October 2, 2022 Hurricane Ian updates

Our live coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian has ended for the day. See the latest news on the storm here or read the posts below.

Calling for evacuations is “always a difficult decision,” according to Ryan Lamb, Cape Coral Fire Department Chief and Emergency Management director, who spoke with CNN’s Jim Acosta on air Sunday afternoon by phone. 

Cape Coral is in Florida’s Lee County, where officials are being pressed over evacuation decisions and policies, per CNN’s reporting. 

Parts of North Cape Coral were not included in county evacuation orders, according to a map from the Cape Coral Fire Department. 

For areas of Cape Coral under evacuation order, Lamb said there was initial concern over how few residents were going to nearby shelters. 

Officials knew the storm would be impactful and tried to increase public messaging around evacuating, Lamb said. 

Water and power restoration is key for recovery efforts into the week, Lamb said. 

Ian “obliterated” 98% of the city’s power structure, which will need complete reconstruction, according to Lamb. 

Lamb said officials are working to increase points of distribution for food, water, and fuel throughout the city. 

A search and rescue team returns to port near the isolated Sanibel Island in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 1, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Officials in hardest-hit Lee County, Florida, are facing mounting questions about why the first mandatory evacuations weren’t ordered until a day before Hurricane Ian’s landfall —despite an emergency plan that suggests evacuations should have happened earlier.  

Lee County’s evacuation orders also came a day or more after those of neighboring counties to the north.  

The county’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan states a 10% chance of 6 feet or more of water “would indicate the need” for hurricane evacuations in the most vulnerable areas.  

National Hurricane Center advisories, reviewed by CNN, make first mention of “4-7 feet of surge” for that area as early as 11 p.m. ET Sunday — three days before landfall. That level of surge was predicted for an area from Englewood to Bonita Beach – which includes the entire Lee County coast.

By 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, around the time of the first evacuation message, the NHC upped the storm surge forecast to 5-10 feet. And by 11 a.m. ET, the forecast was expanded to 8-12 feet of storm surge for all of Lee County. 

The county’s first announcement of mandatory evacuations was not until Tuesday morning. In a news conference around 7 a.m. ET Tuesday, county officials announced mandatory evacuations for the most vulnerable “Zone A” and parts of “Zone B” in the county.

The county also opened its first shelters at 9 a.m. ET Tuesday. Later that day, the county expanded the order to all of Zone B. 

Other counties in Ian’s path, such as Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties spent the day Monday issuing evacuation orders. And even before Hillsborough County issued the formal order, Tampa’s mayor was urging the public to evacuate. 

“If you can leave, just leave now, and we will take care of your personal property,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told Kate Bolduan on CNN’s At This Hour around 11 a.m. ET Monday. 

GOP Sen. Rick Scott, when pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash, declined to assign blame in Lee County, saying, “We’re going to look and find out” if proper evacuation procedures were followed. “I think once we get through this, we do an assessment. What I’ve always tried to do as governor is say, okay, so what did we learn in each one of these.”  

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lee County officials have defended the county’s decision-making process, pointing to a changing forecast track that shifted the worst impacts South closer to landfall. 

At a news conference on Monday, the day before the evacuation order was issued, Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais rejected the notion that Hurricane Ian had been more challenging to plan for than other storms. He said the fact that his county had been within the predicted track of the center of the storm days prior suggested the storm would ultimately shift elsewhere.  

“A couple days ago Fort Myers, Lee County was right in the very center of the cone of… uncertainty, and that’s really the best place to be, three or four days out because the storm will never ever behave that way.” Desjarlais said. “So, those variables always exist, and we train for and plan for all the changes in the characteristics of the storm.” 

Desjarlais said on Monday that even though the county had not yet issued an evacuation order, residents should feel free to leave.   

“If you’re feeling a little nervous about this storm and the effects, it’s okay to go now if you want,” Desjarlais said. “So, if you feel like it and you think it’s a good idea, now is a good time to get on the road and head to a safer part of the state.”  

The delays were first reported by The New York Times, and Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane pushed back on the Times’ account in an interview with Boris Sanchez on CNN’s New Day Sunday, calling the report “inaccurate” and defending the timetable.  

“Unfortunately, people did get complacent,” Ruane said when talking about why people may not have evacuated sooner. “As far as I’m concerned the shelters were open, they had the ability, they had all day Tuesday, they had a good part of Wednesday as the storm was coming down – they had the ability to do so.”   

And Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson told CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday morning that “warnings for hurricane season start in June. And so, there’s a degree of personal responsibility here. I think the county acted appropriately. The thing is that a certain percentage of people will not heed the warnings regardless.” 

CNN’s Keith Allen and Andy Rose contributed to this report

An aerial view of a destroyed road and homes in Matlacha, Florida, on October 1.

Florida’s Lee County death toll following Hurricane Ian has increased to 42, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said at a news conference in Fort Myers Sunday.  

 CNN is presently reporting at least 74 deaths in Florida from Hurricane Ian. 

Here’s the current breakdown of CNN’s death toll tally by county:

Note: CNN’s current death toll differs from the official toll released by the Florida Governor’s office for Hurricane Ian as there are inconsistencies in death tolls reported by local agencies and even among Florida state agencies.  

Linemen work to restore power in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, on October 2.

About 65,000 more customers in Florida have had their power restored during the overnight and morning hours Sunday, according to the latest reporting from poweroutage.us.

However, 812,661 Florida customers remain without power, according to the site. 

In North Carolina, 20,917 customers are without power as well as 7,907 customers in Virginia, according to the tracking website.

Anthony Grande moved away from Fort Myers three years ago in large part because of the hurricane risk.

He has lived in southwest Florida for nearly 19 years, had experienced Hurricanes Charley in 2004 and Irma in 2017 and saw what stronger storms could do to the coast.

Grande told CNN he wanted to find a new home where developers prioritized climate resiliency in a state that is increasingly vulnerable to record-breaking storm surge, catastrophic wind and historic rainfall.

What he found was Babcock Ranch — only 12 miles northeast of Fort Myers, yet seemingly light years away.

Babcock Ranch calls itself “America’s first solar-powered town.” Its nearby solar array — made up of 700,000 individual panels — generates more electricity than the 2,000-home neighborhood uses, in a state where most electricity is generated by burning natural gas, a planet-warming fossil fuel.

The streets in this meticulously planned neighborhood were designed to flood so houses don’t. Native landscaping along roads helps control storm water. Power and internet lines are buried to avoid wind damage. This is all in addition to being built to Florida’s robust building codes.

Some residents, like Grande, installed more solar panels on their roofs and added battery systems as an extra layer of protection from power outages. Many drive electric vehicles, taking full advantage of solar energy in the Sunshine State.

Climate resiliency was built into the fabric of the town with stronger storms in mind.

So, when Hurricane Ian came barreling toward southwest Florida this week, it was a true test for the community. The storm obliterated the nearby Fort Myers and Naples areas with record-breaking surge and winds over 100 mph. It knocked out power to more than 2.6 million customers in the state, including 90% of Charlotte County.

But the lights stayed on in Babcock Ranch.

“It certainly exceeded our expectations of a major hurricane,” Grande, 58, told CNN.

The storm uprooted trees and tore shingles from roofs, but other than that Grande said there is no major damage. Its residents say Babcock Ranch is proof that an eco-conscious and solar-powered town can withstand the wrath of a near-Category 5 storm.

Grande said Hurricane Ian came through southwest Florida “like a freight train.” But he wasn’t afraid that he would lose everything in a storm, like he was when he lived in Fort Myers.

“We’re very, very blessed and fortunate to not be experiencing what they’re experiencing now in Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach,” Grande said. “In the times that we’re living in right now with climate change, the beach is not the place to live or have a business.”

Florida, Babcock Ranch, aerial of large photovoltaic power station. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Related article This 100% solar community endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage | CNN

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Florida Task Force One members are conducting evacuation operations via helicopter as the area around Sanibel Island remains inaccessible, the fire department said Sunday morning in a release.  

FL-TF1 team members are going door-to-door, checking on residents who stayed behind on Sanibel Island during the storm, according to MDFR. 

