A light pole was blown onto the backstop at the baseball field near Kiwanis Park during Hurricane Ian. [Photo by Richard Marion]

OKEECHOBEE- It was this week two years ago that Hurricane Ian tore through South Florida, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, particularly in southwest Florida. 

The storm made landfall in Florida on Sept. 28, eventually making its way over Lake Okeechobee, with its howling, relentless wind knocking out power throughout the area. 

Glades Electric reported 13,515 of their customers were without power in the aftermath of the storm. While, according to Florida Power and Light, there were 15,309 of their customers without power in Okeechobee County alone.   

Over 120 Okeechobee residents rode out the storm at the shelter at South Elementary. Okeechobee School food service employees who worked to provide dinner to those residents describe the mood at the shelter as calm in the lead up to the storm.   

After the storm had passed, water began to pour into Lake Okeechobee. 

Hurricane Ian dumped about 1-million-acre feet of water in the watershed between Orlando/Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee. The heaviest rainfall was in the urban areas at the top of the watershed. To protect human life, water managers moved that water south as quickly as possible, using massive pumps if necessary to move the water away from Orlando/Kissimmee. 

The water from both Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole added four feet of water to the lake level. 

A tree collapsed in the front of the PNC Bank in Okeechobee [Photo by Richard Marion]

Agriculture in the area took a hit from the storm. University of Florida economists estimated there was over a billion dollars in agricultural losses due to Hurricane Ian, with Hendry County estimated to have $72.0 million in losses, while Palm Beach County had $88.8 million. 

FEMA provided $871 million to households affected by Hurricane Ian and $503 million to the state for emergency response to Hurricane Ian, while the U.S. Small Business Administration provided $1.42 billion in disaster loans and the National Flood Insurance Program paid $1.72 billion in claims to Hurricane Ian survivors. 

Now, two years later, another hurricane is making its way to Florida. Hurricane Helene officially became a named system on Sept. 25 in the Gulf of Mexico. Although, initially Helene looked like it may take a similar path as Ian in 2022, the storm now appears to be headed to the big bend area near the panhandle. 

Still, due to the size of the storm, effects will still be felt in the Lake Okeechobee area. Okeechobee County is currently under a Tropical Storm warning and a Flood Watch. Schools in Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry County are scheduled to be closed for Sept. 26.