Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter homes survive Hurricane Ian

The winter homes of inventor Thomas Edison and industrialist Henry Ford made it out the other side of Hurricane Ian unscathed, the museum confirmed on Saturday.

“All of our historic homes and the other structures have weathered the storm just fine,” said Lisa Wilson, public relations director for the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. “We got really, really lucky.”

Remarkable view: Aerial images show Hurricane Ian's extensive damage in Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach

Boats ruined: A look at the boats damaged in downtown Fort Myers

While the Caloosahatchee River flooded, the homes skated by without water damage because they are elevated. The banyan and mysore fig trees planted by Edison and his staff in the late 1920s also survived, Wilson said.

Yet the grounds in the days after the storm remain covered in vegetation, with some palm trees downed and crushing the white picket fence that lines the property on McGregor Boulevard. Some trees along the river are gone, too.

Clean-up efforts could take about a week, Wilson said. But reopening the museum and botanical gardens will depend on when the power returns.

While understanding the hardship faced by residents of Southwest Florida, Wilson said the museum is accepting donations from those who are able to help with restoring the gardens at edisonfordwinterestates.org.

Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Drop a line at hmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @mannahhorse.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Edison and Ford winter homes in Fort Myers survive Hurricane Ian