Oklahoma and this footage is amazing.. .makes me inspired and happy that such things are possible. This type of footage is what I live for, puts a huge smile on my face, thank you
Cool someone is smiling.
Same here puts a my on my face too! I'm a 57year true Floridian
I'm a roadway and bridge inspector. CEI.
The scope of work to rebuild the causeway and redesign it is going to be a herculean feat. Prayers to those affected.
I would have had it filled in and being used already assuming that the main bridge is still usable.
It is going to be a big job, but we Americans are up to the task, it’s what we do
@@carryfreak5059 You're right. Too many people will miss the beloved island and the everlasting urge to rebuild what was paradise will take over. Walking down the Sanibel beaches during the day and especially at night with an extremely bright full moon is utterly jaw dropping. I would give anything to go back.
@@wiiaregreat They will rebuild, and it will be better than before
WOW...they will have to pile drive sheathing on both sides of the roadway to keep it dry to be able to rebuild it. As the storm or ocean has made a number of complete cuts or voids. Or just bridge the whole length. What a project and time it takes to complete.
WHAT A TRAGEDY FOR SURE! MY HEARTS GO OUT TO EVERYONE..I live in Ct and was looking to move to Orange county or Lee county in the Spring..I am now rethinking this decission..MY QUESTTION>>>> how do you even clean up after something like this? Where does all the wood and furniture go? what about all the cement?? What is done with it? what do they do with all the boats? my mind is boggled! thank you and God Bless everyone including all the rescuers xo
Praying for these residents and business!💔 love this beautiful island
Will have to do their commuting by boat and ferry for awhile. Adds a bit of nostalgia really, especially as a tourist spot.
I'm in awe and terrify at the power of the hurricane.
Sanibel and Captiva are one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Been there a cuple of years on summer vacation.
I can not imagine that this happened. Take care all that are involved.
Seeing all this reminds me of something Jesus said. “The foolish man builds his house upon the sand.”
I find it very interesting that the bridge itself was not damaged - or it didn't look like it was. The removal of all that asphalt will be a huge task and hopefully some day that will all be replaced with concrete but even that will need to be built higher.
Amazing how mother nature can do such things. It also amazes me how fast Florida always sends to rebuild after every hurricane. I've always wondered why some folks are obsessed with living somewhere, KNOWING that they will have to rebuild their house every year. What possesses a person to keep going back?
Either way, God bless the ppl who were affected. May you find peace and be able to rebuild as quickly as usual.
They don’t rebuild every year the average person in Florida living on the coast has to rebuild once in their life that would be a lot… i’ve gone through five hurricanes and had no damage to my home whatsoever you just never know…
This is just unbelievable. I don't know how many times I went over that causeway when I lived there. It's so sad to see all the destruction from Ian.
Just unreal. Hard to imagine how quickly things can be gone.
I was in Florida a few days ago. When I was there, many of power companies sent their trucks down to restore power. We talked to a Duke employee, he said it was total devastation as this video attests.
I had vacationed at Sanibel Island with my family. I remember driving across this very road and it makes me so sad to see it like this.
You are surgical with that drone. Thank you.
Freaking chills. My heart goes out to them. I grew up in the panhandle and I had just moved away for college when cat 5 Michael hit and destroyed almost everything I loved and grew up around. Nature can be scary.💔🙏🏿
This footage is unbelievable. Irma ran me out of cape a few years ago and charley was a disaster. I can only Imagine there's more to come at the rate were going.
Profound message
BEST Video I have seen with BEST RESOLUTION. Incredible footage of Massive Destruction. Though, the drone footage shows the first half of the Causeway Destruction up to the Arch.
Sometimes the memory of things are beautiful, but we still must let them go.
I will miss that scenery after years of driving across that bridge working in people's homes. My favorite lunch stop was a little store on Periwinkle called Huxters.
looks like the best short term solution is to establish a ferry service. If they rebuild the road it will take a long time and a lot of money.
BOOM exactly what ive been saying. For gods sake get a ferry service going, first to do it wins basically. Ya'll dont need a expensive roadway over a ocean. Its called boats, use them.
Wow! Thank you for this incredible footage!
I would love to see the before then the after pictures give us a better idea what it used to look like and you are doing a great job on the pictures it gives us an idea what's happening down there thank you
Google Earth images are from July 2022.
So sad to see what happened to this beautiful place. Thank you for sharing!
