Water and electricity might very properly be restored by Sunday to all of the properties, companies, schools and hospitals in Southwest Florida which is at risk of be structurally sound following the devastation of Hurricane Ian, authorities said Monday.
“We’ve laid out a lovely plan,” Florida Emergency administration Director Kevin Guthrie said.
virtually 600,000 properties and companies remained at midnight Monday morning, 5 days after the storm tore through the state’s Gulf Coast. About 60% of arduous-hit Lee County, the place Ian made its first U.S. landfall, remained powerless.
schools in thirteen counties remained closed, however all counties in Southwest Florida anticipated to be completely again by the tip of the week, training Commissioner Manny Diaz said. Lee, DeSoto, Charlotte, Sarasota and Hardee counties have “primarily the most to deal with,” Diaz said.
The dying toll from Ian climbed to a minimal of sixty eight people, in conserving with the associated Press: sixty one confirmed fatalities in Florida, 4 in North Carolina and three in Cuba, the place Ian made its first landfall Tuesday. Florida division of legal guidelines Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said Monday that there have been a minimal of fifty eight confirmed deaths inside the state.
earlier than AND AFTER:A have a look at Hurricane Ian’s damage in Florida
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AFTER HURRICANE IAN bought here THE FLOODS:These people rallied to rescue residents, horses, cows
Virginia faces historic flooding
5 days after Hurricane Ian’s first U.S. landfall in Florida, the unrelenting storm threatened Monday to set off amongst the numerous worst flooding in extra than a decade – virtually 1,000 miles away in Virginia.
After blasting through Florida after which pounding the Carolinas, the weakened however nonetheless-dangerous storm doused Virginia with rain Monday, and officers warned of likely extreme flooding by Tuesday. The remnants of the as quickly as-class 4 hurricane moved offshore and was merging with a low-strain system to type a nor’easter anticipated to drive extra water into an already inundated Chesapeake Bay.
Cody Poche, a nationwide climate Service meteorologist, said the consequence might very properly be primarily the most important tidal flooding in Virginia’s Hampton Roads area inside the final 10 to fifteen years.
Norfolk and Virginia seashore declared states of emergency, and Virginia seashore warned residents to “make essential preparations now ought to evacuation discover your self to be essential.” The island metropolis of Chincoteague issued a voluntary evacuation order for its three,000 residents and was opening a shelter at a neighborhood highschool.
Florida emergency chief defends controversial evacuation choice
Lee County’s choice not to order evacuations till Tuesday morning – a day after neighboring counties had already warned residents of low-mendacity areas to depart – was made solely by county officers, Florida Emergency administration Director Kevin Guthrie said Monday. the various to attend in a single day to gauge Hurricane Ian’s path apparently clashed with the county’s personal planning protocols for ordering residents out even when a minimal hazard of good storm surge might accompany an approaching storm. however Guthrie was supportive of native officers.
“They made primarily the most interesting choice primarily based on the information on the time,” Guthrie said at a Monday briefing in Tallahassee. “When making selections in a disaster, emergency administration directors ought to not have a crystal ball.”
gas tax aid a properly-timed break for Floridians
Florida’s gas tax aid bought here at simply the most interesting time this weekend as a consequence of the state begins on its prolonged road to restoration after Hurricane Ian. The Florida Motor gas Tax aid Act of 2022 kicked in Saturday and dropped the worth of gas to a median of $three.26 per gallon, the backside day by day common value since January. The state’s common value per gallon declined thirteen cents this week and bolsters the already-steep drop in pump prices for the rationale that summer season.
“whereas all people might not be so fortunate to see sub-$three gasoline, all Floridians ought to anticipate a sizeable low cost this week,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins.
– Ana Goñi-Lessan, Tallahassee Democrat
Deployment of latest plane provider delayed by climate
the predominant deployment of the Navy’s latest and most superior plane provider, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which was poised to set sail Monday from Norfolk, Va., was postponed as a consequence of storm factors, the Navy 2nd Fleet introduced. the mannequin new deployment date was not introduced. Ford is the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford provider Strike Group, better than 1,000 ft prolonged and accommodating a crew of 4,500.it would in the end sail inside the Atlantic alongside ships from NATO Allies, the Navy said.
