By David Ki. Li and Kathryn Prociv -
NBC News
The death toll from Hurricane Ian rose to 100 on Monday as state officials responded to criticism of Lee County officials for allegedly failing to evacuate communities in high-risk areas in time.
The last count in that county placed the death toll at 54.
Authorities there did not order residents of low-lying areas to evacuate until Tuesday.
Ian made landfall in that area on Wednesday, devastating Fort Myers and Sanibel Island.
“I believe that Lee County and its Government….
they made the decision that they felt was right for their community at the time,” said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
"And I will never question the decision that local emergency management officials made."
The latest count in Lee County put the death toll at 54.
There the authorities did not order the evacuation of residents of low-lying areas until Tuesday. Gerald Herbert / AP
Although other nearby towns ordered evacuations a day or two before Lee County, Guthrie refused to criticize local officials.
"Emergency management directors
don't have a crystal ball
," Guthrie told reporters.
"They made the best decision with the information they had at the time."
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A representative for the Lee County Manager's Office could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
Large areas of southwestern and central Florida were still struggling to clear debris and restore power several days after Ian tore through their communities.
The authorities have explained that it
will take at least a week to restore electricity
in the least affected areas and several more in the places worst hit by the storm.
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There were about 621,000 homes and businesses without power on Monday, according to officials.
In homes and commercial buildings where the "infrastructure is still standing," power should return on Sunday, they estimated.
Officials also asked Floridians to stay home and out of the way of rescuers and cleanup crews.
"If you don't have to be on the roads, don't be on the roads," said Col. Gene Spaulding, director of the Florida Highway Patrol.
He also warned that there are still many impassable roads and bridges.
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“There are still several roads under water.
And keep in mind that just because the water has receded doesn't necessarily mean the road is safe to travel on,” Spaulding explained.
“There is a high probability of landslides on the roads.
So please don't try to jump over the barricades,” she added.
Remnants of a former Category 4 hurricane brought heavy rain to the eastern Mid-Atlantic.
About 16 million people were under flood warnings along the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
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High winds and rain will continue to affect these communities on Monday and Tuesday with up to 3 inches of precipitation in coastal regions and up to an inch in inland areas.
Winds of up to 45 mph are expected in Norfolk, Virginia on Monday;
34 mph in Atlantic City, New Jersey;
36 mph in Washington DC;
29 mph in New York and 29 mph in Boston.
