MIAMI — Florida officials reported more than 35 fatalities appear to be linked to Hurricane Ian, including the deaths of two elderly people who were disconnected from oxygen machines due to power outages.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno on Friday afternoon announced 16 storm-related deaths, and five deaths that are not storm-related. That’s the first preliminary fatality count out of the region that Gov. Ron DeSantis described as “ground zero” and “where the storm packed its biggest punch” during a Friday afternoon press conference in Fort Myers.
The official death toll continued to rise. At a morning press conference, Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s emergency management director, said there was one confirmed death in Polk County, eight unconfirmed deaths in Collier County and 12 unconfirmed deaths in Charlotte County.
