Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis updated the sunshine state on Friday morning and shared the devastating destruction caused by hurricane Ian and gave an update on the state’s effort and safety protocol followed by emergency responders. He was joined by the state’s FEMA administrator and director of the Division of Emergency Management.
“There’s life rescue, making sure people are okay, following up on any type of calls, and there’s been really a Herculean effort,” Gov. DeSantis said, addressing reporters.
“There’s also the assessment [of] what’s been damaged that’s going to impact the entire community. And of course, the power is a big issue. There are people that are working; I think Lee and Charlotte [counties] have about 15 percent restored. There’s going to be some more restored likely in the relatively near future. There is going to be some that’s going to require some rebuilds,” he added.
The Governor then thanked the First Lady, Casey DeSantis for leading some of the relief efforts and noting that the state raised over $12 million in disaster funds.
“I want to thank the First Lady for spearheading our efforts for Florida and the Florida disaster fund where people can donate,” the Governor said.
“If you want to contribute, you will be joining a lot of people who’ve done a lot of money, and we now have over $12 million with, you know, 24 to 36 hours after the storm hits. Pretty incredible that that’s happened,” he remarked.
Governor DeSantis and @CaseyDeSantis Deliver an 8:45 A.M. Update on Hurricane Ian https://t.co/3kEaALSsMz
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 29, 2022
After days-long worth of destruction, Hurricane Ian finally moved past Florida late on Thursday which allowed more search operations to rescue trapped victims from affected areas. There were thousands of Floridians who were pulled out of traps and saved from a near-death experience.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on Thursday that while figures were unconfirmed at the time, fatalities could be probably in the “hundreds.”
“I definitely know that fatalities are in the hundreds, there are thousands of people waiting that are waiting to be rescued,” Marceno told ABC News on Thursday. “But again we can’t get a true assessment until we’re on scene, assessing each scene.”
Awful: Sherrif of Lee County, Florida, Carmine Marceno tells @GMA that fatalities from Hurricane #Ian are 'in the hundreds'.
Says there are thousands waiting to be rescued. pic.twitter.com/6VXjWEDq1U
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) September 29, 2022
Governor DeSantis on the same day said in a press conference that these estimated figures were only based on the number of 911 calls in the area.
“None of that is confirmed. I think what that is, is there were 911 calls for people saying, ‘hey, the water is rising in my home. I’m gonna go up in the attic, but I’m really worried,'” the Governor said.
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