ripped through the state as a powerful category 4 storm. almost a category 5. the highest, most powerful kind of you hurricane there is. sheriffs deputies in sarasota county are going door-to-door right now in the hidden river community warning neighbors about the potential for flooding because of a possible levee break. days after the storm, the effects still being felt across the sunshine state. meantime, more than 1.2 million floridians are without power. officials say it s unclear when electricity will be restored to the hardest hit areas in the western part of florida. ian is being blamed not only for the loss of property that you are seeing on your screen, but also as least 45 fatalities. that number likely to grow as rescue crews gain access to areas that have been blocked by damage. the coast guard says it has rescued more than 200 people so far and volunteers have gone out to save even more. the cajun navy, a volunteer group, came to the rescue of a woman in fort m
community near sarasota, a possible levee breech could push a 15-foot wall of water into the neighborhood. sarasota is just one of the many gulf coast communities still dealing with severe flooding. hurricane ian slamming southwest florida as a category 4 storm. the death toll now stands at 45. but that number could rise as crews reach areas that have been cut off because of the flooding. right now, the remnants of ian moving over the mid-atlantic states following friday s direct hit on the south carolina coast as a category 1 hurricane. now down to boris in hard-hit ft. myers. boris? reporter: fred, neighbors here are stunned at just is raw power of mother nature. i m not sure how well you can see it behind me, but there are several vessels, five what appear to be commercial fishing charter sized vessels that were lifted from when they were here in this marina in ft. myers and tossed onto the outside part of that bridge, just thrown around like debris, one of many scenes
feet high, could plunge into the neighborhood. it s just one of the many gulf coast communities still suffering from catastrophic flooding. it s been quite an operation. some of our major thoroughfares have become impassable even as the water recedes, there s washouts. so we have a long, long recovery period. all of this following hurricane ian s destructiv ive h across florida. it slammed into the gulf coast as a category 4 hurricane. entire towns leveled. florida governor ron desantis is expected to give an update on the situation later on in this hour. we ll take that for you live. let s send it down to boris sanchez with our coverage from ft. myers, florida. boris? fred, you just broke the news that we have been dreading all day. initially, when we got up this morning, officials had told us that the death toll from hurricane ian was hanging at around 45 fatalities, and you just broke the news, 64 people killed by hurricane ian here in the state of florida and potent
southwest florida as a category 4 hurricane, making it the most powerful storm to ever hit that area of the state. the death toll now standing at 45, but that number could rise as crews reach areas cut off by flooding. people who chose to ride out the storm describe their harrowing experiences. the water was up to my balcony here. it was just you could dive off the balcony. just water everywhere, stuff floating on it. i never stay again. they say evacuate, go. right now the remnants of ian are moving along the country s northeast after the storm hit georgetown county, south carolina, as a category 1 hurricane. let s send it down to boris sanchez anchoring our coverage from fort myers, florida. boris. fred, as the sun rises on another day here in fort myers and southwest florida, the scope of the damage from hurricane ian is becoming more clear. communities are reeling as many folks are getting back to their properties and seeing what was left behind by this near categor
hello again, everyone. thank you for joining me. i m fredricka whitfield. we begin with a new update on the devastating toll hurricane ian has taken on florida. at least 64 people were killed across the state. as recovery efforts continue, the number is expected to rise. governor ron desantis at this hour giving a briefing on the storm response and recovery. hurricane ian slamming into florida as a category 4 storm, leveling entire communities. and today severe flooding is complicating rescue and recovery efforts. let s go back to boris sanchez anchoring from ft. myers, florida, for us. reporter: hey, fred. as you reported just a moment ago, the tragic news that the death toll has again climbed earlier today. it was sitting at 45 fatalities. now cnn has confirmed from state officials that it has reached 64 people killed as a result of hurricane ian. and those devastating, nearly category 5, storm force winds. obviously, this is a difficult time for so many across the stat