Naples Botanical Garden is set to reopen next Tuesday, November 1. While the garden was impacted by Hurricane Ian and did receive some flooding, its 90-acres of undeveloped native habitat held much of the water, which mitigated flooding in the cultivated gardens that guests enjoy. Their plans for the rest of the 2022-23 season remain in place, so we talk with Britt Patterson-Weber, Vice President of Education & Interpretation to get a preview.

On the morning after Hurricane Ian swept through southwest Florida a team of more than 50 people working for, or with, the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers went door-to-door to conduct resident wellness checks and document damage at the more than 1,400 public and subsidized units and 2,400 housing voucher residences it administers. We check in with the Housing Authority's Executive Director, Marcia Davis, to hear about the work they’ve done and what’s left to be done.

Lee County are being asked whether to change the job of superintendent of The School District of Lee County from an appointed position to an elected position. It’s been an appointed position in Lee County since 1974. The referendum was placed on the ballot for voters in Lee County after Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 497 into law at the end of the 2022 legislative session. It had been pushed by republican members of the Lee County legislative delegation and it passed despite never being read out of committee during the House session and had no accompanying Senate bill.

In his new book, “Fort Myers Historic Hurricanes” Tom Hall offers a history of severe storms that have impacted southwest Florida dating all the way back to 1841, but he also provides a dire warning about this area’s severe risk from hurricanes and storm surge in general. It opens with a hurricane in 1841 that swept across the region making landfall near Sanibel Island and bringing 14' of storm surge to the U.S. Army fort on Punta Rassa.

Sanibel Island took a direct hit when Hurricane Ian made landfall two weeks ago. It was about 10 days before any residents were able to make it back to the island, but efforts are now underway to begin the process of removing the contents of water-soaked homes that experienced up to 12-feet of storm surge in some areas. And, the process is also underway to begin filing insurance claims. We get a glimpse into the issues around insurance that barrier island residents like those on Sanibel are facing right now with Chris Heidrick, he is Agency Principal at Heidrick & Co. Insurance on Sanibel Island.

Hurricane Ian washed thousands of boats onto land all along the coast of Southwest Florida, and sank many as well. We talk with someone from the Boat Owners Association of The United States to find out who is responsible for removing or salvaging them.And when a disaster like Hurricane Ian unfolds The American Red Cross is there before, during, and after the storm. The non-profit humanitarian organization currently has more than 1,800 disaster workers and volunteers on the ground across the affected communities.

We learn about the work being done right now by The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee. They’re partnering with the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers which is raising money through the SWFL Emergency Relief Fund. To get a sense of what they’re focusing on right now, and the work they’re doing managing the 2-1-1 Crisis Helpline, we talk Jeannine Joy, President and CEO of The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee.We also get a first-take on Hurricane Ian’s ecological impact. Ian brought historic storm surge levels in excess of 12 feet in some places. It’s the kind of storm surge emergency managers say they’ve always feared but that we’ve never really experienced in this part of Florida.

As people who were hardest hit continue to do what they can to get through these times mental health professionals are urging people to do what they can to connect with others and be mindful of their own mental well-being.

We check in with someone from the Town of Fort Myers Beach to get a sense of what they’re facing. We get the latest on restoration work being done by LCEC. We get some information about how loans through the federal Small Business Administration work. We talk with someone from Lee Health to see how its facilities fared during the storm and what services are back up and running. And we touch base with Dr. Christopher Bernier, superintendent of the School District of Lee County.

We talk with someone from FEMA to get an update on their work in this area and what kinds of assistance people can receive from them and how to apply. We also check in with someone from UF/IFAS to get a first-look at how Ian impacted agriculture in the state. And we talk with Florida Gulf Coast University President, Dr. Mike Martin, to see how campus operations have been impacted and what the plan is for the rest of the fall semester.