Hurricane Ian continues to tear across Florida, leaving 2.5 million people without power on Thursday morning and "hundreds" reportedly dead.
The Category 4 storm barreled into Florida Wednesday afternoon, landing south of the Tampa Bay area, which previous models showed taking a direct hit. Instead, Lee County took the brunt of the damage, and areas of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral are inundated with debris, damage and flooding from a catastrophic 7-foot storm surge.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on Thursday that "fatalities are in the hundreds" at this time, though an exact death toll has not yet been announced.
"There are thousands of people waiting to be rescued," Marceno said.
"We're accessing the bridges, seeing what's compromised and what's not," he continued. "And this will be a life-changing event for the men and women who are responding. They're going to see things they've never seen before."
A Thursday morning Fox News broadcast said officials in Florida anticipate the fatality number to continue to rise.
How Hurricane Ian Shapes Up to Other Deadly Hurricanes
If Marceno's reports are correct, Hurricane Ian may already be the deadliest in Florida's history.
Hurricane Irma caused the costliest damage to Florida when it hit the Florida Keys as a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the storm killed 123 people in Florida, with deaths also occurring in Georgia and North Carolina. However, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported only 87 deaths from Irma.
A Time article explained in 2018 that hurricane deaths are difficult to total, as sometimes officials don't agree on what counts as a disaster-related death. Direct hurricane deaths include drowning, falling buildings or flying debris. Indirect deaths include deaths that occur while evacuating or if medical care is postponed too long due to hurricane conditions.
While Hurricane Katrina hit the southwest tip of Florida in 2005, most of the 1,245 deaths and destruction occurred in New Orleans.
Nine people died when Hurricane Charley hit Florida in 2004.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew killed 15 people directly and dozens of others indirectly in Florida as it destroyed parts of Miami-Dade County.
An "Unpredictable" Hurricane
Marceno said Hurricane Ian hit Lee County with "horrific" force during a press conference Wednesday night. The sheriff's office has received double the number of 911 calls it normally receives as residents call for help during the storm. Marceno said the calls spanned from reports of compromised buildings to vehicles floating out into the ocean.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
