Historic Hurricanes Of Fort Myers

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian struck Fort Myers, Florida, ravaging Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel, Captiva, Matlacha and Pine Islands. Ian was just the latest in a series of storms that have influenced how the region has developed since the mid-1800s. In fact, it was an 1841 hurricane that followed roughly the same track as Ian that caused the Army to move its central supply depot to Fort Myers' present-day location, a site presumably safe from impacts such as storm surge, hurricane force winds and inland flooding. That was not true then. It is not true now. Of all the towns and cities that dot the coast of the United States from the Rio Grande to Eastport, Maine, the City of Fort Myers has the sixth most homes and fourth most multi-family dwellings at risk for storm surge in the entire nation. With more than 400 miles of canals encompassing 520 square miles, neighboring Cape Coral is America's most vulnerable city when it comes to flooding produced by tropical systems. The severity of these impacts and the associated loss of life and property damage are expected to increase in the future due to sea level rise, climate change and ongoing development of single family, multi-family and commercial properties in the shallow flood plains that drain the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries. With Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers, local historian Tom Hall blends a meticulously researched analysis of where and why Fort Myers is uniquely subject to storm surge, wind damage and inland flooding with old-time stories of how the region's early pioneers weathered storms as they built a town and an economy based on cattle exports to Cuba. For the historian at heart, Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers transports readers to a time when rugged, enterprising men and women assayed to build a town in the footprint of an old Seminole and Civil War fort on the southern bank of the Caloosahatchee River. It chronicles the role played by iconic cattlemen like Jake Summerlin and Capt. Francis Asbury Hendry and the singular importance of the cattle industry in decades following the end of the Civil War. For residents and property owners, this book provides a street-specific road map that delineates each neighborhood's risk for mild to catastrophic damage from storm surge, hurricane force winds and freshwater flooding. It considers how these impacts are likely to worsen in a wetter, hotter climate. And with input from WINK TV Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt, Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers provides useful tips and concrete recommendations for how to survive a storm ... and when and why to evacuate in advance of one. Readers will glean a greater appreciation of the factors that led to the settlement of this part of Florida. But given the region's unique risk for storm impacts in a changing climate, Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers serves as the quintessential tropical cyclone survival guide.

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian struck Fort Myers, Florida, ravaging Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel, Captiva, Matlacha and Pine Islands. Ian was just the latest in a series of storms that have influenced how the region has developed since the mid-1800s. In fact, it was an 1841 hurricane that followed roughly the same track as Ian that caused the Army to move its central supply depot to Fort Myers’ present-day location, a site presumably safe from impacts such as storm surge, hurricane force winds and inland flooding. That was not true then. It is not true now. Of all the towns and cities that dot the coast of the United States from the Rio Grande to Eastport, Maine, the City of Fort Myers has the sixth most homes and fourth most multi-family dwellings at risk for storm surge in the entire nation. With more than 400 miles of canals encompassing 520 square miles, neighboring Cape Coral is America’s most vulnerable city when it comes to flooding produced by tropical systems. The severity of these impacts and the associated loss of life and property damage are expected to increase in the future due to sea level rise, climate change and ongoing development of single family, multi-family and commercial properties in the shallow flood plains that drain the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries. With Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers, local historian Tom Hall blends a meticulously researched analysis of where and why Fort Myers is uniquely subject to storm surge, wind damage and inland flooding with old-time stories of how the region’s early pioneers weathered storms as they built a town and an economy based on cattle exports to Cuba. For the historian at heart, Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers transports readers to a time when rugged, enterprising men and women assayed to build a town in the footprint of an old Seminole and Civil War fort on the southern bank of the Caloosahatchee River. It chronicles the role played by iconic cattlemen like Jake Summerlin and Capt. Francis Asbury Hendry and the singular importance of the cattle industry in decades following the end of the Civil War. For residents and property owners, this book provides a street-specific road map that delineates each neighborhood’s risk for mild to catastrophic damage from storm surge, hurricane force winds and freshwater flooding. It considers how these impacts are likely to worsen in a wetter, hotter climate. And with input from WINK TV Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt, Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers provides useful tips and concrete recommendations for how to survive a storm … and when and why to evacuate in advance of one. Readers will glean a greater appreciation of the factors that led to the settlement of this part of Florida. But given the region’s unique risk for storm impacts in a changing climate, Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers serves as the quintessential tropical cyclone survival guide.

A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74 miles per hour or more. Hurricane winds blow in a large spiral around a relative calm centre known as the "eye." The "eye" is generally 20 to 30 miles wide, and the storm may extend outward 400 miles. As a hurricane approaches, the skies will begin to darken and winds will grow in strength. As a hurricane nears land, it can bring torrential rains, high winds, and storm surges. A single hurricane can last for more than 2 weeks over open waters and can run a path across the entire length of the eastern seaboard. August and September are peak months during the hurricane season that lasts from 1 June to 30 November. This book presents the facts and history of hurricanes.

The Sunshine State has an exceptionally stormy past. Vulnerable to storms that arise in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, Florida has been hit by far more hurricanes than any other state. In many ways, hurricanes have helped shape Florida's history. Early efforts by the French, Spanish, and English to claim the territory as their own were often thwarted by hurricanes. More recently, storms have affected such massive projects as Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad and efforts to manage water in South Florida. In this book, Jay Barnes offers a fascinating and informative look at Florida's hurricane history. Drawing on meteorological research, news reports, first-person accounts, maps, and historical photographs, he traces all of the notable hurricanes that have affected the state over the last four-and-a-half centuries, from the great storms of the early colonial period to the devastating hurricanes of 2004 and 2005--Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma. In addition to providing a comprehensive chronology of more than one hundred individual storms, Florida's Hurricane History includes information on the basics of hurricane dynamics, formation, naming, and forecasting. It explores the origins of the U.S. Weather Bureau and government efforts to study and track hurricanes in Florida, home of the National Hurricane Center. But the book does more than examine how hurricanes have shaped Florida's past; it also looks toward the future, discussing the serious threat that hurricanes continue to pose to both lives and property in the state. Filled with more than 200 photographs and maps, the book also features a foreword by Steve Lyons, tropical weather expert for the Weather Channel. It will serve as both an essential reference on hurricanes in Florida and a remarkable source of the stories--of tragedy and destruction, rescue and survival--that foster our fascination with these powerful storms.

This book provides general history on the tropical cyclones and great freezes that impacted - Central Florida. General history means a brief overview using primary (accurate) information to define (as best as can be found) each event - be that hurricane/tropical storm or freeze/snow storm. Orlando, Florida was my home town, and the general landscape was changed by a sequential set of killer freezes. From orange groves to subdivisions - these weather events certainly altered the State. When researching cold weather events, it was interesting to find a number of snow storms that impacted both Central Florida as well as the entire state. Information was found for cold-weather from 1765 and ends in 1991. As to tropical systems, the data was more difficult to find, but includes a few older storms from 1871 and ends in 1995.