Lee County Sheriff: 54 deaths countywide from Hurricane Ian
More than 800 rescues reported
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the death toll countywide from Hurricane Ian stood at 54 as of Monday morning.
Marceno said there were more than 800 rescues by emergency responders.
Marceno said the decision to close Fort Myers Beach for this week was done in a coordinated effort between the Lee County Emergency Operations Center, Fort Myers Beach Fire Department and National Urban Search and Rescue team.
“We need to access what were roads and are now rubble,” Marceno said.
“Give us the patience. We are still looking for lives,” Marceno said.
While an exact number of deaths on Fort Myers Beach has not yet been released, the island was hit the worst of any area of the county.
Marceno said death investigations had to be protected as crime scenes. “The last thing we need is other people being in the way of that or for their safety, being in an unsecured place where they can get hurt. Our focus is on life saving, law enforcement, and most important maintaining law and order in the county,” Marceno said.
“We have residents that have lost everything. In hours, have nothing.”
Marceno said the department has quadrupled the number of law enforcement on the streets in the county’s barrier islands of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Pine Island specifically.
Marceno said there would be zero tolerance for looting.
“We are not playing games,” Marceno said.