Storm-battered Florida businesses face arduous rebuilding

Sep 29, 2022, 2:17 PM | Updated: Sep 30, 2022, 3:28 am
The remnant of a pier is seen in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers...

The remnant of a pier is seen in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Walt Disney World and other tourist attractions in central Florida appeared to have avoided severe damage from Hurricane Ian. But many businesses on the state’s southwestern coast were hammered and face a long rebuilding process.

In Fort Myers, video posted on social media showed the Times Square, a colorful area of shops and restaurants, leveled by the storm. Sanibel, a barrier island dotted with resorts and connected to Fort Myers by a causeway, was devastated.

Carol Dover, president of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, paused in the middle of an interview to watch live television, and was relieved to see the Westin Cape Coral Resort along the marina in Fort Myers still standing.

“But now everything that they are showing on CNN is flattened. I don’t see anything but rubble,” she gasped. “We have a lot of rebuilding to do, and it’s not done in a month. This sometimes takes years.”

Ian came ashore in southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane accompanied by storm surges that left thousands trapped by flooding and millions without power. As it moved inland and weakened — eventually to a tropical storm — high winds and heavy rain continued. But theme parks and other tourism magnets in central Florida appeared to have dodged crippling harm.

In the Orlando area, Walt Disney World and other attractions that had closed ahead of the storm remained shuttered, and it was unclear when they would reopen.

Disney posted a message on Twitter, promising to help its employees and the community “get through this together.”

“As we keep safety in mind, our theme parks and other operating areas remain closed (Thursday) while crews assess the impact of the storm and clear debris,” Disney said.

Damage assessments had barely begun on Thursday, as the storm moved toward the Carolinas — taking a parting shot at St. Augustine and the Space Coast before leaving Florida.

President Joe Biden declared the state a disaster area, clearing the way for federal aid to people in numerous counties. The aid can include grants and low-interest loans to help residents and business owners hit by the disaster.

The storm disrupted air travel to Florida, but only briefly. Some airports that closed were beginning to reopen, and two of the biggest, in Orlando and Tampa, planned to resume flights on Friday morning, according to federal officials.

Florida’s leisure and hospitality sector accounts for nearly 1.3 million jobs, a 9.6% increase from a year ago, according to figures from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Most of those jobs are in lodging and food services, and they have helped cut Florida’s unemployment rate to 2.7% in August — a full percentage point lower than the national average — from 4.3% a year earlier.

Previous strong hurricanes have caused a temporary spike in unemployment in leisure and hospitality businesses and some real estate fields such as property management, followed by a surge in hiring by construction crews during the rebuilding phase, said Sean Snaith, director of the economic forecasting institute at the University of Central Florida.

Snaith agreed that southwest Florida faces a long process of repair and rebuilding.

“As far as tourism, unfortunately they were rolling into their high season — the fall and winter months up north — so the timing is extra unfortunate,” he said. “But the beaches are still there, the theme parks are there, the weather is still nice outside of the hurricane. Tourists will come back.”

_____

This story corrects the spelling of the name of Carol Dover, president of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              Boaters look over boats are stacked up at the Port Sanibel Marina after Hurricane Ian ran through the area Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
            
              The remnant of a pier is seen in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
            Disney character "Big Al," from Country Bear Jamboree, joins guests sheltering in place at their hotel at Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, as the first effects of Hurricane Ian are felt in Central Florida. Disney, along with Universal and SeaWorld, closed their Central Florida theme parks in response to the storm. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

AP

Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada end loophole that allowed asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
19 hours ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
19 hours ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
7 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
15 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
15 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
22 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...
Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Prep the plumbing in your home just in time for the holidays

With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care photo)...
DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Why DISC is world renowned for back and neck pain treatments

Fifty percent of Americans and 90% of people at least 50 years old have some level of degenerative disc disease.
Storm-battered Florida businesses face arduous rebuilding