(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
At least seven people in Florida died due to Hurricane Ian,
according to preliminary reports from local officials, reports citing
.
The Category 4 storm slammed into Florida's west coast Wednesday
afternoon, causing catastrophic damage and dangerous,
record-breaking storm surge.
At least six storm-related deaths have been reported in
Charlotte County, on Florida's west coast, county commissioner
Chris Constance said on CNN.
Door-to-door search and rescue efforts are still ongoing and
it's unclear how many people may be unaccounted for, he said on
Thursday.
One death was also reported overnight in Volusia County, in
central Florida. A 72-year-old man in Deltona died after attempting
to drain his pool during the storm, the Volusia Sheriff's Office
said Thursday.
The man, who was not publicly identified, 'disappeared' after
heading outside, the sheriff's office said. Deputies found him
unresponsive in a canal behind the home and he was pronounced dead
at a local hospital, the sheriff's office said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will ultimately
release figures on the estimated death toll due to the storm.
Emergency response was largely halted Wednesday as the storm
slammed Florida with high winds and heavy rain. Search and rescue
efforts were underway throughout the state Thursday.
Florida Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents the Tampa Bay area,
called the situation a 'major catastrophe.'
'I'm afraid we're going to be dealing with a larger loss of life
than we anticipated,' she said on 'ABC News Live' Thursday.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott told 'Good Morning America' Thursday
morning there were 'thousands of rescue efforts going on right
now.'
'We've got great sheriff's departments, police departments, fire
departments, state rescue teams. They're working hard. But there's
a lot of people that need help right now,' he said.
He expressed concern for the state's many low-lying areas.
'The water kills and I'm just -- I'm scared to death of, you
know, what's happened here and I hope everybody stays safe,' he
said.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, whose county is home to
hard-hit Fort Myers and the barrier island Sanibel, told 'Good
Morning America' Thursday that they had thousands of 911 calls that
they were currently answering.
'We still cannot access many of the people that are in need,'
Marceno said. 'It's a real, real rough road ahead.'
Marceno said there are fatalities, including drownings, but that
he does not know the exact number of people dead.
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