MIAMI — Hurricane Ian is officially the most expensive storm in Florida’s history, with a price tag of $109 billion in damage.
That’s the staggering loss from tens of thousands of homes and buildings in Southwest Florida damaged by Ian’s fierce winds and storm surge — and more than a thousand totally wiped away. Roads and bridges, including the Sanibel causeway, crumbled into the sea. As far away as Broward County across the state, a tornado spawned at the storm’s edge tipped over planes at a small airport, causing a couple million in damages.
A new National Hurricane Center report with the official numbers from Iran put the final death toll at 156 dead and found that at one point the storm did reach Category 5 strength before roaring ashore slightly weaker. The report, released Monday, is a comprehensive look at the hard numbers around Ian, including wind speed, storm surge height and rain totals.
