Post-Ian Damaged and Displaced Vessel Cleanup

In late September 2022, Southwest Florida (SWFL) residents were put on high alert. A storm we now know as Hurricane Ian had crossed the Atlantic and was primed for rapid intensification. After crossing Cuba and turning north, the forecast track put two-thirds of the Gulf Coast in the cone. As the storm approached the Florida peninsula, and in a matter of hours, the path shifted from the panhandle, to west-central Florida. SWFL locals remarked that the storm’s behavior was eerily similar to Charlie. Seemingly at the last minute, Ian turned east and skirted down the right side of the cone. The storm was big and scary; SWFL residents knew this was a scenario we all feared.

Hurricane Ian made landfall at Cayo Costa, just offshore of Pine Island between Charlotte Harbor and the Caloosahatchee River. The storm came ashore as a Category 4/5 Hurricane with sustained winds in excess of 150 mph. The forward speed of the storm was agonizingly slow, yielding a long-term event as the eye tracked up Charlotte Harbor and eventually across the state. The storm was responsible for around 150 deaths and US$112 billion in financial damages. Primary impacts were associated with devastating storm surge in Lee County, widespread wind damage along the storm’s path, and freshwater flooding and coastal erosion across the state.

One of the additional impacts in SWFL included a tremendous amount of marine debris from the storm. Trees, roofs, and pilings littered the waterways and posed navigational hazards. One of the largest bits of debris included hundreds of displaced and destroyed vessels (and everything in their tanks). Particularly in Lee and Charlotte Counties, vessels were ripped from their moorings and were found sunken, smashed into each other, carried into mangroves, and tangled in docks.

A cleanup effort is currently underway to remove and dispose of the vessels. More than 800 vessels have been identified in Lee and Charlotte Counties, and their cleanup requires a substantial effort across multiple agencies, consultants, and contractors. First Line staff are one of the many helping hands and are providing construction oversight, and logistical support to help locate and remove the vessels.

Agencies, contractors, and consultants involved in this ongoing project: