Local leaders are working with federal officials to provide much-needed aid.
Florida is in the midst of a daunting recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. But thankfully, the state has some help: The Federal Emergency Agency has readied its largest ever search-and-rescue operation in wake of the deadly Category 4 tropical storm.
“We pre-positioned the largest amount of search-and-rescue assets that I think we’ve ever put in place before,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told Fox News Sunday.
Though Florida faced the brunt of the devastation, the tropical storm also wreaked havoc on the Carolinas and knocked out all of Cuba’s power. Plus, hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico are still without electricity two weeks after a separate storm — Hurricane Fiona — hit the island.
To address these ongoing recoveries, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are slated to visit Puerto Rico on Monday before flying to see the devastation in Florida firsthand on Wednesday.
Here’s a breakdown of ongoing recovery efforts, how Hurricane Ian’s devastation compares to past storms, and why many aren’t in the clear just yet.
Florida’s search and rescue efforts
The impact of the storm has been devastating. So far, local officials have confirmed at least 94 deaths since Ian crashed into Florida’s Gulf Coast, with many victims 60 years and older. Most of these deaths were due to drowning, though some were from the storm’s deadly after-effects. One elderly couple in Florida was found dead after their home lost power, causing their oxygen machines to shut off, according to The Associated Press. As of Sunday night, 689,000 homes and businesses in the state were without power.
Sadly, this number is only expect expected to grow as floodwaters recede and rescuers comb through the debris. But confirming these deaths could take some time, as the state tallies these numbers by reviewing medical examiner records.
Meanwhile, North Carolina authorities said there have been at least four storm-related deaths and no deaths have been immediately reported in South Carolina, where Ian made another U.S. landfall on Friday.
There is some good news: FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue teams, the Coast Guard, the Interior Department, and Defense Department have worked with local officials to rescue more than 1,000 Floridians of off Florida’s southwestern coast alone.
How Hurrican Ian compares to other tropical storms
With 150-mile-per-hour winds, Hurricane Ian is already in a three-way tie for the fourth strongest hurricane to hit in the state and is in an eight-way tie for the fifth-strongest storm to strike the U.S. overall.
In terms of lives lost, it’s too early to tell how Hurricane Ian stacks up to past tropical storms, though Florida is known for having a history of deadly hurricanes. For instance, the deadliest storm to ever strike Florida was the Okeechobee Hurricane in 1928, which killed at least 2,500 people, but possibly more, according to the National Weather Service.
Though total damage is also still being calculated, the storm is already estimated to have caused more than $60 billion in property loss in Florida. Meanwhile, Florida senator Marco Rubio is already calling it more devastating than anything he could recall in the state’s history.
“Fort Myers Beach no longer exists. It’ll have to be rebuilt,” he said, adding, “It was a slice of old Florida that you can’t recapture.”
Along with senator Rick Scott, Rubio sent a joint letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting “much-needed assistance to Florida.” But he has already threatened to oppose any additional relief that’s packed with “stuff that’s unrelated to the storm.”
Even as Florida reels from Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Orlene is now heading towards Mexico as a Category 2 storm after temporarily strengthening into a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds yesterday. The National Hurricane Center has warned western Mexico to expect life-threatening flooding, with Las Islas Marias — an archipelago about 60 miles off the mainland — receiving the initial hit.
More to come
In the meantime, FEMA is warning residents to be cautious and avoid any post-storm dangers, such as standing water, which could be littered with debris and downed power lines.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian isn’t over quite yet. Even though it has weakened into a post-tropical cyclone, it’s expected to bring additional rainfall and rising floodwaters could make rescue efforts especially challenging for first responders. In anticipation of additional flooding, major roads stretching from the Kissimmee River to St. Johns River watersheds in central Florida have been shut down.
Still, some communities have used the harrowing experience to band together and support each other in this time of need. Business owner Joe Fernandez opened his motorsport shop as a shelter and food pantry for those on San Carlos Island in Fort Myers. Many, including 46-year-old Mike Smith, were able to gather there to process their grief and losses.
“These guys are all my adopted family, I guess you can say,” he said, looking around,” Smith told The Washington Post. “Everybody here lost everything, literally lost everything.”
Wondering if there’s anything you can do to help with Florida’s recovery? Here’s a list of where — and what — to donate.
