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ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (KDVR) — Sean Donavon lives on the Atlantic coast of Florida at Ormond Beach, north of Daytona.

The strength of Hurricane Ian, Donovan said, was enough to cause damage and grief for folks on both Florida coasts.

“It’s like you’re waiting for a slow trainwreck to happen, and you just can’t get out of the way,” Donovan said.

Folks in his community are part of the reported 2 million across the state who have lost electricity.

“I would say 90% of my friends locally here and other neighborhoods all lost their electricity,” Donovan said.

Donovan’s boat, kept in a marina nearby, measured pretty intense wind speeds long after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast.

“Our data recorder on there, we had sustained winds of 65 miles an hour and the highest gusts we had was 86 (mph),” Donovan said.

Those speeds are nothing to scoff at. Donavon took FOX31 on a post-Ian tour of his block, starting with an awning at his home that got loose and slammed against his home during the storm.

“So, fortunately, it did not come through the window,” Donovan said.

Downed tree branches line a neighborhood street
Sean Donovan shows FOX31 the aftermath left on his block in Florida after Hurricane Ian. (Credit: Sean Donovan)

Donavon cleaned up the mess left behind on his property.

“This is the fruits of my labor today,” Donovan said, pointing toward piles of palm tree branches.

His neighbors, Donovan said, weren’t so lucky the day after Ian tore through their city.

“(They) just had a brand new roof put on last month and now they got a tree on top of their house,” Donovan said.

Streets are still flooded in his city and the impact of this story, Donovan said, will be felt for years.

“The sheer size of this, it was certainly the largest storm that I’ve ever been in,” Donovan said.