Hurricane Ian: A survivor’s story (includes video story)

Sue Martin is a survivor. She lived in Fort Myers Beach and spent 107 days in the hospital due to injuries she sustained during Hurricane Ian. The roof of her residence collapsed and she ended up pinned underneath the roof and a mattress. 

“This is survival. Look around here. This is what survival is called,” Sue Martin said. The area she lived in was flattened by Ian. Debris and the remains of trailers litter the area where she called home. 

Martin was discovered by her neighbor Melody, who she refers to as her angel. After the storm surge receded from the Hurricane Melody found Martin and attempted to free her. Martin at first told Melody not to move her or touch her, but she eventually let Melody free her with the help of a neighbor. 

Melody and the neighbor turned a pickup truck into a makeshift ambulance to take Martin for help. Martin’s angel watched over her until she fully recovered after 107 days in the hospital. Martin is now healed and flew out on Saturday to Indiana to live with her sons. 

Christopher Larsen is a Puerto Rican-American student studying digital TV and multimedia production at FIU. He has a passion for politics, photography and making videos. He hopes to one day work for NPR or another media organization.