The reporter and photographer left their hotel room in Fort Myers late Wednesday night and have been looking at the damage from the storm.
The section of the causeway leading to Sanibel was destroyed by the storm.
Here are their dispatches from the county.
There is an alarm at the toll booth. The road will give way when you step just past it. One of the first sections of the bridge has gone missing. Near the water's edge, there is crumbled pavement. The rest of the bridge can't be reached.
Just before the Sanibel Causeway, under the toll plaza sign, is a road that is not accessible.
The pavement is torn to ribbons by a storm surge. There is a staircase in the brush next to a pickup. A boat trailer was thrown by the storm.
There was sand on the pavement. Just steps away from the shore are the waves.
A group of young men were trying to reach their friend on the island after two cars tried to leave.
They had to change course.
Shortly before midnight, building alarms blared through the downtown area. The water was high outside the United States Courthouse. There were small pieces of trash floating in the water.
There is a store on First Street. The dress was hanging in the wind. There were large pieces of foam covered with a hard exterior and scarred by barnacles near the road.
There were a few pickup trucks stuck on the road outside. The driver was checking on the boats.
The water was not under control.
Some streets in the southwest part of the city still have some water in them. The poles of the mailboxes were drifting.
Generators hummed as a few houses shone out of darkness.
There were branches and trees in the lawn.
There were a few empty bars and a house of pizza in the downtown area.
Hours after Hurricane Ian made landfall near Caya Costa, Cape Coral was pitch black.
A man surveys his yard with two of his children by his side.
The area has been home to Renas since he was 16.
He said they didn't really consider leaving Ian.
They live at the corner of Santa Barbara Boulevard and SE 39th Terrace. The wind was frightening.
It felt like the wind was going to blow out the doors for a long time. His son, Zak, clutched the other, he said.
I will never forget the howling, it was something I would never forget.
She said like cars revved their engines.
It could be a plane flying over.
The girl was having fun at first and treating the shelter-in-place like a camping trip. She looked outside and saw that the flood waters were close by. She cried.
Around 9:30 p.m., the front and side yards were still wet. It was next to a fallen palm tree, where a girl waits for the school bus.
A white car that had been abandoned in the street was submerged up to the floorboards.
"Next time they tell us to leave, I'll leave."
This is the first time I've heard of it.
There are road closings as Hurricane Ian approaches.
A school mental health expert says to let the kids know what's going on and keep a routine.
Information on pets, civil and more are what to expect in a shelter.
If your home is damaged in a storm, call your insurance company.
Property damage and storms are related. There is a way to prepare.
It's storm season and you need to stay informed at tampa bay.com/hurricane.
There is a rising threat of flooding in the bay. How to get ready
All kinds of Hurricane kits can be built with a double check.
You can use your phone to protect your data.
During a storm, protect your mental health with self- care.
This is the first time I've heard of it.
The National Hurricane Center and the Tampa Bay Times collaborated for a look at future storms.
Huge storm surge can be caused by even weak hurricanes. People don't know the risks.
There's a huge flood risk in the third part of the story. How should we deal with it?
You can find an interactive map of the flood risk in your area.
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