Devastation continues to unfold in Florida as rescue missions proceed within the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida's Division of Emergency Administration, mentioned there have been greater than 700 rescues up to now and that they're in "hasty search" mode, whereas the governor mentioned greater than 1,000 rescue personnel are going up and down the Florida coast.
Guthrie described one scene — at a location that was not specified — of a totally flooded home with what was believed to be our bodies inside.
"The water was up over the rooftop," Guthrie mentioned Friday at a press convention. "We had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he may identification there gave the impression to be human stays."
Guthrie mentioned they did not understand how many individuals might have been there.
He added that there are "a few different conditions the place we had that exact kind of state of affairs."
Additional investigation is required, he mentioned, however groups want floodwaters to recede and are awaiting particular gear to finish the search safely.
Floodwaters rose dramatically as Ian hit southwestern Florida as a Class 4 hurricane on Wednesday. One individual posted a video of floodwaters bursting via the door of her residential constructing in Naples:
State emergency officers introduced 21 deaths as of Friday morning, nonetheless they are not positive if all are instantly associated to the storm.
Moreover, in Volusia County, the sheriff's division has confirmed two storm-related deaths there.
Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District Commander, instructed "CBS Mornings" that his crews have been dealing with "devastating circumstances."
"These plane are flying in areas the place you usually would not fly. In reality, they are going into areas the place we won't get at it some other means, not by boat or by land," he mentioned. "...We're right here for the lengthy haul."
Hurricane Ian is headed to South Carolina, the place it is anticipated to make a direct hit within the state's Lowcountry. Native officers and the Nationwide Hurricane Middle have mentioned that there'll probably be "life-threatening" and "harmful" impacts.