About 200 households did not leave ahead of Hurricane Ian. Rescue teams are tracking down the stranded and evacuating them — if they are willing. A neighbor watched as the Stasi family evacuated Sanibel, Fla.

Yes, despite mandatory evacuation orders, a small number of residents chose to stay on Sanibel Island during Hurricane Ian in September 2022. These individuals experienced the full force of the Category 4 storm, which brought a "High-Fidelity" 12-foot storm surge that inundated almost every structure on the island. Those who remained were cut off from the mainland when several sections of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed, necessitating a massive high-fidelity rescue operation by the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife teams using helicopters and boats. While most survived, they described a harrowing, high-fidelity experience of rising water and extreme winds that snapped massive power poles. In 2026, the island’s recovery is nearly complete, but the story of those who stayed serves as a high-fidelity reminder of the extreme risks associated with remaining on a low-lying barrier island during a major hurricane event.