Some Floridians riding Hurricane Ian at home in defiance of evacuation orders from the state described the storm's "incredible" outrage, authorities say the storm caused catastrophic damage and death, and sparked a massive search and rescue effort Thursday morning.
Max Doyle, who shares a Celtic ray public house in Punta Gorda, and his father, Kevin, told ABC News by phone Thursday morning that he, his wife and two 5- and 7-year-olds endured the hurricane in their home's closet.
Doyle said, "We have everything we need. We had pillows everywhere. The kids had iPads. The children barely knew what was going on. ”
But Doyle details that he can't resist leaving the closet from time to time to witness Ian's wrath. He said he didn't venture outdoors, but looking out of a large window in the backyard, he saw "things flying around."
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ian made its first landfall on a barrier island near Costa Island just after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and then made its second landfall south of Punta Gorda as a Category IV hurricane with maximum sustained winds estimated at 145 miles per hour.
"It's just a long storm," she said. The wind was too strong. I was worried at times, but luckily our house was fairly new so we knew it might get pretty. ”
On Thursday morning, Doyle said he drove into town to see how his bar weathered the storm. In August 2004, another Category IV hurricane, Hurricane Charlie, made landfall in Punta Gorda, destroying the tavern, tearing the roof and blowing all the doors and windows.
He said he and his father spent seven years rebuilding the bar, making sure all of their fittings were above standard and as resistant to hurricanes as possible, including installing a roof designed to withstand major hurricanes and high-impact doors and windows.
Doyle said the bar wasn't as bad as it was last time. It had some damage, but there was nothing we couldn't get through.
He further said the tavern's glass balcony had been shattered, water heaters had been destroyed, several fans had broken down and some tiles on the roof were missing.
Doyle said downtown Punta Gorda looks like a disaster zone. Trees everywhere. As far as I know, there is no electricity or water in the whole town," Doyle said. "There are a lot of big historic trees in the city center, they are all down. It's a little sad to imagine what it would be like after that. ”
Fort Myers resident Debbie Levinson took the hurricane seriously, but said she and her family tried to stay calm and did what they needed to do to get through the storm.
Levenson told ABC News that you get supplies and make sure you have a flashlight [and] do your laundry in advance in case of a power outage. We bought bottled water and wine. We added fuel to the car. ”
Another Fort Myers resident, Joe Orlandini, who stayed where he was when Ian attacked Florida, told ABC News' Gio Benitez that "there is nothing" as the situation deteriorates.
Orlandini said. He also revealed that his car drifted away, "which was unbelievable. We had a house in our front yard where we were. It was stuck by a telephone pole. ”
Orlandini said he decided to weather the storm because he thought the storm would move farther north.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday morning that search and rescue crews aboard 28 Chinook and Black Hawk military helicopters were evacuating people trapped in their homes. He said rescue efforts began in the early hours of the morning on barrier islands.
DeSantis said some people took refuge in attics and on rooftops.
The storm raged and flooded the streets of Bonita Springs, and a dramatic rescue was captured in the video. Two men, one wearing a white cowboy hat, were photographed rescuing an elderly man trapped in a car, trapped in the rising flood, presumably lifting him higher to the ground.
U.S. NCO Ira Hudson told ABC News that Coast Guard crew rescued seven people Wednesday night during four rescue missions in the Fort Myers and Tampa Bay areas.
The Coast Guard also told ABC News as of 10 a.m. On Thursday, 20 Cuban migrants remained missing after sinking in a storm near Stoke Island, Florida.
The governor said authorities were working to restore power to several hospitals and said two health care facilities were being evacuated Thursday morning.
DeSantis confirmed Thursday that 2.5 million people in Florida had power outages and said Lee and Charlotte counties were "not currently off the grid." This is not to reconnect the lines of these counties, but to rebuild them.
DeSantis said the bridges leading to Sanibel Island and Songdo were closed due to damage and may need to be rebuilt, adding that other bridges are being inspected to remain stable. "The impact of this storm is historic and the damage it has caused is historic. This is only a preliminary assessment. "Flooding spread to southeast Florida and central Florida. At one point, the streets of Fort Myers were flooded with water four feet deep, authorities said.
"I think we've never seen a flood event like this, we've never seen a storm surge of this magnitude that hit a lot of low-lying areas with a lot of people." It will eventually cause widespread damage to many people's homes. "Although there are currently no confirmed deaths.
DeSantis warned that the remnants of Ian were still wreaking havoc and that "this incident did not cause damage." This thing will continue to move. ”
Dennis Hudson, who lives in Coral Gables, told ABC News that she was curled up at home when Hurricane Ian hit her town and she had done the worst thing she could.
Hudson said part of our house was hurricane-safe and the rest of the house was blocked.
The high winds caused debris to fly near Hudson's home, even knocking down a palm tree in her backyard.