Hurricane Ian Devastates Fort Myers; Death Toll Could Reach Hundreds

FORT MYERS, FL — Search and rescue efforts are underway hours after Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage in Fort Myers and nearby areas, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and many cut off from aid and first responders.

Based on the number of 911 calls from the area, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday the death toll in the Fort Myers area alone could be in the hundreds. Statewide, at least one person is confirmed dead, according to The Associated Press.

• Stay up-to-date by viewing all Hurricane Ian coverage on Patch here.

More than 244,000 utility customers — nearly 85 percent of residents and businesses in the area — were without power Thursday in the wake of Ian. A portion of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea, cutting off the only access point to a barrier island where 6,300 people live, and Ian's ferocious 155-mph winds destroyed a historic waterfront pier in Naples.

Kevin Russell, a resident of Matlacha, located just off the coast of Fort Myers, said the Greater Pine Island area was "completely on its own" after Ian rendered the Matlacha Pass Bridge impassable. As a result, neighbors mobilized with chainsaws and trucks to clear streets.

"This is search and rescue time," Russell told Patch. "We were hit badly and require assistance. No rescue crews are on the ground yet, and we have priorities for life and safety."

Ian made landfall in Florida as one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the United States, flooding homes on the state's east and west coasts and knocking out electricity to 2.67 million Florida homes and businesses. At least one man was confirmed dead, according to The Associated Press.

"We've never seen storm surge of this magnitude," Gov. DeSantis said during a news conference. "The amount of water that's been rising, and will likely continue to rise today even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flooding event."

Though downgraded to a tropical storm by Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said storm surge and flooding rains remained a threat as Ian crept across the Florida peninsula and emerged in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Canaveral. Forecasters predicted a northward turn toward South Carolina.

Thousands of people were evacuated from nursing homes and hospitals across Florida. Hundreds of those evacuations occurred across the Fort Myers region, where damage cut off potable water to at least nine hospitals.

In Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, search and rescue crews from local fire, law enforcement, and other agencies launched efforts before dawn, according to a county news release. Federal crews are expected to join efforts, which are being expedited by the state Emergency Operations Center.

Law enforcement and transportation officials are on Sanibel Causeway to inspect the damage, county officials said. It's unknown how many heeded the evacuation order before the bridge collapsed.

South of Sanibel Island, a historical beachfront pier in Naples, located in Collier County, was destroyed as powerful waves crashed over the structure.

"Right now, there is no pier," Penny Taylor, a Collier County commissioner, told The AP.

In Matlacha, Russell said "roads are gone," and anyone who wanted to reach the island would have to do so by boat.

"Even then, there are submerged obstructions in the water, so right now it's extremely dangerous to approach the island in any event," Russell said.

According to Russell, the U.S. Coast Guard has sent choppers to evacuate stranded residents from the island.

"There is debris everywhere, and we are still contending with flooding, making it impossible in most areas to check on people or conditions on the island," Russell said.

Meanwhile, residents posted desperate pleas on Facebook community pages, asking their neighbors for help.

"My younger brother is confirmed as of last night at 11:30 pm still stuck on top of what's left of the bridge," Samantha Phoenix wrote on the page "Things To Do In Pine Island. "He's in a silver Honda CR-V. With 2 cats inside the car."

Jorene Soto's aunt and uncle are among those stranded, she told Patch. They're in a three-story house on Island View Drive in Matlacha, and despite the Coast Guard's efforts to evacuate them by helicopter, the couple is refusing to leave, Soto said.

"(My uncle) is very sick though with diabetes, foot amputation, oxygen, lots of meds," Soto told Patch. "I think they'll go by boat. If anybody can get them on a boat and out of there, I'd greatly appreciate it.

President Joe Biden was briefed by Federal Emergency Management Administration officials Thursday morning and signed federal disaster requests submitted by DeSantis.

"We know many families are hurting… and our entire country is hurting with them," Biden said.

Residents of Lee County should follow www.leegov.com/storm for additional Ian updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.