Hurricane Ian damage in Fort Myers Beach.Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty
More than100 people have diedsince Hurricane Ian made its first landfall in the U.S., as recovery efforts continue in the South, according to multiple reports.
At least 99 fatalities have been reported in Florida — including 54 in Lee County alone — since the Category 4 storm tore across the state last week,CNNandCBS Newsreported.
However, Florida officials say the death toll there is currently at 68, according toBBC News.
At least four people have died in North Carolina due to Ian, CNN reports.
CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Storm surges reached nearly 7 ft. high in areas like Fort Myers, while 12 ft. water levels were recorded in Naples.
“We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Friday. “The amount of water that’s been rising, and will likely continue to rise today even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flooding event.”
More than 1,900 people have been rescued in Florida in wake of the storm, DeSantis said at a Monday news conference, CNN reports.
Also on Monday, Florida Division of Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie said officials have “been to about every address” and that a more comprehensive search is now underway, according toReuters.
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“We believe that we have searched everything very quickly,” Guthrie said. “Now we are going back for a second look.”
“I am not saying we are not going to find anybody else,” he added. “We may find other people.”
Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian.Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty
As of Tuesday morning, more than 430,000 customers remain without power across the state of Florida, compared to just 1,100 in North Carolina and 2,500 in Georgia, according toPowerOutage.us.
“We are repairing in most places outside of, right along the barrier islands and the beaches and the immediate coast line of Southwest Florida,” Silagy said Saturday night.
“Those areas are going to be rebuilding,” he continued, “and unfortunately for those who live there, we are looking at weeks or months [before restoration]. Frankly, many homes and businesses will not be able to accept power when that power is restored.”
Ben Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty
In the meantime, Floridians are facing “a real, real rough road ahead,” according Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
During an appearance onGood Morning Americalast week, Marceno said the number of fatalities was likely “in the hundreds,” though he later noted the numbers were not exact.
“This is a life-changing event for all of us,” Marceno said, according to ABC News. “We tracked that storm up the coast of Florida, it was very unpredictable.”
Speaking at FEMA headquarters last Thursday,President Joe Bidensaid Ian “could be the deadliest hurricanein Florida’s history.”
“The numbers we have are still unclear,” the president said, “but we’re hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.”
source: people.com
