FORT MYERS, Fla. — It's been three weeks since Hurricane Ian battered Florida, hitting parts of southwest Florida particularly hard.
In Fort Myers, the Sanibel Causeway was damaged in three places as a result of Ian. On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that enough repairs have been made to the causeway to reopen it to those living in Lee County.
The causeway will open at 11 a.m. to traffic, DeSantis said during a news conference. He said the temporary restoration of the roadway is "way ahead of schedule," noting the roadway was originally slated to reopen by the end of October.
"These repairs, while temporary, are really gonna help get the residents of this island back on track," DeSantis said.
Permanent repairs will still be needed to be completed, and that must be done through the county and at the local level, DeSantis explained. However, the Florida Department of Transportation was able to step in to make those temporary fixes, he said.
"This causeway is our lifeline," Troy Thompson, a lifelong Sanibel Island resident and business owner said.
Last week, a convoy made its way over an initial temporary fix of the causeway to bring relief to Sanibel Island. Since relief efforts were able to reach the island, DeSantis said about 25 percent of the island should soon have power restored by the end of this week.
Kevin Guthrie said barges will continue to move to and from the island to the mainland to assist with hurricane recovery and bring supplies.
Still, the recovery of the area is ongoing.
Since Hurricane Ian damaged the Sanibel Causeway, many people living on Sanibel and Captiva islands haven't been able to assess the full scope of the damage to their homes.