‘We watched everything just go flying by’: Deadly Hurricane Ian leaves communities unrecognizable

Days after Hurricane Ian barreled through Florida, rescue teams are still hunting for survivors amid a landscape forever altered by a deadly storm surge that killed dozens and destroyed homes, highways and power lines.

The death toll from Hurricane Ian continues to rise, with at least 65 confirmed fatalities. The storm took 58 lives in Florida, according to state officials. Victims ranged in age from 22 to 92. Most drowned. Bodies were found submerged in cars and floating in floodwaters.

The state confirms a death only after an autopsy is performed, which is why official numbers can vary from other reports.

Some media outlets reported far more deaths on Sunday. The New York Times reported nearly 80 people had died in Florida as a direct result of Hurricane Ian.

And Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who previously said the storm likely killed hundreds, said Sunday that the current death count for his county stands at 42.

Authorities also confirmed four deaths in North Carolina and three in Cuba from the storm that brought dangerous storm surges, wind and flooding.

Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 storm. By Saturday, Ian had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone that dumped rain over West Virginia and Maryland.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service said the storm was expected to bring more rain to Virginia and West Virginia.

“Not quite done with Ian yet as we endure another day of damp, dreary, drizzly, rainy and rather chilly weather conditions,” the National Weather Service announced.

In Florida, the damage stretched from coastal towns to inland cities like Orlando. But Fort Myers and other coastal communities in the southwestern corridor of the state felt the brunt of the storm.

As many as 10,000 people remain unaccounted for and more than 10,000 people remain in shelters across the state, officials said on Saturday.

The bridge to Pine Island was destroyed by the storm, leaving it accessible only by boat or air. The volunteer group Medic Corps went door to door looking for residents who wanted to be evacuated.

One man described the horror of being trapped in his Pine Island home as the water kept rising.

“The water just kept pounding the house and we watched, boats, houses — we watched everything just go flying by,” Joe Conforti said, fighting back tears.

If it wasn’t for his wife suggesting they stand on a table to avoid the rising water, he wouldn’t have made it, he said.

“I started to lose sensibility, because when the water’s at your door and it’s splashing on the door and you’re seeing how fast it’s moving, there’s no way you’re going to survive that.”

Power outages continue

Ian also wreaked havoc on the power grid, leaving more than 2.7 million people at one point without power.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 750,000 customers in Florida still did not have power, according to PowerOutage.us. Nearly 7,000 were without power in North Carolina along with another 4,000 in Virginia.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to travel to Florida on Wednesday to assess the recovery effort, according to the White House.

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The president has pledged federal support for Florida, saying Hurricane Ian is “likely to rank among the worst in the nation’s history.”

Since the storm made landfall, law enforcement officials have made more than 1,600 rescues despite the difficult conditions, state officials say.

The Florida National Guard and the Coast Guard are carrying out rescues, relying on helicopters to reach stranded homeowners on barrier islands that lost bridges in the storm.

“We’re flying and we’re operating in areas that are unrecognizable,” Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson told CNN. “There’s no street signs. They don’t look like they used to look like. Buildings that were once benchmarks in the community are no longer there.”

Flooded roadways have left many survivors isolated, with limited cellphone service and a lack of basic needs, including water, electricity and internet service.

With so many areas without cell service, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Saturday that Starlink units created by Elon Musk’s SpaceX will be distributed to provide high-speed connectivity to areas impacted by the storm.

Crews are also rescuing lost pets.

FEMA’s search and rescue team saved 16 pets as of Saturday night, said Shannon Markham, a spokeswoman for the agency.

It was unclear how many other pets have been rescued since the storm. No one knows how many have died, Markham said.

“I’ve never seen one agency track that,” she said. “We do track how many animal rescues we do. I do know some cows were in a road that was flooded. But they were able to find dry pasture.”

The storm deluged Orlando, with heavy rains causing historic flooding throughout the city. More than 14 inches of rain fell in some areas.

City officials have warned residents to avoid swimming, paddling or kayaking in flooded waterways because they might be tainted with raw sewage.

Orlando residents are also being asked to refrain as much as possible from doing laundry, washing dishes, taking showers or baths, and flushing toilets to avoid overtaxing the city’s wastewater treatment plant and causing sewage overflows.

Safety tips

If you or someone you know needs assistance or a safety check, seek help on missing.fl.gov.

Beware of frauds and scams. Federal and local disaster workers carry an official badge and do not solicit or accept money. Don’t trust anyone who offers financial help and then asks for money or personal information. Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 right away if an inspector comes to your house, but you haven’t applied for assistance. This might be a sign of identity theft.

Stay out of flood water. Standing water may be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines or contain sharp debris, human and livestock waste, contaminants that can lead to illness, or wild or stray animals. Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters.

Be careful when cleaning up. Wear protective clothing, including work gloves and sturdy thick-soled shoes. Do not try to remove heavy debris on your own. Use a mask if cleaning mold or other debris. People with asthma and other lung conditions should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled.

Be safe using generators. Generators can help during a power outage but come with serious health and safety risks. Only use a generator outdoors and far from open doors and windows. Visit www.ready.gov/power-outages to learn how to use a generator safely.

Avoid downed power or utility lines. They may be live with deadly voltage. Stay away and report them immediately to your power company. Do not cut or cover fiber optic cables with debris.

Stay off roads. Emergency workers may be assisting people in flooded areas, restoring electricity or cleaning up debris. You can help by staying out of the way and off the roads. If you evacuated, do not return home until local officials confirm the area is safe.

How to Help

After a disaster, people come together to help. But it’s important to follow guidelines for donating and volunteering responsibly.

Do not head to the disaster zone. To volunteer for the Hurricane Ian recovery, visit Florida’s official volunteer portal at VolunteerFlorida.org to find volunteer opportunities.

Think long term. Volunteers will be needed for months, even years, after the disaster. Go to the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website at www.nvoad.org to find a list of ways you can volunteer.

Cash is the best donation. After a disaster, people want to help, but it’s important to donate responsibly. When people support voluntary organizations with financial contributions, it helps ensure a steady flow of important services to the people in need after a disaster. Find national and local charities at www.nvoad.org.

Don’t wait to file flood claims

Anyone with flood insurance who has suffered flood damage from Hurricane Ian should file their claim now, even if you haven’t returned home yet, FEMA officials say.

Policyholders who have not returned home can start the claims process even if they only suspect flood damage. Property owners can provide specifics on the damage later, after local officials say it is safe to return to their property.

Contact your insurance agent or company to file a claim. Information about filing a claim, documenting damage, working with your flood insurance adjuster, making repairs and understanding your claim payment is available on FEMA.gov

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Those who don’t know who their insurance agent or company is can call 877-336-2627.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan