Hurricane Ian struck in September 2022 and became the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida since 1935, killing more than 150 people. The storm produced high winds, storm surges, and flash flooding, causing nearly $120 billion in damage and making Ian the third-costliest U.S. hurricane. Many homeowners suffered severe losses, including the Blancetts who faced $130,000 in roof repairs. Concerns about repeated climate-driven storms led residents to move inland and higher. Babcock Ranch, north of Fort Myers, is promoted as a storm-proof town with resilience features such as native plants, curbless roads, and converted rock-mines serving as lakes.
Maria and her husband, Dave Blancett, had weathered major hurricanes while living in Virginia and Texas. But they had since relocated to Florida for their retirement, and nothing had prepared them for the force of Hurricane Ian. When Ian struck in September 2022, it became the deadliest hurricane to hit the Sunshine State since 1935. High winds, storm surges, and flash flooding killed more than 150 people and left a trail of destruction across southwestern Florida.
"Everybody kept saying that Ian was a once-in-a-lifetime event," Dave Blancett said. "But I realized that if another Ian hit close to the neighborhood we were in and it will, it's a matter of when the property values would just drop." Like many Floridians, the Blancetts were forced to reevaluate their future in a state increasingly battered by climate-driven storms. Their solution: move at least 30 miles (48 kilometers) inland and 30 feet (9 meters) higher.
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