Fort Myers TV Station Continues Reporting Even After Hurricane Ian Flooded Its Studio & Forced It Off Air
A Fort Myers TV station continued to provide reports on social media and other platforms about the extent of damage from Hurricane Ian — which made landfall as a Cat. 4 storm on a nearby barrier island — even after Ian’s destruction forced it off the air.
WINK-TV, a CBS affiliate owned by Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, was able to broadcast from its studios on Wednesday after power failure and after its studios flooded.
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“The station that you rely on is doing all that they can to get back to full power,” news anchor Lois Thome said in a message posted on Facebook on Thursday.
The night before, the station lost power just before 5 PM, as the hurricane was still making its way across the southwest areas of the state. Thome, Chris Cifatte and Matt Devitt, its chief meteorologist, continued to newscast on Facebook for a time.
But Thome said on Facebook that the station’s offices were “not a place we can work right now.”
Devitt posted pictures of WINK’s flooded first floor.
Storm surge got into our WINK studios in Fort Myers, flooded the entire first floor. Lost power and was unable to continue broadcasting on tv/radio. No timetable on return to air. #Ian was the strongest hurricane in Southwest Florida history. Widespread destruction heading home. pic.twitter.com/w6is0EXcpD
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) September 29, 2022
Reporter Michael Hudak posted video of flood waters entering the facility’s garage and submerging cars there. The staff was evacuated to the second floor shortly thereafter.
Some really wild moments were unfolding while we were on TV.
I just got to better cell phone signal. Wanted to show you what we documented from south of Fort Myers Beach. @winknews #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/h99hDzbzR0— Michael Hudak (@HudakTV) September 30, 2022
Meteorologist Dylan Federico said on Twitter that emergency personnel eventually evacuated the staff from the building early on Thursday morning.
Despite their own harrowing experience with the storm, Deavitt and other WINK reporters continued to provide updates on Thursday and Friday.
Federico wrote on Twitter, “The situation in Fort Myers is terrible. Most without power. No running water. Smells like sewage from pipes overflowing. Also smells like gasoline from boats floating into town during storm surge. Debris everywhere. Uninhabitable.”
He also posted before and after photos of Fort Myers Beach.
Fort Myers Beach is gone. Hurricane #Ian’s storm surge caused catastrophic damage. Getting flashbacks to Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 😢💔 #flwx pic.twitter.com/xpjYhAIbxf
— Dylan Federico (@DylanFedericoWX) September 29, 2022
On Friday, Michael Hudak and Gail Levy interviewed those who were rescued from Sanibel Island, cut off from the mainland after the main causeway was severely damaged.
Part two…
We interviewed people as they were being rescued from Sanibel Island. Their stories are remarkable.
We saw boats lifted a dozen feet in the air, sitting on wooden posts. @gaillevyontv @winknews #Hurricanelan pic.twitter.com/OK2JvZaRsw— Michael Hudak (@HudakTV) September 30, 2022
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