Video of rising waters off Fort Myers Beach was captured on a storm chaser live stream as Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday.
Kory Hartman streamed with multiple cameras set up from Port Charlotte to Punta Gorda to Sanibel Island, sharing the latest developments to an audience of tens of thousands of live viewers as the storm approached on his YouTube channel, Severe Studios.
“SG 9 at Fort Myers Beach is still going on, even when the water is pounding on it, with debris hitting it,” Hartman said during the flow.
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Severe Studios camera on Estero Blvd. showed flooding in Fort Myers
While certain cameras went offline due to the rough conditions, the camera set up about six feet high at Fort Myers Beach caught the attention of those watching, as high tide showed the camera almost completely submerged. The camera was set up on Estero Boulevard.
“Oh my god, nine is almost completely underwater,” Hartman said. “I think we’re almost completely submerged. Oh yeah, we’re not going to catch a glimpse until nine o’clock.”
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Live commentators responded as soon as the camera went offline, with comments like “RIP Cam 9. Thanks for your service” and “Cam 9 went 6 rounds with a heavyweight. Much respect” from his audience.
A video clip of the rising water captured by the camera was picked up by The Weather Channel to show Ian’s impact on the coast. A clip tweeted by meteorologist Micheal Bettes had more than 5 million views within six hours of posting.
You can watch a replay of Hartman’s stream here.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida flooding seen by Hurricane Ian as camera goes underwater
