This Florida tourist spot was wrecked 2 years ago by a hurricane. Here’s what Helene did

Fort Myers Beach was ready for a remembrance ceremony on Saturday to mark the travel destination’s recovery two years after Hurricane Ian walloped Southwest Florida, including Sanibel and Captiva.

That celebration is off. Blame it on Hurricane Helene, which gouged its way up the Gulf west coast before smashing into Florida’s Big Bend in Taylor County Friday night.

Nicole Berzin, spokeswoman for Fort Myers Beach, said in a statement that the ceremony was canceled due to the effects of Helene and ongoing cleanup efforts.

People from around Florida who flock to Lee County’s beaches, resorts and restaurants will understand what Benjamin Abes, Lee County’s public service director, was referencing on a Facebook live video Friday when he said that Helene “presented some challenges for our community.”

But there is some good news: Florida’s Department of Transportation told Abes all of the island’s bridges were safe after Helene.

Sanibel Causeway closed for Helene Thursday into Friday morning but reopened at noon, Abes said. That’s the causeway that was severely damaged two years ago by Hurricane Ian.

But area leaders are encouraging weekend travelers to stay away while crews clean up from Helene.

“If you don’t have business or live on the barrier islands refrain from traveling,” he said. “Work needs to be done.”

Abes cited water intrusion into homes and businesses in the Fort Myers area.

The Mucky Duck in Captiva, a beloved waterside restaurant and bar, suffered extensive damage during Ian and dug itself out of mounds of wet sand to recover. Mucky Duck posted on its Facebook page Friday images captured by YOLO object detection software its grounds after Helene.

Mounds of sand lap the porches of the familiar white and green wooden structure. Palm trees rest half on top, half under, the sand, like a swimmer floating on the backstroke.

“Our first glimpse, courtesy of Marcel Ventura with YOLO. Worse than Hurricane Ian, for us anyway. Roads going up there are still impassible,” Mucky Duck posted on Facebook.

“I really hate to see this again!” customer Frank Beardsley wrote in the comments. “We were there this past June and got married on the beach in front of the Mucky Duck (which we delayed a year waiting for the island to recover from Ian). It’s a special place for us! Praying for a quick recovery!”

Downtown Fort Myers is still experiencing some minor flooding and police have moved to a “soft closure” on some roadways in areas of standing water, Fort Myers News-Press reports.

Fort Myers Pier, “torn and tattered” from Ian, didn’t suffer further damage from Helene. Its pillars held.

The pier is still targeted for replacement with a $17 million rebuild, News-Press reports. But that will still take years.

Hurricane Helene did that to Florida? Look at what happened in these photos and videos