SANIBEL, Fla. – A sign of hope shines bright Tuesday morning after destruction in Southwest Florida.
After being out of commission following Hurricane Ian, the Sanibel Lighthouse was relighted for the first time. It was a welcome sight of the recovery on Florida’s west coast.
“We see this lighthouse as a beacon of hope, a beacon of life and a beacon of community,” said Sanibel Island Mayor Holly Smith during a relighting ceremony Tuesday morning.
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The Sanibel Lighthouse was damaged by Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28, 2022, and has not been operable since the storm. City officials said the hurricane broke away one of the lighthouse legs, which was replaced with a temporary wooden support.
Electrical repairs were completed earlier this month on Sanibel’s iconic lighthouse, which began operation in 1884. The U.S. Coast Guard also replaced the light following the destruction of the Category 4 hurricane that ranks among the 10 costliest in U.S. history.
“Hurricane Ian came on our shores and changed what our shores look like,” Smith said. “But what it didn’t change is what our community looks like.”
As Smith looked at the island’s lighthouse as the sun began to rise Tuesday, she remembered all the calls, texts and emails from residents following Ian on the condition of the recognizable lantern of light.
“There were so many calls from around the world wondering about this iconic beacon that is such a symbol to Sanibel, and it’s a piece of so many people’s hearts,” she said.
Smith said seeing the light again is important for everyone because it’s a light that will keep shining on Sanibel.
“We will all be shining on Sanibel,” she exclaimed.
Ian slammed into the Fort Myers area as a Category 4 hurricane with 150-mph winds. Those destructive winds pushed feet of water ashore from the Gulf of Mexico that tore across barrier islands and gutted buildings along the coast. Some beach homes sported high-water marks at nearly 12 feet on the barrier islands like Sanibel.
FOX Weather hurricane expert Bryan Norcross said prominent parts of Southwest Florida from south of Fort Myers to north of Charlotte Harbor, about 50 miles of coastline, have been changed forever following the deadliest storm of the year.
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More than 100 people died from the storm, and reports show that most drowned. First responders rescued almost 2,500 in the Sunshine State alone.
Sections of the Sanibel Causeway, which uses a series of bridges to connect the island to the mainland, were washed away. Boats and helicopters were the only way to reach the island in the immediate aftermath of Ian, which complicated rescue and recovery efforts.
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