Search, recovery process underway as Hurricane Ian death toll rises in Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. ā€“ Evacuation and relief efforts continued in southwest Florida on Tuesday, as the death toll surpassed 100 from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian.

The National Guard flew power crews to Sanibel and Pine Islands to start restoring power Tuesday morning, just six days after Hurricane Ian made landfall.

Local 10 News spotted rescuers using boats and choppers to save survivors -- many coming from Pine Island, a tiny fishing community, which is now cut off from the mainland.

Many residents in the Pine Island area are without power or water and have no idea as to when it will be restored.

With so many homes in southwest Florida left flattened and boats being tossed around like toys, many like Lisa Wilson, a resident of Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, felt lucky her property didnā€™t sustain much damage.

ā€œI do think itā€™s a miracle, but I also think that Thomas Edison must have built these houses very well,ā€ said Wilson.

Despite sitting right next to the Caloosahatchee River, the more than 100-year-old structures at the Ford and Winter Estates are still standing.

ā€œThomas Edison actually built the main house and the guest house in 1886, so theyā€™ve been through many storms,ā€ said Wilson. ā€œI would say this is probably the worst one.ā€

Residents like Tom Jacobs and his wife were one of several to line up outside the Fort Myers Fire Station, where officials are providing free showers to those still in need.

ā€œWeā€™ve been going to the amenity center to get water out of the pool so we can flush our toilets because we donā€™t have that,ā€ said Jacobs. ā€œTrying to do dishes with pool water and then flush it with clean water--itā€™s a little rough.ā€

Capt. Paul Dearmond, of the Fort Myers Fire Department, told Local 10 News that his station has been continuing to help those without power.

ā€œWe have these tents here that we would usually use for hazmat calls, and we thought, letā€™s set these up so people can take a shower,ā€ said Dearmond.

Dearmond said the station has multiple tanker trucks that come in with water and hold about 6,000 gallons.

Search and rescue operations are also continuing in homes near Fort Myers Beach, where crews are still going house-to-house, searching for any signs of life.

Local 10 News spoke with Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban, who said nothing will slow his team down in the search and recovery process.

ā€œWhether weā€™re talking about search and rescue or search and recovery, that doesnā€™t slow us down,ā€ said Zahralban ā€œWeā€™re going to continue to work as hard as possible to get everybody, to make sure everybody is accounted for.ā€

In Charlotte County, the National Guard continues to relieve residents in Rotonda by handing out water and MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat) to those that are still stuck without power.

ā€œWe got water back on, but we canā€™t drink it,ā€ said one Rotonda resident.

Local 10ā€²s Christian De La Rosa spotted a mobile medical unit helping an elderly woman who couldnā€™t get to the hospital.

Aside from clean water, hot meals have also been hard to find.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who was attending a Hurricane Ian relief food drive in Fort Myers Tuesday, told Local 10ā€²s Trent Kelly that she is proud of the effort that the search and response teams have made to help those in need.

ā€œOur search and rescue teams are out there on Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island and they helped to evacuate hundreds and hundreds of residents,ā€ said Levine Cava. ā€œA few have stayed behind to help the residents to make sure that theyā€™re safe and then theyā€™re on to the next assignment.ā€

ā€œWeā€™re very proud and Miami-Dade stands with all of those affected communities,ā€ she added. ā€œWe will be here as long as help is needed.ā€

Pastor Matt Keller, of Next Level Church, told Local 10 News that his team of volunteers has stepped up to make thousands of meals because of the recent hunger crisis caused by Hurricane Ian.

ā€œWe are partnering with Mercy Chefs and we are literally making tens of thousands of meals a day,ā€ said Keller. ā€œIn the last two days, weā€™ve served over 40,000 meals, because here in southwest Florida, weā€™re still in a food and water crisis.ā€

Keller says his team has delivered hot meals to local hospitals, shelters and to first responders.

ā€œFor us, itā€™s hearing the stories of people who havenā€™t eaten in three days--people who are checking into the emergency room at the hospital for starvation, because they havenā€™t eaten since the storm hit,ā€ said Keller. ā€œWeā€™re just meeting the tangible needs of our community.ā€


About the Authors
Trent Kelly headshot

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.

Christian De La Rosa headshot

Christian De La Rosa joined Local 10 News in April 2017 after spending time as a reporter and anchor in Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando and Panama City Beach.

Loading...

Recommended Videos