Cat rescue goes viral, attracts donations
Michael Ross, of Naples, was in Bonita Springs when Hurricane Ian plowed through. Ross, 29, said he and his household seemed out the window and noticed a cat clinging to an air conditioning unit. A video of Ross trudging through swirling floodwaters to pluck the cat to safety went viral and has helped draw hundreds of dollars in donations.
“i used to be in a place to go on the market and get it, and it is an excellent factor I did,” Ross said. “After that video was taken, the water bought here up like one other 6 ft. And that air conditioner he was sitting on was underwater.”
Ross started a GoFundMe online page to assist displaced pets and people in want. to this point it has drawn better than $22,000. however he hasn’t been in a place to discovering the proprietor of the cat but.
“If we will not discover one, i am gonna preserve it,” Ross said.
– Tomas Rodriguez, Naples day by day information
After Hurricane Ian was gone, ‘all of the water bought here’
Flooding pushed by 20 inches of rain dropped by Ian blocked a quantity of roads in Florida’s DeSoto County, turning some neighborhoods into islands. collectively with flooding properties, the waters engulfed a gas station and the Peace River Campground, the place about one hundred fifty people lived yr-spherical, officers said. Lingering’ widespread power outages and poor cell service hampered evacuation efforts through airboats regardless of the assist of the Florida nationwide Guard. Authorities had been distributing water and ready-made meals to stranded people who did not want to depart.
“we uncover out about hurricanes however flooding is a mannequin new factor for us,” said DeSoto County Commissioner J.C. Deriso. “The storm, our neighborhood was pretty properly ready for. nonetheless the flood was pretty sudden. Rivers rise and fall yearly. however what we noticed was as quickly as in a lifetime. a minimal of we hope so.” study extra right here.
– Trevor Hughes, USA at the second
DeSantis seeks expedited restoration effort for ‘500-yr flood event’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed Sunday for expedited restoration efforts in southwest Florida, closely damaged from Ian final week. DeSantis toured amongst the numerous areas nonetheless experiencing flooding from the storm, surveying damage by boat in North Port in Sarasota County after which Arcadia in DeSoto County. Earlier inside the day, he distributed meals and water to hurricane victims in Naples in Collier County.
properties in Arcadia had been nonetheless flooded as a lot as their rooftops and RVs virtually fully submerged, DeSantis said at a information convention Sunday.
“This was such an enormous storm, that launched so a lot water, that you simply have primarily what’s been a 500-yr flood event right here in DeSoto County, and amongst the numerous neighboring counties,” DeSantis said.
virtually 600,000 properties and companies throughout Florida remained with out power Monday, in conserving with PowerOutage.us. Florida power & gentle, the state’s largest power agency, said it had restored electricity to virtually 1.7 million clients and expects to revive the overwhelming majority of power by Friday.
– Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers

Fort Myers churchgoers share their Ian survival tales
Sunday morning, a quantity of dozen seniors trickled proper into a shattered Fort Myers church not faraway from the place Hurricane Ian made landfall a quantity of days earlier. exterior lay an overturned Jeep and dumpsters blown proper into a tree line. a detailed-by low cost mall and a cell residence park lay in tatters. power strains dangled over a road ensuing in Sanibel Island, decrease off by a destroyed bridge.
beneath Southwest Baptist’s toppled steeple had been soaked flooring and holes inside the roof. Bible pages fanned out to dry. inside the chapel, displaced members slept on makeshift beds manufactured from chairs and boiled water with propane burners.
The church insisted on holding a service – even when it wished to be held exterior – for a susceptible neighborhood thunderstruck by loss and trauma. study the complete story.
– Chris Kenning, USA at the second
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz and Nada Hassanein, USA at the second; Sergio Bustos, USA at the second community Florida; Ed Reed and Stacey Henson, Fort Myers information-Press; The associated Press
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