Double whammy: First our website was attacked, then Ian took direct aim for Cape Coral. It’s been a rough few weeks, but we are not giving up.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Shortly after our website was successfully attacked and taken down, the Mercola.com headquarters in Cape Coral, Florida, was hit by yet another challenge, Hurricane Ian
- Our staff resides primarily in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples and surrounding communities, the area of Southwest Florida where Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 — nearly Category 5 — storm
- Some of our staff and colleagues sheltered in place at our Mercola building during the storm
- We are grateful that all our employees are safe; however, some staff lost vehicles and others have significant damage to their homes, making them unlivable
- We need your help now more than ever as we continue to support our employees and community in rebuilding our homes and businesses
- Be sure you’ve signed up for a free subscription to my Substack so you have access to the vital information we share
- The Mercola Market store is now back up and running; it’s taken an enormous effort, but our fulfillment centers are still able to ship products. If you need anything from the Mercola Market, please help support us.
Shortly after our website was attacked and taken down, the Mercola.com headquarters in Cape Coral, Florida, was hit by yet another challenge, Hurricane Ian. It’s been a rough few weeks, but we’ll make it through stronger than before.
Our staff resides primarily in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples and surrounding communities, the area of Southwest Florida where Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 — nearly Category 5 — storm. Winds of 155 mph were recorded along with a catastrophic storm surge that rose more than 12 feet above ground level.1
Some areas received nearly 16 inches of rainfall, and millions remain cut off from basic necessities like clean drinking water and electricity. Homes were ripped off their foundations and an unknown number of people have been stranded by floodwater and damaged roadways.2 Many are unaccounted for and missing. A press release from the White House described the natural disaster as “likely to rank among the worst in the nation’s history.”3
During the storm, the city of Cape Coral lost 99% of its power,4 and the Sanibel Causeway, a series of bridges that connect Sanibel Island to Florida’s mainland, was destroyed.5 After almost a week, we still had no power and water was only recently restored. More than 100 people in Florida were killed by Hurricane Ian,6 but the official count is likely going to be much higher than what is currently reported.
All Employees Are Safe, but Many Homes Are Devastated
We are grateful that all our Mercola employees are safe. Some of our staff and colleagues sheltered in place at our Mercola.com headquarters during the storm. However, some staff lost vehicles and others have significant damage to their homes, making them unlivable.
One of our employees whose home is currently uninhabitable is a father to two children under age 5, and expecting twins with his wife any day now. Many of our colleagues have also been displaced and are unable to return to their homes. So to say that this storm has been destructive is an understatement. Some of our staff evacuated the area and will return to streets turned to rubble. It’s difficult to take in the complete annihilation of neighborhoods that stood intact just hours before.
The Mercola.com headquarters ran on a generator for a week and has significant damage to the roof. The storm ripped off the building’s solar panels, damaging the roof along with them, so there are leaks throughout the building. It goes without saying that our offices were closed for a full week.
Most importantly, we’re thankful that everyone made it through, and we have continued to support our employees and the community during this horrific event. Sadly, many in the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area were not as lucky and have lost their lives. The hurricane and the events that preceded it when our website was attacked have taken a tremendous toll. But make no mistake, we will persevere and come out of this stronger than before.
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