Rescuers have evacuated stunned survivors cut off by Hurricane Ian on Florida’s largest barrier island, and the state’s death toll has risen sharply amid recovery efforts. Hundreds of thousands of people are still sweltering without power in the state.
More than 1,000 people were rescued from flooded areas along Florida’s southwestern coast alone, Daniel Hokanson, a four-star general and head of the National Guard, told The Associated Press while airborne to Florida.
The bridge to Pine Island, the largest barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, was destroyed by the storm, leaving it accessible only by boat or air. The volunteer group Medic Corps, which responds to natural disasters worldwide with pilots, paramedics and doctors, went door-to-door asking residents if they wanted to be evacuated.of being trapped in their homes as water kept rising.
While swollen rivers have crested or are near cresting, the levels aren’t expected to drop significantly for days, National Weather Service meteorologist Tyler Fleming said.Elsewhere, South Carolina’s Pawleys Island, a beach community roughly 75 miles up the coast from Charleston, was also hit hard. Power remained knocked out to at least half the island Saturday.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sanibel Island, Lee County facing impacts from Hurricane IanFORT MYERS, Fla. — Areas within Lee County, including Sanibel Island and Fort Myers, are facing major damage in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Read more »
Haunting aerial images show Hurricane Ian's aftermath in Fort Myers, Sanibel IslandImages from the Fort Myers area showed homes ripped from their slabs and deposited among shredded wreckage
Read more »
Hurricane Shark Filmed Swimming in Streets of Fort Myers During Storm SurgeHoax videos of sharks drifting through hurricane flooding have circulated for years, but experts say this one appears to actually be real.
Read more »
'Nothing is salvageable': Popular Fort Myers restaurant in shambles after Hurricane IanAs residents slowly return along the southwestern Florida coast to pick up the pieces of devastation left by Hurricane Ian, businesses now left in shambles wonder how to care for their employees now left not only without a job, but in many cases a home.
Read more »
Fox News aerial video captures Fort Myers destruction: 'Thrown around like little toys'Fox News rode along with the Lee County Sheriff's Office to capture the destruction left by Hurricane Ian.
Read more »
'It's a nightmare, but we're alive': After Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers residents mourn low-lying neighborhoodsHurricane Ian’s torrential storm surge and rain left behind a trail of destruction.
Read more »