Hurricane Ian wreaks havoc across Florida, killing at least 16 people
Hurricane Ian carved a path of devastation across Florida, killing at least 16 people while trapping others inside their flooded homes, downing trees and knocking out power for millions.
Some buildings were ripped apart by the storm’s punishing winds while others were swept away entirely by the catastrophic flooding. Many streets across Florida were left impassable, turned from roads into flowing rivers due to torrential rainfall brought by Ian.
Speaking in Washington, President Biden sought to send a reassuring message to Americans.
“At times like this, America comes together,” he told reporters at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters. “We’re going to pull together as one team, as one America.”
But the assault is not over yet. While Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm as it crossed Florida, it regained hurricane strength over the Atlantic Ocean ahead of an expected landfall in South Carolina on Friday afternoon.
In Port Charlotte, the storm surge flooded a hospital’s emergency room, forcing waters through the halls of the intensive care unit. The disastrous storm surge also washed away a portion of the Sanibel Causeway — the only way for the 6,000 residents of the Sanibel and Captiva islands to reach Florida’s mainland.
Damaged homes and debris are shown in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee/)
In Lee County, which includes Fort Myers, at least five deaths were reported. In Charlotte County, the next county north, authorities said the storm killed at least eight people, according to CNN. And in Sarasota County, further north along the Gulf Coast, at least two people were killed.
On the other side of the state, in Volusia County, authorities confirmed one storm death — a 72-year-old man in Deltona who fell into a canal as he drained his pool amid heavy rainfall.
“You’re looking at a storm that’s changed the character of a significant part of our state. And this is going to require not just emergency response now, in the days or weeks ahead. ... This is going to require years of effort to be able to rebuild and to come back,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a Thursday press conference.
“I think we’ve never seen a flood event like this,” he continued. “We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude, and it hit an area where there’s a lot of people in a lot of those low-lying areas, and it’s going to end up doing extensive damage to a lot of people’s homes.”
Cars damaged from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean/)
Ian made landfall Wednesday afternoon as a catastrophic Category 4 storm with wind speeds topping 150 mph. Despite its weakening, it is one of the strongest hurricanes ever to barrel into the west coast of the Florida peninsula.
Ian’s center moved off the Atlantic coast of Florida Thursday afternoon, though bands of rain continued to batter the state. Overnight, Ian was expected to power up over the Atlantic Ocean before turning back toward South Carolina.
“Hurricane-force winds are expected across the South Carolina coast beginning early Friday,” the National Hurricane Center warned.
A hurricane warning was issued for the entire coast of South Carolina, from the Savannah River to Little River Inlet.
Biden declared Hurricane Ian a major disaster in Florida, ordering federal aid to assist recovery. The declaration will provide funding for the counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota. He said Ian “could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history.”
The Democratic commander-in-chief said he’s been in regular contact with DeSantis, a Republican believed to be mulling a presidential run, as well as mayors from across the Sunshine State.
”That’s America: a country of women and men willing to serve,” Biden said.
He ticked off a list of federal aid already delivered including millions of liters of water, millions of meals and hundreds of generators. Separately, the IRS announced it would push back tax payment and other deadlines from Sept. 23 to Feb. 15, 2023, for anyone affected by the hurricane.
Biden also told Puerto Ricans that the federal government would continue to help the island recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Fiona, which blasted the island earlier this month.
”To the people of Puerto Rico: we have not forgotten you,” Biden said. “We are committed to being with you.”
Just before the Sanibel Causeway, a spiral staircase was deposited in the brush next to a white pickup as Hurricane Ian passed the area Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Sanibel, Fla. (DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD/)
Florida Power & Light said it needed wind speeds to drop to about 35 mph before employees could assess damage to power infrastructure.
“We’re going to have crews out there as soon as it’s safe to do so,” David Reuter, a spokesman for the company, told CNN.
Nearly 2.7 million Florida homes and businesses were in the dark at one point. That number began declining Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.
“Portable towers are on the way for cell service. Chances are your loved ones do not have ability to contact you,” said the sheriff’s office in Collier County, which includes Naples. “We can tell you as daylight reveals the aftermath, it’s going to be a hard day.”
With News Wire Services
