TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said hundreds of people in Southwest Florida have called authorities for help as Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc, and that the state is trying to confirm fatalities from the storm.
DeSantis said several people on the barrier islands of Lee and Charlotte counties were rescued by helicopter early Thursday morning. The area experienced “massive inundation,” he said. Rescues are also underway in low-lying areas along the Collier County coast and even inland, in areas such as Fort Myers, he said.
“We are hoping that they can be rescued at this point,” DeSantis said at a news briefing in Tallahassee at the state’s emergency operations center.