This looks like a job for the Army. Have a temporary causeway in no time.
Expected to happen on a “barrier” island. After all it was never supposed to be built on in the first place.
Great footage by drone and Crews .... Very Sad to See.... But life is keep going no matter what 👍❤️💪
amazing video but sad. what drone was he using just curious beautiful video of a sad devastating situation
What befuddles my mind is the idea that a lot of effort and money went into building a causeway to a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico. The hubris involved with a project like this is beyond the pale. I think this project deserves it's own category in the Darwin awards
That’s why it costs $6 per car to drive across
If you've been there you wouldn't think that. Sanibel also connects to Captiva island. It's too much to ignore. There are a lot of islands, or keys along there. I stayed a week on Long Boat Key, near Sarasota. It was supposed to be a 5 star resort, it was a converted 1960s motel. Never the less it was amazing. I liked Sanibel more. Once you get below Ft. Meyers it changes a lot. Ford looked at growing rubber there for cars. Edison has a place there. It's one of those things you have to experience. It's like going out to the grand canyon and calling it a ditch in the earth. Out there you can see for 70 miles. Again, you have to experience it to appreciate how beautiful this place we live on really is.
They'll make it great again.
Most places have hazards. California with mud slides, Oklahoma with twisters, Chicago, NYC, Houston, Baltimore with criminals thugs, Los Angeles, San Francisco with criminals and really crazy people, other places with flooding. There's no Sears guarantee no matter where you live.
Go outside more lol.
Two bridges, as noted in another comment.
@@robertthomas5906 Ferries dont work there?
I lived with my mother and stepfather for a year when I was age 5 (around 1978) on Pine Island in Fort Myers area, and we used to often go to Sanibel Island nearby on trips, as it had the nicest beach in the area. My fondest memory was the SEASHELLS - the beach had so many beautiful ones of different colors! - I accumulated a huge collection of them, which I kept in a large white Styrofoam box. My favorites were the pink scallops! And fascinating also as a child to see porpoises! So it's so sad to hear about this destruction now. Even though I'm far away in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we're having our rainy season also here...Chang Klan Road was like a river on Monday, but people were still going in the Kalare Bazaar building!
I was there yesterday the widespread damage is unreal
the army engineers could have put up a temporary bridge in several hours - it also a could training for them instead of them sitting in basses doing nothing --- till repairs can be done we need to start mobilizing our troops in such emergencies and its a like I said early a good training for them
This is so scary to look at; it reminds me of a reoccurring nightmare I keep having.
Ugh I've had similar dreams!!! Bridge over water that just ends... it's what I thought watching this.
@@roseawen5961 Yes, I am on a bus, the bus goes over a hill on a bridge and keep going downward into a large body of water
Is it just me or the road didn't have any road clay or stone under the pavement. No riprap or bulkheaded on sides. Interesting causeway.
Who owns the road
Not a mangrove in sight. If there were still mangroves to protect these areas this would be less of a concern.
When I was a child there was no road to Sanibel or Marco Islands. We put in a boat and boated to the islands.
Great footage, crazy amount of damage : (
Devastating. Thank you for the video otherwise neighboring countries would never know of this. Little to no mainstream media coverage.
I see the problem. Not enough rebar to reinforce the roadways
Great work! The destruction is sad. This is another one of those situations where if you challenge mother nature you will lose every time.
Another one is on the way…
Construct two ports and run a ferry that Carries cars like on Long Island from Bridgeport CT to Port Jerfferson - and maybe build a tunnel long term .
I remember back in USSR something like this happened military would come and put pontoon bridges in matter of hours not here I guess.military busy with something else.
My goodness. Living on rock solid sand cays, at least a foot or two above highest tides, pouring at least a few inches of concrete as a house slab, building with super strong pine timber. How could such things happen. Who ever thought a hurricane might arrive. My goodness it’s unprecedented, unforseeable, unbelievable.
Nice sarcasm and appropriate. I've lived in North Florida most of my more than half century of years. When I was a kid they were already bemoaning the folly and danger of Miami and South Florida coasts being over built and overpopulated with Hurricane Camille being fresh in many people's minds. The worry was that such a catastrophe as this was inevitable. But technology improved and forecasts got better so alerting the population got easier and folks could still get away in time in most cases. Hurricane Andrew was the next big shock and awe event but that and Charley only served to improve building codes, while the population on the coasts and in the state just continued to increase. Now for that massive population to get away, they have have to drive all the way through the peninsula on basically only two major highways to get fully safe. The amount of gas and food that it takes for that population to prepare takes much more time and effort because so many more people have to stock up, the competition empties the shelves. Add to that the irony that the largest senior population in the country lives in south Florida with more coming to retire there everyday and now you have a vulnerable population that cannot get away so easily if they can't drive or they need oxygen etc etc. What could possibly go wrong?
