On Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian hit landfall in Florida, starting its path of destruction. Being a national phenomenon, Ian became a name in every household across America. From Florida to Michigan, people are wondering how to help clean up the pieces.

The size, strength, and impact of Ian took lots of people by storm, including biology teacher James Adams.

“Size wise, like a scope of how big it was, it seemed really large,” Adams said. “I was listening to some meteorologist who said any one given storm can be bigger than others depending on lots of factors, so it was big.”

While they don’t live in Florida, some students and teachers had families and friends who were hit by the storm.

“My brother has a place that’s between Fort Myers and Naples,” Adams said. “He’s lucky he’s on the second floor [of his apartment], but everyone’s first floor that was underneath all got wiped out in his area.”

Many students had been tracking Hurricane Ian as well, such as Katelyn Degrand ’25 who shares their empathy for people affected.

“I feel really bad for people who were impacted,” Degrand said. “Being so far away it’s hard to understand what they’re going through.”

Millions of people faced this reality, including some Grosse Pointe citizens such as Jack Rollins, who currently is attending boarding school in Florida.

“Hurricane Ian affected the lives of many people in Florida,” Rollins said. “Although I may not have a house in Florida, it affected mine.”

According to Rollins, many people hit with the storm lived in a time of uncertainty, and unsure of what was going on.

“Being from Michigan we do not have to worry about getting hit with hurricanes very often,” Rollins said. “It was very nerve wracking to hear about a hurricane this size in the first month of school and being away from my parents.”

There are countless organizations and groups are working to help with Hurricane Ian relief, where you can donate food, money, water, and other needed supplies.

“It’s hard to know how to help people at that time,” Adams said. “I think a way to help is just giving money to the groups that will have the most impact.”