"This is the scariest thing I've been through" Fort Myers residents describe what is was like riding out Hurricane Ian
FORT MYERS - For the first time we can see the extent of damage after hurricane Ian pounded Ft. Myers. Winds at 155 miles per hour annihilated communities.
Resident Eileen Hoffman left her coastal home to find safety at a hotel in Fort Myers, but for the last 48 hours, the hotel hasn't had electricity or water. Hotel guests couldn't flush the toilets in their rooms. Conditions became unsanitary, so hotel management told guests in all 130 rooms they had to be out by morning as a safety precaution. Hoffman told CBS4 she doesn't know what to do next.
"We have absolutely no idea where we are going. We tried to get hotel reservations within a 50-mile radius of this area and there are no vacancies. We have no idea where we are going. It's very scary, this is the scariest thing I've been through," she said.
In downtown Fort Myers there is debris and shattered glass everywhere. The windows to storefronts are blown out. Savannah Ault, who lives in the area, thought she would be safe riding out the storm on the second floor of her apartment. She was documenting her experience on social media as two boats plowed into her apartment.
"We were in our apartment, we didn't think it was going to flood as much as it did. Then the water started coming up over the doorknobs to the first floor and then midway to the windows. When that happened two boats came in from the harbor. Now there are currently two boats in my apartment complex," said Ault.
Lands lines are down. Internet and cell phone service are also down, making it very difficult to communicate. People we spoke with impacted by the storm told us the hardest part is not being able to check on their loved ones to make sure they are safe.
