Sanibel officials provide an update at a press conference

SANIBEL

On Thursday, Sanibel officials gave island residents a lot of news in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Dana Souza, Sanibel’s city manager, began by thanking those who worked after the storm for their help. He then called out the donations and said the Islands Charitable Trust would post something on their website to help.

Souza then talked about insurance and said insurance professionals came out Wednesday to spread information that might be helpful to residents.

Souza noted that the damage assessment map has been updated and that all properties should have a badge. He then reiterated: “As we have recommended before, if an assessment is destroyed, severely damaged or inaccessible,” it will be considered unsafe.

Then, discussing the police department, Souza said the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew is still in effect.

Today was the second day that residents were able to return to their properties, and it was mentioned that more people were involved on Thursday than on Wednesday. Souza assured the people that it wouldn’t happen in just a day or two and that there was “plenty of time” to get back to the island.

The full press conference is below, along with a Q&A with Devana Dives, FEMA’s Regional Flood Insurance Representative for Region 4, which covers Florida.