On Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian struck the Fort Myers area as a Category 5 hurricane. Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach and Matlacha were devastated, as was so much of Lee County. A powerful storm surge pushed up through the Caloosahatchee River forcing it out of its banks, flooding homes and historic downtown Fort Myers. Homes and buildings collapsed; many were even moved from their foundations.

As soon as we were able, our communications team quickly developed a plan to regularly inform industry partners, potential visitors and residents about what was occurring during the recovery process. We did this through a three-pronged approach: our monthly newsletter became a weekly one for 8 weeks; we created Road to Recovery videos and our Shellcast podcast offered ongoing crisis communication.

Turning the newsletter - already an established monthly resource for industry partners - into a weekly newsletter for 8 weeks gave us the opportunity to be more nimble in providing vital updates for our industry partners.

• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #1, Oct. 13
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #2, Oct. 20
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #3, Oct. 27
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #4, Nov. 3
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #5, Nov. 17
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #6, Dec. 1
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #7, Dec. 15
• Hurricane Ian Resources for Recovery Newsletter #8, Dec. 22

We produced, shot, edited and distributed weekly videos focusing on how our tourism partners worked to reopen businesses, clean up impacted areas and assist neighbors and visitors alike to rebound as quickly as possible. This gave the tourism community a voice along with inspiration on how the destination was recovering.

The podcast was another established way to provide updates to a more global audience. We produced 3 recovery-specific episodes: two focused on breaking news - the reopening of the Sanibel Causeway and a community event - and one on the recovery at Fort Myers Beach.