Weather Hurricane Ian: 2.6M Without Power, 1 Death, ‘It Crushed Us’ One death has been blamed on Ian, while Gov. DeSantis fears hundreds are dead. Power outages top 2.6M statewide, rescue operations begin. Replies (2)
Then Category 4 Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of Fort Myers. Rescue crews from across the region are headed into Lee County to help people trapped in evacuation zones. (Fort Myers Police Department) One death has been confirmed from the havoc now Tropical Storm Ian brought to west-central Florida, but an official worried there would be hundreds of fatalities from Lee County, where many residents didn’t evacuate and were trapped by storm surge. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)
FLORIDA — One death has been confirmed from the havoc now Tropical Storm Ian brought to west-central Florida, but Gov. Ron DeSantis worries there are hundreds of fatalities from Lee County, where many residents didn’t evacuate and were trapped by storm surge.
Stay up-to-date by viewing all Hurricane Ian coverage on Patch here. DeSantis said Thursday that based off the amount of 911 calls, the death toll is estimated to be in the hundreds in the Fort Myers area, the Associated Press reported.
Millions were ordered to evacuate their homes, and over 2.6 million people are without power Thursday after the Category 4 hurricane slammed into Florida near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of Fort Myers. By Thursday morning, Ian was a tropical storm with 70 mph winds and was moving to the east coast at 8 mph. A 72-year-old man was found dead early Thursday in a canal behind his home in Deltona near Daytona Beach, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said, The Associated Press reported. The man tried to drain his pool into a canal and fell down an incline that was slippery due to the heavy rain.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that his office was receiving thousands of 911 calls from people needing rescue in the county that includes Fort Myers, but roadways were still impassable and bridges are compromised. Marceno worried there will be hundreds more deaths in the wake of the storm, AP said. “It crushed us,” Marceno said. Roads and bridges remained impassable, stranding thousands in the county where Ian made landfall just north of Fort Myers. “We still cannot access many of the people that are in need.”
The Daytona Beach region is experiencing “historic flooding” that includes water in people’s homes, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press. He urged people to stay off the roads, and the county has imposed a curfew until 7 a.m. Friday. President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke by phone Thursday morning to discuss the federal response to Hurricane Ian. Biden formally issued a disaster declaration Thursday morning and told DeSantis that he was dispatching Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell to Florida on Friday to check in on response efforts and to gauge where additional support will be needed. There are 2,631,546 Florida homes and businesses without power Thursday.
Tampa International Airport said normal operations will resume Friday morning.
Manatee County lifted evacuation orders for residents of Bradenton and surrounding communities Thursday as Hurricane Ian moved out of Florida. According to a Thursday update from Manatee County, emergency evacuation shelters are being closed and residents are returning to their homes. However, officials stressed that “it is not a return to normal.”
Part of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people normally live. Officials don’t know how many ignored mandatory evacuation orders and left the island ahead of the hurricane.
Sarasota County Emergency Chief Ed McCrane told CBS news that the city of North Port and Englewood were hit worst. Englewood Hospital was in an A/B zone, didn’t evacuate and sustained flooding so patients need to be moved out. Once things are secure they will “join the fight in Lee County.” If people want to donate to cleanup efforts, they can go to the Florida Disaster Fund: www.FloridaDisaster.org. And those who want to volunteer to help with storm cleanup should sign up at www.volunteerFlorida.org. Sarasota officials said Ringling Bridge and access to the barrier islands is still closed Thursday while City of Sarasota Utilities restores water service, which will take at least several hours.
Hurricane Ian: 2.6M Without Power, 1 Death, ‘It Crushed Us’
