Orange Beach 5 years after Ivan

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - IVAN'S LEGACY IN ORANGE BEACH

It was hard to believe then and now, five years later it still seems surreal. A birds-eye view of Ivan's destruction in Orange Beach showed the incredible power of the storm.

Entire condo buildings crumbled to the relentless wind and waves. Mile after mile of expensive real estate was destroyed. But, even as folks returned to these awful sights many seemed determined to move on.

" We'll just dig out and rebuild," an Orange Beach resident told us, " You don't have a choice. Everything we have is here and it's just a mess."

At Liberty Linen wind peeled back part of the roof and the entire front wall of the business collapsed. General Manager, Mike Saulters told us, " Eleven months to get back in our building here in Orange Beach. We had to completely remodel the building."

Fox Ten was there when Saulters got his first look at what Ivan did to his business. Then and now he's philosophical on the whole experience.

" It's just part of living down here. It's not a question of it's going to happen. Just when it's going to happen."

HALF A DECADE LATER...

Five years later the plate glass and metal wall at Liberty Linen has been replaced by solid brick. Built better and built stronger like much of Orange Beach.

" We've done great. We've done really well. Because that was a monster of a storm," resident Brooks More told us.

More says Orange Beach isn't back 100 percent, it's back 110 percent and the scars of Hurricane Ivan are no longer visible. He credits that to the hard work of residents and the quick response of government agencies.

" They got on it pretty quick in Alabama. Orange Beach, Gulf Shores cleaned up really well," he said.

Rebuilt, beautiful, and once again attracting tons of tourists. Now all anyone can hope for is to avoid another Ivan.

" Hopefully it will be quiet for another twenty years," Saulters said.