The survey began Thursday of the damage and destruction left behind by Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm.
"Pretty rattled, it doesn't really feel real yet, you see I got a boat in my yard and my truck is destroyed," said Sean Casey, who was in Fort Myers when the hurricane hit.
Casey, who lives in Tampa, evacuated to Fort Myers when forecasters initially believed the storm was headed that way, but it shifted about 100 miles south.
"In the moment, it was just terrifying. I never felt like more of an idiot even though when I came down here. It was supposed to hit Tampa and this was the right thing to do, I still feel like I could have left earlier, made a decision differently," said Casey, who was staying at his sister's home when the storm hit.
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He said the one-story house, which is across from a river, started to flood.
"The storm surge moved incredibly quickly. At that point I had to evacuate this one-level house, I knew it wasn't going to be safe for me to stay here. So, I went to the neighbor's house here," said Casey pointing to a home on stilts several yards away. "The wind was howling; waves beating against the house. I evacuated and escaped to that stilt house there, blessedly taken in by a neighbor."
Casey said at first he didn't think the water would go any higher, which is why he secured his animals in a high location inside the home.
"After going over to the neighbors, for no more than 30 minutes, I realized that wasn't going to work and swam back to this house. At the time it was chest deep for me and I found all the animals where I had put them up high, and took the canoe from the garage. And I put that in the kitchen and put the animals in the canoe and left them with food and water and prayed for the best, and ended up swimming back to the neighbor's house. Luckily, two of the three dogs were still there in the morning and one of the cats. But still looking for my best friend, Dwight, my cat and one dog named Evie. I haven't given up, I'm going to find them," said Casey.
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Aerial video for the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Florida showed the damage and destruction the hurricane left behind in the Fort Myers area, which was hit hard.
The storm washed out roads and major bridges, flooded homes and demolished structures along the coast.
The Fort Myers Beach Pier was whittled down to stilts. Times Square, an area made up of restaurants, shops and bars, is unrecognizable.
The death toll from the storm is at 10 for now but is expected to grow.
"The neighbor that I have now spent so much time with, Andrew, couldn't be more grateful. I think we are now best friends and probably will be for life. I don't think I would be here if it were not for his kindness and being well prepared. We were both kind of well prepared, I brought some battery packs and water to the party, but extremely grateful to have a good community around me as this unfolded," said Casey.
Click here to support disaster relief efforts from Hurricane Ian and make a donation to the American Red Cross.
