The town’s fire chief says no deaths have been officially reported in the devastated Florida city of Fort Myers.
Speaking to local NPR affiliate 91.3 WLRN early on Friday morning, Chief Tracy McMillion said that while authorities are still working on a detailed damage assessment of the “catastrophic devastation”, it is increasingly clear that Hurricane Ian “totally changed the face of our charming city”.
“Concrete blocks flew more than half a mile,” he said. “Boats are on roads in areas that they shouldn’t even have gotten to.”
McMillion added that coastal parts of the city, as well as the city’s downtown area, have “taken a beating”.
“These are the things that made our city really charming,” he added.
Many local residents remain without power in the town. McMillion said that authorities are currently focused on making sure residents have all the supplies they need and on repairing critical infrastructure.
We’re on our way to Ft Myers now and will be able to bring you some updates from the town shortly.