Thousands of Floridians disregarded evacuation orders prior to Hurricane Ian, according to Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, who said they had become “complacent” with hurricane warnings.
On Thursday morning, Prummell talked with the Fox & Friends presenters about the significant devastation that the hurricane had caused to Charlotte County, Florida, which is close to Lee County, which includes Fort Myers, where the storm was most intense.
Prummell, who would not comment on the likely number of deaths brought on by the hurricane, said that at the moment Charlotte County just needs a lot of assistance and prayers.
Several individuals, in my opinion, did remain behind. In Florida, we see these storms every year as they pass by and bypass us, and as a result, people get complacent and believe that it won’t happen here or that it won’t affect us. This one did, too. Since 2004’s deadly Hurricane Charley, we haven’t had a hurricane. This one was terrible,” he said.
Following a previous warning that hundreds may have perished in the Sunshine State, Prummell declined to comment on a potential death toll. The current death toll is six.
At least 48 hours before the hurricane made landfall, at least two-thirds of Charlotte County, or about 120,000 people, were required to evacuate, including a few barrier islands that were severely damaged by the storm.
A curfew between the hours of 9.00 pm and 6:00 am has also been implemented by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. A misdemeanor prosecution might be brought for breaking the curfew.
Residents in Charlotte County received numerous phone announcements from local government offices as well as warnings about the storm’s ferocity online, on TV, radio, and in print media.
On Tuesday morning, storm shelters were made available for anybody who couldn’t leave.
Uber, a popular ridesharing service, also provided free $30 trips to storm shelters in the counties of Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee.
For a number of reasons, including storm fatigue—Floridians get warnings every year during hurricane season, but seldom are the storms as terrible as they were warned—some Floridians in evacuation zones decided not to go.
Both Charlotte and Lee counties have already started their search and rescue operations.
The difficult rebuilding process, which for some will include filing insurance claims on homes, businesses, and automobiles, will soon be started by locals and authorities.
We have asked the state to provide us with a lot of assets. Actually, the government search and rescue squad already exists. So, we are merging our search and rescue teams with theirs, and we have already started traveling,’ Prummell added.
“We have folks who are trapped in their submerged cars.” There are folks here who are confined to their houses. We are now putting our air unit into the air to attempt to gain a general overview of the area. And those on their rooftops are receiving their reports. In an effort to enter such locations, we are working with our search and rescue teams.
As 50 National Guard helicopters begin the search and rescue operation for thousands of people who are trapped or missing in the wake of the devastating flood damage and 155 mph winds, hundreds of people in Florida are thought dead.
On Thursday, about 2.7 million Floridians were still without electricity, and many were also without mobile service.
After DeSantis and FEMA reiterated that the death toll remains unknown, Lee County’s sheriff subsequently softened his remarks. He had first expressed concerns that it was one of the biggest natural catastrophes since Katrina with hundreds killed.
The increasing floodwater that is engulfing two-story houses has trapped thousands of people inside their homes, some of whom were compelled to flee to their rooftops.
In horrifying video, houses in Fort Myers can be seen being abruptly consumed by the fire as flames and black smoke spiral into the sky.
After hammering Florida this morning and overnight, Ian is about to wreak more destruction as it whips up sea water in the Atlantic before aiming for South Carolina.
As it swings northwards towards the top of the Sunshine State, the south of Georgia, and South Carolina, the monstrous storm is predicted to renew into a Category 1 hurricane.
The area is also prepared for more storm surges that may dump massive amounts of water on important cities like Jacksonville, Savannah, and Charlotte.