Adams was one of thousands of people who defied official evacuation orders and rode out the storm along with his wife Angelique and their two cats.
Hurricane season was always a manageable risk, but Ian proved to be more brutal than Adams ever imagined.
"We got out the door, swam out the door as the water was here. And then we got over onto this and then we walked our way around the whole side of the house from the roofline, and then swam over to that pontoon boat."
After assessing the damage to his house, in which furniture was tossed around, and outside, where downed trees lay amid the flood water...
Adams vowed never again to ignore the state's evacuation orders and forecasts by meteorologists.
"I'm going to take heed to what they say now because for years it's and even the Weathermen said on the news that one in ten actually comes out to what they say it's going to be. This one here, I believe they hit it head-on because 12-foot storm surge; that's what."
In the city of Fort Myers, homes were destroyed, boats were washed ashore and left lodged between buildings after Ian brought howling winds, torrential rains and a treacherous storm surge to the area.
Luis Damone witnessed it too, while sheltering in place:
"It's kind of a devastating thing, but what are you going to do? I think we are; we didn't fair as worse as some people did. I don't know where those cars came from. They weren't there. I guess all you do is put everything together and try again."
In terms of its sustained wind speeds, which peaked at 155 mph before landfall, Ian ranks as one of the most ferocious hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland in recent years.
A storm Fort Myers residents won't soon forget.
