Hurricane Ian death toll soars to 83, expected to rise

On Saturday, Hurricane Ian’s death toll rose to over 80, according to Reuters, making the hurricane one of the worst storms to ever hit the United States.

The storm has wreaked havoc on Florida by causing dangerous flooding, power outages and destruction of residential properties and businesses. 

Ian was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone after making its way across South Carolina and causing flash flooding. Ian is expected to weaken further as it continues its journey to Virginia before moving into the mid-Atlantic. 

At least 1,100 rescues, many of whom were pulled from the water, have been made in Florida since Ian swept across the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference on Saturday.

“There’s been a great outpouring of support and I’ve seen a lot of resilience in this community of people that want to pick themselves up and they want to get their communities back on their feet,” DeSantis told reporters. “We’ll be here, and we’ll be helping every step of the way.”

Rear Admiral. Brendan McPherson, who leads Coast Guard in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, said during an interview with Today Show on Saturday morning that power outages were hindering efforts to reach and assist people in several communities.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges,” he said. “Immediately after this storm we had seek and find air crews looking for people needing assistance.”

Hospitals have also been affected due to the disruption caused by Ian.

Lee Health, which is one of the county’s largest health systems, has evacuated more than 1,000 patients because of the disrupted water supply, it’s CEO Mary Mayhew said.

“A hospital can’t safely care for their patients without water, and they are in the process of working closely with local and state officials to evacuate their patients because it is unclear how soon that water can be restored,” Mayhew said.