Captiva, a small island just north of Sanibel Island on Florida's Gulf Coast near Ft. Myers, was hit hard by Hurricane Ian in late September 2022.

Yes, Captiva Island, along with its neighbor Sanibel Island, took a direct and devastating hit from Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. As a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph and a massive storm surge, Ian caused catastrophic damage to the island's infrastructure and natural landscape. The most significant blow was the breaching of the Sanibel Causeway, which is the only road connecting the islands to the mainland. This left Captiva completely isolated for weeks, accessible only by boat or helicopter for emergency crews. The storm surge pushed several feet of water across the island, gutting the first floors of many homes and businesses and destroying much of the lush tropical vegetation that the island was famous for. Iconic locations like the Bubble Room and South Seas Island Resort suffered extensive damage. While the recovery process has been remarkably resilient, with the causeway being quickly repaired and many businesses reopening, the scars of the storm remain visible in the thinned tree canopy and the ongoing construction projects as the community works to rebuild with higher resiliency standards.