FEMA assesses damage left by Ian in Florida 5:23
(CNN Spanish) --
Hurricane Ian has left devastation in its path through Florida, United States.
Ian made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Florida's southwest coast shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday and has since tracked its way across the state (as of 7 a.m. Thursday, the cyclone was off the east coast Floridian).
🌀 Live track of Hurricane Ian: where it is in real time and where it is going
Due to the intensity with which it made landfall, Hurricane Ian left major disasters in the southwestern coastal area, although some communities were much more affected.
What are the most affected areas in Florida by Hurricane Ian?
Lee County
Lee County, Florida, was the area hardest hit by Hurricane Ian, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN Thursday, adding that the damage caused will be catastrophic..
“The area that has been hit the hardest, certainly from what we're hearing right now, is Lee County,” Criswell said.
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“We know there was a significant storm surge there, we know their water system is affected and we are focused right now on getting some search and rescue teams, who have been out since 4:00 am to get into that area and identify who might need help, who might need a rescue, Criswell added.
For his part, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on CNN's New Day that the area has "approximately five" deaths, but added that he cannot currently give a definitive number.
The FEMA administrator pointed out that along the west coast of Florida there are other communities with significant damage but that at the moment it is not possible to quantify the disaster.
"I don't think we can quantify it yet," he said of the amount of damage the hurricane caused.
“But I can tell you it's going to be catastrophic.
The amount of impact to these communities is going to be significant.”
Fort-Myers
The city of Fort Myers is located in Lee County, so it was one of the most impacted.
Many are believed to be in need of rescue in Fort Myers, Criswell reported Thursday morning.
The Coast Guard and National Guard were "getting people off the roofs in Fort Myers" with planes Thursday morning, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson told CNN.
In addition, around 96% of the city lost electricity due to the passage of the cyclone.
Cape Coral, also in Lee County, was also largely without power;
If we add the power outages in both cities, the blackout covers 90% of the area.
A Coast Guard flight shows the destruction and flooding in the Fort Myers area.
(Photo: US Coast Guard)
Collier County
Collier County, home to Naples and Marco Island, has more than 202,000 customers without power, which is 77% of the county.
Collier County Office of Emergency Services Director Dan Summers implored people who evacuated during Hurricane Ian to stay in shelters for now and not go outside to see the damage to their homes.
"Stay safe. We have a lot of things left to assess. We don't know the status of the drains and canals that are still full. We have a lot of moving water, a lot of debris, downed power lines, and there are a lot of unknowns, and of course if they're in a safe place, stay calm," he told CNN's Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto.
"While we didn't have the wind event that our neighbors had, we certainly had the water event that far exceeded anything we had during Hurricane Irma," Summers said.
The area hasn't seen such a storm surge "in several generations," he added.
naples
Ian set records for the highest water levels ever observed in multiple locations, including Fort Myers and Naples (the latter city located in Collier County), in Southwest Florida.
Radar estimates and ground observation rainfall show that more than 300mm of rain fell between 12 and 24 hours in a swath of the region.
Other affected areas
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called Ian "a 500-year flood event" and said people can expect the tropical cyclone to continue to impact across the state, while leaving record flooding hundreds of miles away. distance from where the hurricane made landfall on Wednesday.
US President Joe Biden has approved a "major disaster declaration for nine counties," DeSantis added.
This includes Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota.
The declaration will allow people to seek assistance from FEMA.
"For those who need help and who qualify, they can go to FEMA.gov or call 1-800-621-3262," DeSantis said.
"Make sure you take a picture of the water line in your house because if you can show that, we'll be able to get assistance to you faster."
With reporting from CNN's Maria Cartaya, Paul P. Murphy, Jamie Loftus, Jason Hanna, Nouran Salahieh, Rebekah Riess, Naomi Thomas, Caroll Alvarado, Christina Maxouris and Robert Shackelford.