The release added, “Due to the inaccessibility, evacuations operations have been conducted via helicopters. Assisted by the Florida National Guard and the United States Coast Guard, crews have been utilizing a hoist to rescue and transport residents out of the island and into a safe zone in the mainland where they can receive medical attention.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office donates supplies to Lee County.

When the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) went to a local Home Depot to purchase supplies to bring to Lee County, the store chipped in and donated, “$3,000 worth of supplies” to the cause, officials said. 

“As our neighbors in Southwest Florida rebuild, our communities continue to stick together as one. #teamHCSO went to purchase supplies to bring down to Lee County and when they arrived the local Home Depot joined in a donated $3,000 worth of supplies to help with #HurricaneIan relief efforts!” the department said. “Our communities generosity and willingness to help never ceases to amaze us!” 

Hillsborough County sits approximately 124 miles north of Lee County.  A majority of the storms’ deaths are in Lee County according to a CNN tally. 

HCSO also said it donated more than 500 tarps, “to help Lee County in any way we can.”  

Florida’s Lee County officials acted appropriately in issuing its evacuation order ahead of Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson told CBS’ Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.” 

Anderson said people have a degree of personal responsibility for evacuating, as warnings for hurricane season start in June. 

“Certain people will not heed the warnings, regardless,” Anderson said. 

Anderson said electricity and water service is slowly returning to his city. 

According to Anderson, most of the damage in Fort Myers came from flooding along the river. 

Anderson said good building codes will be the key to solving the issue of future hurricane destruction as newer homes withstood Ian, whereas older homes, not built to current codes, did not. 

“As people tear down and build new, they will be subject to newer, tougher building codes,” Anderson said.   

CNN is reporting 67 storm-related deaths in Florida as of Sunday morning.   

Orange County, Florida, received 5 times as many 911 dispatch calls as they would on a typical day on Thursday, a day after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s west coast.  

“We have shown incredible images and videos the last several days of our firefighters rescuing citizens from floodwaters and evacuating facilities in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ian,” the county added. “But did you know? Behind each of those heroic scenes, is a 911 call and a dispatcher.”  

At least 67 Floridians have died from Hurricane Ian, although none have been reported in Orange County, according to CNN’s latest tally.  

Tampa police officers traveled more than 80 miles to help out fellow Floridians in North Port following Hurricane Ian. 

Tampa is about an hour and a half north of North Port, Florida.  

Gov. Ron DeSantis has a news conference scheduled for 1:45 p.m. ET in North Port, Florida, to provide an update on the state’s response to Hurricane Ian.  

View the post from the police department here:

A Duke Energy employee examines an electricity pole near a fallen tree in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, September 30.

At least 33,000 residents in North Carolina are still without power and about 48 roads remain closed, Gov. Roy Cooper, told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sunday. 

The power outage number peaked at 400,000 on Friday, Cooper added.  

At least one of the four storm-related deaths in North Carolina was caused by a man running a generator in a garage, Cooper said. The man ended up dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.    

The governor said the state has had a “front row seat when it comes to the effects of climate change,” and he’s doing everything he can, including implementing a climate risk assessment and resiliency plan, to ward off devastating impacts from storms like Ian. In some cases, the governor said he’s tried buying out areas and putting grass down where people used to live.  

“Buy outs: We’ve gone into local communities that’ve gotten hit several times. It has just become better to make sure that we create green space with the place where homes and businesses used to be, to soak up water that may come from a river flood and then to relocate people,” Cooper said. “Those are tough decisions, but they’re going on right now.”  

When asked by Todd if flood insurance should be mandatory in North Carolina, Cooper said:  

“We are pushing and encouraging people to buy flood insurance. We know that particularity any of the areas that are hit time and again that we’ve gotta be more resilient.”

Sen. Marco Rubio speaks in Hollywood, Florida, on Saturday, July 23.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Sunday that he will vote against any potential congressional disaster aid for victims of Hurricane Ian if lawmakers “load it up with stuff that’s unrelated to the storm.” 

