WeatherHurricane

Actions

Downtown Fort Myers restaurants work to recover after Hurricane Ian

'Words cannot describe what it looked like,' restaurant owner says of storm damage
A worker at Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls in downtown Fort Myers clean up damage from Hurricane Ian on Oct. 5, 2022.jpg
Posted at 11:20 AM, Oct 06, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-06 11:21:49-04

FORT MYERS, Fla. — There are signs of downtown Fort Myers coming back to life one week after Hurricane Ian devastated the city.

Some restaurants are back open, some are trying to open, while others have a long way to go.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Survival Guide

"It feels great. It was a relief, to be honest," said chef Brent Gauthier at Buzzeez.

Gauthier is in his happy place at the restaurant, back to serving food.

"It was all over this floor completely," Gauthier said.

Gauthier's restaurant on Lee Street had about five inches of water from Hurricane Ian. He's one of the lucky ones.

"We had to come in right after the storm. Dropped everything at the house and came here to make sure our baby was taken care of," Gauthier said.

As you move through downtown Fort Myers, the signs of Ian's wrath are everywhere. Debris and memories are pilled up along the street.

"We lost pretty much all the food," said Dominick Chiuchiolo, the owner of Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls.

The staff at Mason's is trying to get back on track.

"Words cannot describe what it looked like when we first walked in here," Chiuchiolo said.

Chiuchiolo shared video of Mason's, right after the storm brought 18 inches of water into the restaurant.

Damage from Hurricane Ian inside Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls in downtown Fort Myers on Sept. 29, 2022.jpg
Damage from Hurricane Ian inside Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls in downtown Fort Myers on Sept. 29, 2022.

"It’s tough, but emotions have to wait until later," Chiuchiolo said. "We came here and immediately started to work. We can’t worry about it right now. We have to worry about that kind of damage later."

Because Chiuchiolo knows how good it will feel to welcome customers again.

"We’ll rally and get back open and start serving lobster soon," Chiuchiolo said.

Some restaurant owners said they're very worried about what all the damage will mean for season this year, which usually starts pretty soon.

Chiuchiolo said that's what usually sustains business for the upcoming year, so he's hopeful that business doesn't get washed away.

WPTV First Alert Weather Spotters Sponsored By: Manatee Lagoon

About WPTV NewsChannel 5

Join WPTV First Alert Weather Spotters team

Jonathan Diego
4:35 PM, Jul 06, 2022
wptv-surf-forecast.jpg

Surfing Blog

Surf Forecast: Swell Fades, New Pulse Friday

James Wieland
8:53 AM, Oct 09, 2019

WATCH 2023 WPTV FIRST ALERT WEATHER SPECIAL

2023 WPTV First Alert Weather Special

2023 STORM NAMES

Arlene

Bret

Cindy

Don

Emily

Franklin

Gert

Harold

Idalia

Jose

Katia

Lee

Margot

Nigel

Ophelia

Phillipe

Rina

Sean

Tammy

Vince

Whitney

TERMS TO KNOW

TROPICAL STORM WATCH: An announcement that tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are possible within the specified coastal area within 48 hours.

TROPICAL STORM WARNING: An announcement that tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are expected within the specified coastal area within 36 hours.

HURRICANE WATCH: An announcement that hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) are possible somewhere within the specified coastal area. A hurricane watch is issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.

HURRICANE WARNING: An announcement that hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) are expected somewhere within the specified coastal area. A hurricane warning is issued 36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.