SANIBEL ISLAND

Federal officials say U.S. aid to Florida for recovery from Hurricane Ian has topped the $2 billion mark.

It has been a month since Hurricane Ian ravaged southwest Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the reopening of the causeway linking Sanibel Island to the mainland that was washed out by Hurricane Ian.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management held a news conference Monday morning to give an update on recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

As authorities in Florida try to reach people who have been trapped by floodwaters or isolated on barrier islands since Hurricane Ian came ashore last week, concerned members of the public have been springing into action to aid the official rescue efforts.

Experts say that Hurricane Ian is shining a spotlight once again on the vulnerability of the nation’s barrier islands and the increasing cost of people living on them.

An aircrew from Air Station Miami, U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin, rescued several people stranded in Sanibel Island Thursday. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard District 7 shared the body camera video of the rescues.

After traveling Thursday to Southwest Florida to get a glimpse of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, Gov. Ron DeSantis described the impact on Lee County’s Sanibel Island as “destruction,” with people who didn’t evacuate being rescued by air and part of a causeway to the mainland knocked out.

Hurricane Ian has regained some strength after exiting Florida and taking aim at South Carolina.

Hurricane Ian is currently hitting the Gulf Coast of Florida after strengthening to a Category 4 storm before making landfall, possibly near Port Charlotte.