“Sure. I will fight against it having pork in it. That’s the key,” the senator told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if he would vote against any potential relief package that also contains money for other things.

“We shouldn’t have that in there because it undermines the ability to come back and do this in the future,” he said.  

“I think disaster relief is something we shouldn’t play with. We are capable in this country, in the Congress, of voting for disaster relief for key — after key events like this without using it as a vehicle or a mechanism for people to load it up with stuff that’s unrelated to the storm.

Rubio had previously faced criticism for voting against federal disaster aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy because he said the relief wasn’t narrowly tailored to address only the storm. The senator later voted in favor of a piecemeal aid package for victims of Sandy. 

“It had been loaded up with a bunch of things that had nothing to do with disaster relief,” he told Bash on Sunday, referring to a Hurricane Sandy aid package he voted against. “I would never put out there that we should go use a disaster relief package for Florida as a way to pay for all kinds of other things people want around the country.” 

On Friday, Rubio and fellow GOP Florida Sen. Rick Scott sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting their “support in developing a disaster supplemental to provide much needed assistance to Florida.” 

“A robust and timely federal response, including through supplemental programs and funding, will be required to ensure that sufficient resources are provided to rebuild critical infrastructure and public services capacity, and to assist our fellow Floridians in rebuilding their lives,” the Republican lawmakers wrote. 

Rubio did praise the federal government’s immediate response to Hurricane Ian stating, “There will be more that’s needed but as usual and always FEMA has been a great partner, the Biden administration has responded, and so there’s no complaint there. These are professionals, and I think in times like this, people realize that it’s not about politics. It shouldn’t be.”

Hurricane Ian — expected to be ranked the most expensive storm in Florida’s history — made landfall Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 and had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone by Saturday, dropping rain over parts of West Virginia and western Maryland.

At least 67 people have been killed by Ian in Florida as it swallowed homes in its furious rushing waters, obliterated roadways and ripped down powerlines. Four people were also killed in storm-related incidents in North Carolina, officials have said. 

CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.

Residents look at flood waters in Fort Myers, Florida, on Saturday, October 1.

As much of Florida is still reeling from Hurricane Ian’s wrath, police in Fort Myers are warning residents to beware of scams.  

In a infographic, accompanying the Facebook post, police indicate three specific scams for Floridians to be on the lookout for: repair scams, tree service scams and water testing scams.  

“Be wary of anyone who approaches unsolicited offering to work at a discount with supplies left from a previous job,” police said for those needing repairs. Police also said Floridians should get at least “three written itemized estimates” for repairs and verify all contractors licensing before doing service. 

Those looking to cut down or remove damaged trees from their properties should be cautious of anyone who asks for the full cost of the removal upfront, police said.  

And for those looking to have their water systems tested, Fort Myers Police suggest asking for proof of identification for anyone who claims to be a utility provider and to avoid anyone offering “free” water testing.  

Fort Myers Beach, located on Estero Island in Lee County in southwest Florida, was particularly hard hit by Hurricane Ian and is closed next week, officials said.  

Deanne Bennett Criswell speaks before the Senate Committee, in Washington, DC, in 2021.

Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Bennett Criswell on Sunday encouraged anyone who lives near water to purchase flood insurance, stressing the importance of such coverage in the aftermath of major disasters like the one caused by Hurricane Ian.

“Our flood maps address a very specific type of flooding. But what I would say, Dana, is that people need to understand that while in certain areas we require flood insurance, everybody has the ability to purchase flood insurance,” she told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked about the agency’s outdated flood zones maps. “If you live near water or where it rains, it can certainly flood.”

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission is now reporting a death in Hendry County attributed to Hurricane Ian, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  

CNN is presently reporting at least 67 deaths in Florida from Hurricane Ian.

Information about the circumstances surrounding this latest reported storm death was not made available by FLDE.

Here’s the current breakdown of CNN’s death toll tally by county:

Lee County, Florida, Commissioner Kevin Ruane said reporting about county officials possibly delaying a mandatory evacuation order prior to Hurricane Ian’s landfall was “inaccurate.”    

When pressed by CNN’s Boris Sanchez Sunday, Ruane said the county did what it was supposed to do.  

