Editor’s Note: Don’t have power? Click here for a simplified version of this page with a faster loading time.
The death toll from Hurricane Ian rose to 54 and power remained without power to more than 800,000 homes and businesses across Florida on Sunday, four days after the Category 4 beast made landfall along the state’s Gulf Coast.
Confirmed fatalities included 47 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba, where Ian first made landfall on Tuesday. The count remained fluid on Sunday.
More than 4,000 people have been rescued in Florida by local, state and federal authorities, FEMA and US Coast Guard officials said. Most rode out the storm on the barrier islands, and Sanibel and Pine Islands remained essentially inaccessible Sunday.
Portions of the causeway to Sanibel collapsed and the bridge to Pine, the largest barrier island on Florida’s Gulf Coast, was destroyed by the storm. Some residents were evacuated by helicopter.
“The water kept hitting the house and we saw boats, houses, we saw everything flying by,” resident Joe Conforti said. “When the water is at your door and it’s splashing against the door and you see how fast it’s moving, there’s no way you can survive that.”
Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest electric company, said it had restored power to more than 1.5 million customers, including all hospitals in its service area. More than 20,000 workers participated in the restoration effort.
“Even considering the unprecedented devastation caused by the storm, I can now say with confidence that our restoration will be completed in a matter of days, not weeks,” said company CEO Eric Silagy.
The weakened storm moved up the East Coast on Sunday, continuing to rain as far north as Washington, DC.
►BEFORE AND AFTER:A look at Ian’s damage.
► “IT’S LIKE A WAR ZONE”: Residents are starting to rebuild.
DESTROYED HOPES:Ian, Fiona sparks a quiet hurricane season. What’s next?
River flooding adds to Florida’s woes
Battling rising floodwaters by boat and on horseback, rescuers pulled stranded residents from their homes and herded livestock to higher ground as Florida’s Myakka River overflowed its banks near Venice on Saturday. Locals and rescue workers, long familiar with how hurricanes push water into their neighborhoods, said Ian caused unusually high flooding, which occurred three days after the storm passed.
The strong storm surge was compounded by hours of heavy rain in Central Florida, leading to deep inland flooding. Several longtime residents blamed the new developments for destroying historic floodplains capable of absorbing water.
“We’re used to flooding, but we’ve never seen anything like this,” said Jennifer Stringer, 50, a high school teacher who has lived along the river since 2011. “All this water has nowhere to go.”
– Trevor Hughes
RIVERS APPLAUSED BY IAN’S PUSH:After Hurricane Ian came the floods. These people gathered to rescue residents, horses, cows
Residents of the black neighborhood say they don’t have much help
Residents of Dunbar, a historically black area of Fort Myers battered by the storm, said the aftermath of Hurricane Ian will mean the city’s wealthier, mostly white neighborhoods will get power back sooner, as they usually have better power grids. Those in Dunbar, which now also has a growing Latino population, have learned to rely on themselves and take care of each other, some residents say.
“Anything where it’s a majority of people of color, it’s going to be last,” said Shannon Tolbert, a dental assistant, adding, “We can survive anything.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has said communities of color often bear the brunt of natural disasters, “so we have to approach it in a way that’s about giving resources based on equity.”
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday that she has been working to remove obstacles for people in these communities to receive help from the agency, but she also noted that those programs are available to anyone affected by events like Hurricane Ian. .
“We’re going to support all communities,” Criswell said. “I made a commitment to the governor, I’m making a commitment to you right here that all Floridians will be able to get the help that’s available to them through our programs.”
– Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY
BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS AFTER A STORM:After Hurricane Ian hits Fort Myers, residents of the black neighborhood say they’re not counting on much help
‘I just knew we might not make it’: Fear stories from those who rode out the storm
No matter how dire the warnings from officials urging people to leave or seek safe shelter as a hurricane approaches, some residents always choose to ride out the storm.
After Ian, some in Southwest Florida are considering two.
Ian made landfall in that part of the state as a Category 4 hurricane packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph, disconnecting Sanibel and Pine islands from the mainland, wiping out large parts of Fort Myers Beach and bringing several feet of water in the interior neighborhoods of the state. Coral Head
Even some locals with plenty of hurricane experience told stories of problems that had never happened before.
In Pelican Bay, near Naples, newcomers Robert Reecer and his wife left Ian’s home and learned that might not have been wise, as their deck flooded, seeping water at home. He stuffed the bottom of the doors with towels to keep the ankle-deep water from spreading too quickly, then carried blankets, drinking water, and an ax into the attic.
“Being in the attic listening to the wind blowing 120 miles an hour and trying to get in touch with the family, thinking I might never see him again was the worst part,” Reecer said. “I just knew we might not make it.”
– Stefania Lugli, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
North Carolina “avoided the worst,” willing to help Florida
In North Carolina, the storm brought down trees and power lines. Three of the four deaths in the state were from storm-related vehicle tragedies, one was carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in a garage. Gov. Roy Cooper said Sunday that dozens of roads remained closed. Still, he said, “we’ve avoided the worst,” and help is already being offered in Florida.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Florida,” Cooper said. “And since the storm has passed through North Carolina, we’re already in discussions with officials in Florida to try to make sure that we help them. This is a time when we all need to come together to make sure that people be sure.”
Boca Grande, playground of the presidents, took a hit from Ian
Historic Boca Grande, an exclusive vacation destination for presidents, movie stars and the old-money elite, was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian and communications were down. But the island’s infrastructure, along with most buildings and landmarks, is largely intact and should be able to recover, according to those studying the storm’s aftermath.
Historic buildings such as the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse built in 1890 and the Gasparilla Inn & Club, which was built in 1911 and has hosted President George HW Bush, President George W. Bush, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Katherine Hepburn and many other famous people. people – survived Hurricane Ian.
“We’re basically out of touch with the rest of the world,” said Boca Grande Fire Lt. Lee Cooper.
–Zac Anderson, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
DeSantis defends the timing of the evacuation orders
Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to defend the timing of Southwest Florida officials’ evacuation orders Saturday amid lingering questions about whether they came too late for many residents. DeSantis explained the changing path of Hurricane Ian, which was considered likely to be targeting Tampa Bay shortly before an eastward turn took it further south along the Gulf Coast. Lee County emergency managers ordered evacuations Tuesday morning, a day before the deadly storm made landfall in the county in what DeSantis described as a “biblical storm surge.”
“They were following the data,” DeSantis said. “When we went to bed Monday night, people were saying this was a direct hit in Tampa Bay.”
– John Kennedy, USA TODAY Network Florida
Increases IAN’s death toll:More than 1,000 rescued in Florida: updates
Bidens to see firsthand the destruction of Florida
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Florida this week, according to the White House, to see firsthand the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the nation, and the recovery that is being carried out by tens of thousands of local, state and federal workers and volunteers.
The Bidens will travel to Puerto Rico on Monday and then head to Florida on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted Saturday night. Hurricane Fiona made Puerto Rico a Category 1 storm on September 18.
“It’s not just a crisis for Florida,” Biden said Friday from the White House. “This is an American crisis. We’re all in this together.”
– Sergio Bustos, USA TODAY Network Florida
Contributor: The Associated Press
