Summary:
Skytek has been monitoring the evolving situation of Hurricane Ian since the initial forecasts that predicted this tropical storm to develop into a Category 2 hurricane.
Following Hurricane Ian making landfall on September 28th, 2022, Skytek’s has collected data and information to provide the industry with knowledge to assess the scale of damage brought by this event. Pre and post event satellite and aerial imagery was procured, tasked and acquired over the areas of interest mostly affected by the destructive results of the event.
After the initial assessment of the area of Sanibel Island, the updated report presented in this document provide information regarding the analysis of very high-resolution aerial imagery acquired post-event on the Fort Myers and North Naples areas.
Fort Myers is a city in Lee County, Florida. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 86,395. Â Fort Myers is a gateway to the Southwest Florida region and a major tourist destination within Florida.
The city of Naples, perched on the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida, is famous for its high-end shopping, world-class arts and culture, and sophisticated dining, family fun, and wild outdoors. Within an hour of Naples and Marco Island are millions of acres of federal and state parks, preserves and wildlife refuges. Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South are the focal points for Naples shopping in the historic downtown area, with numerous art galleries, chic clothing boutiques and home decor shops.
Naples boasts luxury 4- and 5-star resorts (as detailed in the table below) including two Ritz Carlton properties.
| Stars | No Hotels | No Rooms |
| 5 Stars | 4 | 1120 |
| 4 Stars | 7 | 955 |
| 3 stars | 5 | 356 |
This report provides a qualitative assessment of pre-event and post event imagery acquired over representative assets over these two areas, such as marinas, hotels and high-value residential neighbourhoods.
Skytek has collected recent pre-event satellite imagery and post-event satellite and aerial imagery of all of the areas affected by the hurricane. Please get in contact with us with detailed asset damage assessment requirements for a bespoke report.
MARINA AND YACHTS EXPOSURE
Even though most of the residential beach and marina properties in Fort Myers have their own berths for yachts, there are 10 main marinas on the island, amounting to a total berth capacity of 600 yachts.
Fort Myers is home of 221 registered yachts with an average length of 45 ft (13m). Whereas the mega yachts would have implemented a hurricane plan meaning that in most cases they would have navigated out of the path of the storm, the smaller yachts would have been moored or stored at the marinas. The average value per yacht/unit when Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria hit in 2017 was $10,000 per yacht based on 63,000 yachts lost, costing insurers $650M. It is still early to estimate how yachts have been lost. The marina damage will also have to factor in, and Skytek can support these claims using the available post-event aerial images.
The satellite and aerial images presented in the figures below, are from a selection of the 10 marinas in Fort Myers beach and they represent quite evidently the significant level of damage sustained by them.
Salty Sam Marina, Fort Myers
Pre-Event Image: Satellite image dated August 25th, 2022, of the Salty Sam Marina in Fort Myers – Credits @AirbusSpace
Post-Event Image: Aerial image dated September 30th, 2022, of the damage in the Salty Sam Marina in Fort Myers – Credits @ NOAA
Shrimp Boat Lane
Pre-Event Image: Satellite image dated August 25th, 2022 of the Shrimp boat lane in Fort Myers – Credits @AirbusSpace
PostEvent Image: Aerial image dated September 30th, 2022 of the damage in the Shrim boat lane – Credits @ NOAA
Semmer Dock Marina
Pre-Event Image: Satellite image dated August 25th, 2022 of the Semmer Dock’s Marina in Fort Myers – Credits @AirbusSpace
Figure 7: Aerial image dated September 30th, 2022 of the damage in the Semmer Dock’s Marina in Fort Myers – Credits @ NOAA
HOTEL AND CONDO EXPOSURE
Fort Myers is a gateway to the Southwest Florida region and a major tourist destination within Florida. Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city and the commercial centre of Lee County, Florida.Â
Fort Myers Beach is a popular destination for visitors sits on a little barrier island, about seven miles long, Fort Myers Beach has accommodations in all price ranges and lots to do.
From the United States Census, there was an estimated population of 5,636 in July 2021 with a total number of 3,497 households. The median value of a property is $474,900.
There are 46 hotels, made up of mostly 3- and 4-star hotels, with around 9100 hotel rooms in total.
Casa Playa Beach Resort, on Fort Myers Beach, suffered significant damage as a result of Hurricane Ian’s landfall, as can be seen in the images below. The damage is most likely due to the flooding following the storm surge and the abundance of sand all around the property is a clear effect of this event.
Casa Playa Beach Resort
Casa Playa Beach Resort, on Fort Myers Beach, suffered significant damage as a result of Hurricane Ian’s landfall, as can be seen in the images below. The damage is most likely due to the flooding following the storm surge and the abundance of sand all around the property is a clear effect of this event.
Pre-Event Image: Satellite image dated August 25th, 2022 of the Casa Playa Beach Resort in Fort Myers Beach – Credits @AirbusSpace
Post-Event Image: Aerial image dated September 30th, 2022 of the damage in Casa Playa Beach Resort in Fort Myers Beach – Credits @ NOAAÂ
Ritz Carlton, Naples
Imagery from the Ritz Carlton, Naples, does not highlight significant damage, except for the tennis courts which appear to be covered in sand, potentially as the effect of a recent flooding event, which might have caused water perils (to be assessed).
Pre-Event Image: Satellite image dated August 16th, 2022, of the RitzCarlton, Naples – Credits @AirbusSpace
Pre-Event Image: Aerial image dated September 30th, 2022, of the RitzCarlton, Naples – Credits @ NOAA
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL EXPOSURE
Fort Myers Beach is a small coastal town located on Estero Island in Lee County, Florida. At the 2020 Census, the population was 5,582, placing it as the 272nd largest community in Florida.
There are around 10,400 homes in Fort Myers Beach, with an average sale price of $805K in 2021. Fort Myers Beach home prices are not only among the most expensive in Florida but Fort Myers Beach real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Overall, Fort Myers Beach is a town of managers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Fort Myers Beach who work in food service (22.01%), management occupations (19.87%), and sales jobs (10.27%).
Fort Myers Beach is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.
Skytek has collected recent pre-event satellite imagery and post-event satellite and aerial imagery of all of the areas affected by the hurricane. Please get in contact with us with detailed asset damage assessment requirements for a bespoke report.
The pre-post event images depicted below, are relevant to a commercial are in Fort Myers Beach, which has been significantly affected by Hurricane Ian’s landfall devastation.
Commercial Area, Fort Myers Beach
Pre-Event Image: Satellite image dated August 16th, 2022, of a commercial area in Fort Myers Beach – Credits @AirbusSpace
Post-Event Image: Aerial image dated September 30th, 2022 of the damage in a commercial area of Fort Myers Beach – Credits @ NOAA
