Ten days after Hurricane Ian tore through his small, tight-knit waterfront community of Fort Myers Beach with a storm surge estimated as high as 18 feet, Jerry Altrip boarded a bus and made his way back from the mainland across the causeway that connects to the small barrier island.
Since Ian struck on Sept. 28, Altrip had only seen pictures of the devastation from afar, mostly taking in footage of crushed homes, buildings and shredded landscape through aerial footage gathered by television stations.
Still, the long-time island resident told NBC Nightly News reporter Kathy Park that he remained hopeful his property had somehow survived the hammering winds and roiling waters that plowed through the “little island” that he “loved.”