 “So, I’m not necessary of the belief that if we opened up shelters the day before, that number would have grown much, because each shelter can hold an excess of 3,000 people. We have 250 people at each shelter,” he added. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) also said Saturday that Lee County officials acted appropriately when they issued their first mandatory evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Ian on Tuesday afternoon.  

Ruane stressed that he and other officials urged people to get out sooner rather than later, calling Floridians, “no strangers” to storms. 

“Unfortunately, people did get complacent,” Ruane said when talking about why people may not have evacuated sooner. “As far as I’m concerned the shelters were open, they had the ability, they had all day Tuesday, they had a good part of Wednesday as the storm was coming down — they had the ability to do so.”  

Ruane said the prediction models “changed dramatically” from Monday night at 11 p.m. ET to Tuesday morning at 5 a.m. ET.  

“As soon as we saw the model shift northeast, we did exactly what we could to encourage people to do so. I’m just disappointed that so many people didn’t go to shelters, because they’re open.”  

Recovery and rebuilding are the biggest challenges the county faces at this time, according to Ruane.   

“Obviously, we now are in the recovery stage and the rebuilding stage. So that’s a different stage. We protected and rescued so many people and I think that’s important to recognize just the efforts.”  

“The rebuilding stage is going to take a long time. We recognize that.”  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference in Fort Myers, Florida on Saturday October 1, 2022.

Related article Florida governor defends the timing of Lee County officials' evacuation ahead of Hurricane Ian | CNN

President Joe Biden attends an event at the White House, on September 30.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Puerto Rico on Monday in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, according to a statement from the White House.

The two will then travel to Florida on Wednesday in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian.

The President touched on hurricane damage during remarks on Saturday night at an awards dinner in Washington.

He said his administration will do “whatever it takes” to help search and rescue, recovery and rebuilding. 

“It’s going to take a long time, so we cannot tire,” he said, adding, “It’s times like these I’m reminded that America is about how we choose to see one another… how we choose to treat everyone with dignity and respect they deserve.” 

CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) alone cannot rebuild and provide assistance to all the communities impacted by Hurricane Ian, Craig Fugate, former FEMA administrator, told CNN’s Amara Walker Sunday.   

When asked what recovery efforts might look like for Floridians who don’t own flood insurance, Fugate said:  

“We need to be very clear: FEMA was really designed to start the recovery,” Fugate said. “Historically, FEMA cannot do everything that people are gonna need — it wasn’t designed to do that by Congress, that’s why we turn to HUD.”

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, otherwise known as HUD, can provide grants to communities impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters to help people get back on their feet, Fugate said.   

Hurricane Ian previously made landfall in the state on Wednesday along the southwestern coast of Florida near Cayo Costa around 3:05 p.m. ET, Wednesday, with winds near 150 mph, making Ian a high-end Category 4 hurricane, CNN previously reported.  

“It’s just not the coast of Florida that’s been impacted. We’ve got impacts all the way through Orlando, up to the East Coast. Places like St. Augustine had devastating flooding,” Fugate said.   

“We really now [are] starting to see the shift to getting roads open where we can get roads open. Get utility crews in to turn the power on… doing the assessments on what it’s going to take to get some of these failed water systems and wastewater systems back up.”  

Florida reopened at least 14 miles of I-75, according to a news release from the Division of Emergency Management and Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Transportation. Despite the reopening, FDOT officials warned residents that it might need to “enact future closures as necessary to ensure safety.” 

“The more power we can get turned on to communities, the better they’re gonna be able to manage their recoveries,” Fugate added.   

Fugate served as the FEMA administrator under President Barack Obama from May 2009 to January 2017, according to a brief bio.  

CNN’s Brandon Miller and Chris Boyette contributed to this report  

Linemen work to restore power in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, on October 2.

In Florida, 868,306 customers remain without power, according to PowerOutage.us, down from over 2.5 million outages on Thursday after Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm with winds near 150 mph on the afternoon of Sept. 28.

Many outages remain in hard-hit Lee and Charlotte counties with each having over 60% of customers tracked without power.