Survival Mode Episode 3: 5 harrowing details about Hurricane Ian's devastation, revisited

Survival Mode is a docuseries that premiered on July 7, 2025. The show has one season and focuses on survivors of devastating disasters, who tell their stories. The show looks at first-hand accounts, and visuals, and offers a raw and real image of how natural disasters can cause havoc in people’s life.

However, it also tells stories of human resilience and how people braved the storms and put themselves back on their feet. In Survival Mode Episode 3, the show revisits the terrifying Hurricane Ian, that landed in 2022 and destroyed Fort Myers Beach in Florida. The episode highlights how the storm developed and ruined people’s lives and also focuses on the science behind the natural disaster.

Here are 5 harrowing details about the hurricane.

How Tom and his wife survived, the damage caused by Hurrican Ian, and other harrowing details about the storm in Survival Mode Episode 3

1. How Mary Wojciechowski survived

In Survival Mode Episode 3, Mary recalls her harrowing experience of riding out Hurricane Ian when it landed in Florida in September of 2022. She was with her partner Mitch at their home on Fort Myers beach and even sheltering at home with their neighbor, Bob Campbell, became impossible. She states that everything collapsed as the roof and floor started “buckling”.

Even a part of the ceiling fell on her head. Ultimately, Mitch, Mary, and Bob had no choice but to jump into the water. Even though Mitch didn’t know how to swim, Mary tied a sheet around his waist and held on to him. However, a wave knocked Mitch backwards and Mary leapt into 14 feet of water. Tragically, Mary survived but Mitch did not.

2. How Bob Campbell survived

In Survival Mode Episode 3, Mary continues her story and mentions that she always thought that Mitch and her would stay on the beach forever. Unfortunately, Mitch did not survive. Bob mentions that when she leapt into the water, he found a tree for safety and Mary managed to rescue herself. He mentions that when he was able to finally look up, he saw Mary holding on to a railing of a house.

Mary mentions in Survival Mode that she made sure that she will survive the hurricane anyhow. And when she saw that Bob had made it, she felt safe as well. After six hours, Bob and Mary got out of the water and Bob made his way to Mary and the two made their way to the house, which was still standing. Mitch’s body was found later and Mary is still heartbroken that she cannot see her partner ever again.

3. Louis Rouleau’s story of Hurricane Ian

Other stories are also revisited in Survival Mode Episode 3. Louis was one of the several houseboat residents that were interviewed for this episode of Survival Mode and he mentions that apart from staying alive by staying afloat, he also had to dodge other boats that could hit and sink him.

He mentions that he got tangled with a nearby anchored boat and had to cut the boat loose. Louis mentions that once you are in a precarious situation that decides your life, you have to do what it takes. Stories like those of Louis bring to the fore the devastation that Hurricane Ian had on people's lives.

4. Tom Maes and his wife’s story

In Survival Mode Episode 3, another resident, Tom Maes and his wife, recall their horror story on Survival Mode. The couple had planned to ride out the storm at their ground-floor house near the beach. However, the two had to ultimately survive the hurricane by floating on a mattress as the water rose in their home. The couple had a terrifying few hours as they bobbed up and down and Tom assured his wife that they will not die.

The morning after the storm, the couple were found by their daughter Dayna and she mentions that both Tom and his wife were sitting on the ground and were unable to move. The storm had beaten them up and left them unwell. The couple had to be airlifted for medical assistance and Tom recalls that it took him many months to get back on his feet.

5. The damage that Hurricane Ian caused

In Survival Mode Episode 3, the show does a deep dive into how the storm led to massive destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Entire homes were washed away and buildings were destroyed. Even the iconic 170-meter pier was gone. The docked boats were tossed around and streets turned into rivers.

Neighborhoods were swallowed and residents had to cling on to survival as presented by stories of Tom and Mary. Even satellite images in Survival Mode present how badly the sweeping shifts in land shape destroyed vegetation and plundered infrastructure. Forests were razed and parking lots turned into sand pits as sand came on the roads.