have made a difference? plus how is russia going to respond now that ukraine is taking back land that putin wants to say is his. and what kind of roller coaster ride are we in for as the supreme court kicks off its new term today. this is what we re watching at this hour. thank you for being here. i m kate bolduan. the dem toll from hurricane ian is rising still in florida. as rescuers are now working through some of the hardest hit areas. at least 76 people have died in the state from this monster storm. governor ron desantis said more than 1600 rescues have been conducted in parts of southwest and central florida. more than half of those people killed are in one county. lee county. and now county officials are facing questions about how long they waited to order a mandatory evacuation, despite repeated forecasts of the life-threatening storm projections from the national hurricane center. i m going to speak with a top fo official in just a moment. still over 600,000 are w
ian is rising in florida. 88 people lost their lives to this storm. 54 of them alone were in lee county which includes fort myers, as you re seeing on your screen here and fort myers beach. that town is decimated by the monster category 4 storm. officials there now facing questions over the timing of the mandatory evacuation orders, were they given early enough. search and rescue teams still going door to door looking for survivors especially on the barrier islands of sanibel, captiva. and pine. ian s strong winds destroyed homes and businesses leaving behind despair. can we get some help down here? you know, would that be too much to asky i mean, you luke around here, there s nothing. we have no power, no phone service, nothing. we d just like a little help. i d like a little help to get my home back in shape because i ve got nowhere to go. florida governor ron desantis said there s been more than 1600 rescues. some floridians providing their own boats for help. the ligh
reporter: the rescue and recovery operation after hurricane ian continuing on this small white sand island of fort myers beach located in lee county, an island that is now an island of rubble, 54 deaths now reported in this county alone. we re looking for anybody that may have been left behind. the devastation is hard to put into words. reporter: we joined a rescue operation that includes search and rescue dogs. we send the dog in, the dog will sniff around. if we can t make contact, we ll walk up and start hollering and see if we get a response from anybody. if we don t hear anything, we bring a second dog up. reporter: as we walked around on fort myers beach, there is just destruction everywhere. the water that came in here just decimated this area and a lot of people are asking us, when will power come back, how long will it take to recover? and it will be different for some folks. where i am standing right now, this used to be a home. now stairs that lead to now
evacuation. why weren t residents in one county told to get out sooner? and is more tropical weather on the way? president biden set to visit the state this week. our rob marciano is standing by in hard-hit fort myers. developing overseas, ukrainian forces celebrate a stunning victory in a key city in the eastern donbas region. russian troops retreat just hours after vladimir putin claimed the city as part of russia. the setback raises fears that putin could resort to using a nuclear weapon. a former top u.s. general weighs in on what comes next. u.s. hostages freed. new details on the prisoner swap that brought seven americans home from venezuela and two convicted drug smugglers who were freed from an american prison. the deadly stampede at a soccer game. fans rush the field, police fire tear gas, at least 125 killed, including several teens attending their first game. the nfl is now updating its concussion protocols after two frightening injuries to the miami dolphi
ian. state and federal agencies are still in search and rescue mode now five days after the storm made land fall. we ll have the very latest on the hardest hit areas. also ahead, ukrainian forces respond to putin s illegitimate annexation of four territories in a significant way. as the army continues to build on weeks of momentum. plus, new developments connected to the fbi search of mar-a-lago. it appears there are more missing documents that the department of justice needs to track down. good morning. welcome to way too early. thanks for starting your day with us. we begin in florida. historic rescue and relief efforts are underway five days after hurricane ian battered the state and left massive devastation in its wake. first responders are scouring the hardest hit areas looking for survivors as the death toll continues to rise. according to an nbc news talley, that number now stands at 87. four of the fatalities were reported in north carolina where the storm struck