Josh Fiallo/The Daily Beast
FORT MYERS, Florida—Gage Long was never worried about the winds of Hurricane Ian, even as they reached 155 mph just miles from his apartment on the Fort Myers waterfront. His building was solid concrete and he felt safe, he told The Daily Beast Thursday, adding that many of his neighbors said the same.
Fearful of post-storm looting, Long said nearly everybody at the Riverwalk Apartment Homes complex elected to ride Ian out. But it was a decision many would soon regret, as the asphalt that separated the two-story complex became inundated with eight feet of storm surge—and, by the early afternoon, two yachts had washed up between its walls.
“We’re in Florida, we’re naturally not scared of hurricanes,” Long said. ”But nobody expected this. Every time I came to check on the water, it just kept coming… Then I go to look at the water level again and there’s a massive boat just floating at eye level with me.”