/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/WZNTYLK36EXAC5L7CEOGNK7NHA.jpg "Members of the search and rescue team from Miami including Pasco, a black Labrador retriever, search the rubble for missing persons at Fort Myers Beach, two days after Hurricane Ian hit Florida's west coast as a Category 4 storm.")
Florida officials have linked about 100 deaths spanning 10 counties to Hurricane Ian, with more than half in Lee County where storm surges as high as 10 feet razed homes and destroyed some of the only bridges that connect barrier island residents to the mainland.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno on Monday afternoon announced that the death toll has climbed to 54 — up from 42 reported a day earlier. The state has confirmed the causes of 12 Lee County deaths so far — all but one resulted from drowning.
“We haven’t seen devastation like this. We’re standing 60 yards away from a 100-foot boat that’s thrown into a vehicle and the mangroves like it’s nothing,” Marceno said at a Monday news conference. “As sheriffs, we like to press a button and we fix what’s wrong. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. There’s nothing I can say in words to bring loved ones back.”
The state’s second-highest death toll is in Charlotte County, where the sheriff’s office has confirmed 24 storm-related fatalities. The causes of those deaths have not been made public yet.
The current Hurricane Ian death toll in Florida falls between about 95 and 101, based on information provided by the state Medical Examiner’s Commission, county sheriffs and the Division of Emergency Management.
Here’s the county-by-county information provided by authorities:
Deaths by county
- Lee County: 54 confirmed by Lee County Sheriff
- Charlotte County: 24 confirmed by Charlotte County Sheriff
- Collier County: between three and eight. Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management director, announced eight Collier County deaths on Friday but said they are unconfirmed. So far, Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission has confirmed three deaths in Collier County.
- Volusia County: five, according to Medical Examiners Commission
- Sarasota County: four, according to information from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Medical Examiners Commission.
- Manatee County: two, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
- Hendry County: one, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
- Hillsborough County: one, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
- Lake County: one, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
- Polk County: one confirmed by Guthrie
• • •
Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Ian coverage
HOW TO HELP: Where to donate or volunteer to help Hurricane Ian victims.
FEMA: Floridians hurt by Ian can now apply for FEMA assistance. Here’s how.
THE STORM HAS PASSED: Now what? Safety tips for returning home.
POST-STORM QUESTIONS: After Hurricane Ian, how to get help with fallen trees, food, damaged shelter.
WEATHER EFFECTS: Hurricane Ian was supposed to slam Tampa Bay head on. What happened?
MORE STORM COVERAGE: Get ready and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane.
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