When Hurricane Ian roared ashore as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28, 2022, bestselling author Randy Wayne White was at his home in Sanibel.
White’s videos of the storm surge went viral: the rising water submerging trees and, at its worst, lapping onto the balcony off the house’s living room — 12 feet above the ground. The wind was so loud, even inside the house, that it drowned out voices.
Watching one video during a recent interview, he says a big rectangular object floating on the surge isn’t the new generator he lost. “No, that’s a refrigerator from a hotel. The West Wind hotel washed up in our yard.”
As Ian raged, White monitored his ham radio. “I was hearing all these distress calls during the storm that were very disturbing. One man said, my wife just got swept off the porch and she’s down by the beach, help me. And there’s nothing you can do.”
After the storm, his house was standing but too damaged to stay in. The floodwaters had breached the floor. For a couple of days, he used his radio skills and knowledge of the island — he’s lived in the area since the 1970s — to assist rescue efforts. And then he went looking for a place to live. And write.