SANIBEL, Fla. — On Friday, The City of Sanibel officials welcomed new residents with a reception.
After Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida nine months ago, residents are still making their way back to the island. For John Grieshop and his family, they have still have not been able to move back onto Sanibel.
"It is hard to see the slow rebuild effort with everything, but there’s still a lot of beauty on the island," said Grieshop. "It just seems the spirit of the people is slowly coming back."
The new resident reception offers the community a space to connect and learn what their city officials are doing to build back after Ian.
A presentation prepared by Dana Souza, City Manager, was shown where residents learned how to better prepare in the emergency of a natural disaster.
However, the overall goal of the event was to bring the community together and show new residents what the island has to offer.
"It’s really an opportunity for folks to get to know us a little bit better," said Richard Johnson, Mayor.
