ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — Thursday marks one year since Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida and caused monumental destruction.
While the eye landed in the Fort Myers area, Ian's broader force, packing an estimated 150 mph sustained winds at landfall, made an impact with its destruction in parts of the Tampa Bay area.
Places in south Sarasota County, like North Port, were overrun by flood waters of up to 7 feet as rivers, canals and swamps could not withstand the pressure from ocean surges. In Venice, the roof of the old theater downtown collapsed and destroyed furniture, lighting and stage equipment amongst other items and artifacts.
In Englewood, several mobile home communities were among the many hit the hardest by the storm with many homes also destroyed.
Even a year later, with many buildings still with some form of tarp protection or plywood boarding, memories of the storm remain fresh in the minds of residents as they try to rebuild as others display for sale signs unable to do the same.
"The work that's been done and the community that came together. It's amazing," said Kathy Brockelbank, who lives in Englewood.
Brockelbank, like many other people, saved surveillance and cell phone videos taken during and in the days after Hurricane Ian as keepsakes. They are a stark reminder of the power of Mother Nature.
Brockelbank sought refuge in her home state of Michigan but chose to return and stay in Englewood despite the storm's devastation. As the anniversary of the storm hits the one-year mark, she says she has seen some encouraging progress.
"The community has come back very well," Brockelbank said.
But for many around her, the rebuilding process remains a slow and uphill battle.
"There's still a lot more in the other park. It still needs a lot of help and a lot of work. Some of these people just can't afford to put anything back together," Brockelbank said.
Some of such folks she is concerned about include her 85-year-old neighbor across the street whose repairs are just now starting thanks to her son who is a contractor.
"We've got a dumpster out front, we've got mom in a camper, she's 85 years old so it's even more challenging for her and my brother," said Tom Gallagher, the neighbor's son.
Gallagher's family pooled funds together to purchase the camper after experiencing delays with assistance.
In Sarasota County, more than 150 residents still live in similar temporary housing supplied by FEMA while in Charlotte County, where parts of Englewood also sit. Work has begun on the site for a new temporary FEMA housing park.
The park would house between 20-40 families still displaced by Hurricane Ian. County leaders said there were more than 500 families who qualified for FEMA housing assistance.
"Keep the faith, that's all you could do is keep the faith. Keep chugging along and it works out eventually. You've just got to keep the faith. It's been very challenging the whole year, it's going to be challenging till it's done," Gallagher said.
Many impacted residents say bottlenecks with insurance and government assistance are forcing them to take on repairs themselves.
"Make it easier so we can put it back together. Just put our home back together. That's all we ever want to do is just be able to put it back together and to what we can afford," Brockelbank said. "I hope and pray to God that this never happens to this community again because it was miserable for everybody."
There are 149 deaths attributed to Hurricane Ian, according to the Florida District Medical Examiners. The storm was one of the costliest hurricanes on record, causing about $113 billion in damage behind hurricanes Katrina and Harvey.