CNN documents the destruction Ian left behind on San Carlos Island 2:46
(CNN) --
A mother of four traveled to Fort Myers, Florida, to celebrate her 40th birthday;
now her family is preparing to bury her after she was identified as one of the victims of Hurricane Ian, her mother said.
Nishelle Harris-Miles of Dayton, Ohio, traveled with a group of friends and family to celebrate her and a friend's birthday, her mother, Michele Harris, told CNN.
She was staying at a vacation rental when Hurricane Ian hit Florida, according to her mother.
"A lot of us at home told him not to go because there was a hurricane coming," Harris said.
"They were under the assumption that they were safe."
Before and after images show the destruction of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island, Florida
The true magnitude of the death toll from Hurricane Ian is still unknown, with more than 100 fatalities in the Southeast, a vast majority of which occurred in Florida, according to a CNN tally.
Residents in parts of Florida lost their homes and livelihoods, and others in the hardest-hit areas of the southwestern part of the state are still waiting to be rescued.
These are the stories of some of the victims of the hurricane:
Nishelle Harris-Miles
Nishelle Harris-Miles leaves behind four children, her mother said.
The group of friends quickly realized it wasn't safe to be in Fort Myers, but couldn't find anyone willing to pick them up from where they were staying, Harris-Miles' mother said.
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Harris said the water entered the vacation rental and pushed them through the roof.
“They were on top of a mattress and two of the girls couldn't swim so they wrapped a sheet around each other to try and protect each other,” he said.
“They started kicking and screaming, asking for help.
The roof then collapsed on them.”
According to Harris, her daughter noticed that a nail had pierced her body while they were trapped in the house.
A neighbor eventually heard the screams coming from inside the property and rescued the group, taking them to a makeshift shelter.
Florida woman recounts how she survived Hurricane Ian 2:39
"Her sister held her hand until Nishelle stopped moving," Harris said.
"They stayed in a makeshift shelter with Nishelle's body for 16 hours until the shelter started to crack..."
The neighbor told them to leave for safety reasons, so they left her body there, Harris said.
Harris-Miles leaves behind two daughters and two sons, her mother said.
Harris-Miles enjoyed dancing and spending time with her family, Harris said.
Here's the help Hurricane Ian survivors can ask for, but it's not always easy to get
"She was always the life of the party," Harris said.
“She was a nurturing and loving person.
She enjoyed life.
My daughter was loved by many people.”
elizabeth mcguire
Elizabeth McGuire was a friend when you needed her most, says her son, Andrew Chedester.
Cape Coral, Florida, resident Elizabeth McGuire, 49, was found dead in her home on Friday after Hurricane Ian hit the area, her son, Andrew Chedester, told CNN.
Chedester said police told her that her mother died in her bed holding her cell phone and that it appeared she died instantly.
Her family had last spoken to McGuire on Wednesday and has had trouble contacting her ever since, Chedester said.
When no one heard from her, her neighbors asked for a wellness check.
Chedester said he was at home on Friday when a detective from the Cape Coral Police Department knocked on his door and informed him of his mother's death.
She said that she had already received a call from her mother's ex-boyfriend just before that.
"I can't believe someone I just saw the other day is completely gone," the 24-year-old said of his mother.
He told about how the two always joked around.
“'Keep your head up, little bitch, you'll be fine,'” Chedester said his mother would tell her when times were tough.
"She was a friend when I needed her most," Chedester said.
CNN spoke with her mother, Susan McGuire, who learned of her daughter's death from her grandson, Chedester.
She said that her daughter had been suffering from blood clots from deep vein thrombosis and was disabled.
His daughter, who went by the name "Liz," leaves behind two sons, her mother said.
Susan McGuire had limited cell phone service during and after the storm, as she was stranded in Bokeelia, Florida on Pine Island.
What worried him most was her daughter, especially because of her medical condition, she said.
"A hundred snowstorms won't cost you what a hurricane will," said Susan McGuire, who moved to the area from Maryland years ago.
“My husband's business is bankrupt, my daughter is dead.
The destruction is massive.
A snowstorm has never taken anything away from me.”
Jayron Purvis
Jayron Purvis, 22, died in Robersonville, North Carolina, when the remnants of Hurricane Ian passed through the area on Friday.
"He was driving his truck on sodden roads during the storm when he went off the road and into a swamp, where he drowned," Keith Acree, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, told CNN in a statement.
Check out Ian's stunning footage in Cuba, Florida and the Carolinas 3:40
Purvis is one of four storm-related deaths in the state.
Three people were killed in separate vehicle-related incidents on Friday, according to a statement from Gov. Roy Cooper's office.
Another person died of carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in a locked garage.
CNN's Amanda Watts, David Williams and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.
Hurricane Ian
