Florida residents take stock of damage as rescues continue after Ian

Geoff Bennett:

Good evening. It's great to be with you. Tonight, the remnants of Hurricane Ian are making their way inland across North Carolina and Virginia. In the wake of this massive storm at least 30 people are confirmed dead mostly in Florida and that number is expected to increase. Damage estimates are also growing and Ian is thought to be one of the costliest storms in U.S. history. John Yang has this report from Florida.

John Yang:

People ventured back to Fort Myers any way they could by kayak, by bicycle and gingerly by foot over widespread wreckage. The city is barely recognizable after being pummeled by Ian in a near direct hit.

Tammy Clementine rode up the storm by clinging to a roof. She lost everything except her dogs.

Tammy Clementine, Fort Myers Resident:

Scariest, like twist up. I mean, it was scary. I mean, everything was just falling in the house. TVs, all brand-new stuff. Brand new living room subject got it. No insurance.

John Yang:

The sheer power of the storm slammed a large boat into this Fort Myers apartment complex. 25-year-old Anthony Rivera helped his loved ones to safety.

Anthony Rivera, Fort Myers Resident:

The sea, a boat literally right next to my apartment. As I'm trying to pull my grandmother and my girlfriend out. That's the scariest thing in the world. Because I can't stop, no boat. You know, I'm not superman.

John Yang:

79-year-old Stevie Scuderi had to swim to an empty second floor unit for safety. Her apartment is ruined.

Stevie Scuderi, Fort Myers Resident:

I just told myself I feel like I want to sit in the corner and cry. I don't know what to do. I just don't know.

John Yang:

Over Sanibel Island, the U.S. Coast Guard has been on search and rescue missions, posting people to safety from the waterlogged island which is completely cut off.

How deep is this now?

Scott Dennis:

Oh, this is at least two and a half, two feet, two and a half feet. And it gets deeper as we go that way.

John Yang:

Scott Dennis lives in Venice where the initial storm flooding had receded. But now new flooding from the overwhelmed Myakka River is taking over. He took us to his house by boat. This morning, the river was at a record 12.73 feet, two feet above major flood stage and still rising. Neighbor Alan Pomerleau and his daughter Carly stood in waist deep water helping Scott and his wife Shannon.

Shannon Thinnes, Venice Resident:

We renovated in 2014 and we put things in the house to be much higher than the highest flood we've ever had so that we could sustain things like this without any damage and it's gone over, our hot water heater, our water system, all of our plugs, so everything that we had done to accommodate the river, it's just a record high. So, we've gone underwater.

John Yang:

It's not just humans who are suffering in Ian's wake, animals have paid a price too. At the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida in Venice, they rescue and rehabilitate animals native to the state. Pamela Defouw is the Executive Director.

Pamela Defouw, Executive Director, Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida: We've seen a lot of birds of prey with fractured wings, and a lot of that has to do with the obvious high rate of wind that came through, knocking them out of trees. The same with the squirrels, you know, they blow out of their nest and then they're laying on the ground for 10 to 12 hours. You know, because the storm was so long.

John Yang:

And the far-reaching effects of Ian aren't over. The storm continued its march up the East Coast, hitting the Carolinas with rains and high winds. The storm surge knocked out piers along the coast.

In Florida this afternoon, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell acknowledged the long road to recovery.

Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator:

We have already started the planning efforts for what it's going to take to rebuild these communities and recover from the storm but also recover in a way that makes them more resilient against some of the impacts from the storms in the future.

Anthony Rivera:

This was scary, it's my first ever Hurricanes with, it was OK. I just hope it gets better.

John Yang:

But for many in southwest Florida and beyond, full recovery is still weeks, if not months away.

Another distinctive feature about this storm officials say it caused more water damage than wind damage here in Florida. And as you can see, the sun and the sun seekers have returned to the beaches of southwestern Florida. But in the days ahead, there is a lot of hard work for a lot of people. Geoff?

Geoff Bennett:

And John, what do we know about the cost of recovery in Florida and elsewhere, resulting from Hurricane Ian?

John Yang:

There are some estimates that this could be the most costly storm in U.S. history by one estimate up to $100 billion, billion with a B, but a lot of this stuff can't be quantified. I think back to the people we met earlier today in Venice, Florida, having to use boats to get in and out of their neighborhood, which is totally inundated by several feet of water, several feet of standing water in their homes, their mailboxes, underwater. True none of them lost roofs, none of them lost a wall and thank goodness none of them lost their lives. But they do have water just sitting in their homes. Now, true. furniture and carpeting can be replaced. But some may have lost family mementos, and you can't put a price tag on that. Geoff.

Geoff Bennett:

That's true. John Yang reporting for us tonight from Siesta Key just outside Sarasota, Florida. John, our thanks to you.