@@Butterfly-truth well said
@@Butterfly-truth Could provide them Scuba tanks at least! 😏🤭
Barrier islands are beautiful to live on but they change with the years, seasons and storms, sum disappear and others appear. Just one more of Mother Nature’s endless cycles…
Interestingly, you only see Sanibel island in three of the shots. Each of which, the island is in the background
This could be a you know what..and I think it is 😉
Nature is taking back what it deserves
Well said. I’m a native Floridian. Sanibel should be a designated nature preserve. Strictly uninhabitable for this reason alone.
👍
The causeway park was a amazing place to see a sunset.... Damn
What happens when you build on sand !!!
If there are any ROLLING STONES fans out there, if you didn't already know, the cover photographs of their album entitled " BLACK AND BLUE "
were taken on Sanibel Island somewhere back in the 70's .
Maybe it should remain as it is. The sea will reclaim.
It should be made a designated nature preserve. This will certainly happen again it will just be a matter of time. That’s what happens and that’s the price you pay when you build on a barrier island that is susceptible to hurricanes!
@@SRsizz 👍
Wow, lots of areas have been devastated. First video I've seen of the devastation around me been without power for a while. Been kind of cut off from the outside world
Mother Nature too back what was once hers! I used to go there all the time with my family! So beautiful but so heartbreaking to see! My heart goes out to you all! ❤️😔🙏
Why don't you and other sleepy-heads do some serious research into all the weather manipulation / GeoEngineering Patents that have been approved over many years and then come back and revise your comments about Mother Nature's rath....
@@kellikelli4413 Ur SPOT ON!!
@@MrQuantom You're just as much a fucking ninny as Kelli is, yikes 🤮
Just look up on any given day, and you can see it for yourself!
@@hnstypcehrmny6312
It's unfathomable but some people think everything odd up there is normal
This just makes me sad i have gone to that island so many times and have had amazing memories on it and it is so fun and I feel so bad for all the people who lost there homes and for the people who died
This is how nature wants it dont rebuild let the ocean breathe if not we will return
The Hurricane Ian damage has showed up a disturbing substandard road construction in Florida. It appears the road has just a thick black top bituminous layer overlaying a very poor foundation layer that seems to form out of using local soil that lack granular content. Normally a road base or sub base should form out of granular material like hard core or lean concrete. At the very least if local sand was used then it should have been mixed with cement to form a hard and durable load bearing base layer. Whatever material and base course put in the roads did not hold together under the wave attack from the Hurricane Ian. The road failed easily when it was next to an abutment, sometimes at both sides of a bridge. This is a strong evidence of lack of compaction in the backfilling after the abutment had been installed. Due to the relatively loose soil next the the abutment the Hurricane Ian could undermine the road by removing the soil away. This fault appears universal from the footage.
The other disturbing feature of the Sanibel Island, apparently about 19km long, is the obvious lack of coastal defence work. It appears the ocean side did have some shore small defence implementation but the lagoon does not seem to have anything against the wave attack. IN the end even the Ocean side has a big area washed away. I suggest anyone who think Sanibel island sufficiently safe to take a look at the 28km long Houtribdijk coastal causeway arrangement in Holland from Den oever to Gooium. Only by comparing the coastal defence work between this Dutch causeway with Sanebel island would one appreciate how vulnerable or underdesigned is the latter. The Houtribdijk, also called Afsluitdijk, was constructed between 1927 to 1932 and is still standing today visibly untouched by the environment the several times I crossed it in recent years. The Dutch is of course the world leader in coastal engineering. US is also very strong in coastal defence as the rest of the world use its Department of Army's "Shore Protection Manual" as the bible. However the Sanibel Island might have been built before the "Shore Protection Manual" was accepted as its first edition appeared in 1973.
Excellent comment. Thank you for your insight.
They charge 12 bucks to go over that bridge. Looks like 4" of asphalt on sand.
6 bucks per car, not 12…
What kind of drone are you using??... The camera is amazing