last night, the sheriff s office in lee county what you campuses the fort myers area, is releasing this new video, showing even more of the destruction. sadly, we are reporting at least 45 deaths are being reported in florida. officials, unfortunately, fear that number may climb as search teams are now combing through the rubble. i want to show you some before and after photos of sanibel island. the before votives, on the left, you are seeing, that is the before. the scenes of destruction, utter destruction, on the right. buildings that are still standing, now they re hulking wrecks. many homes are completely destroyed. they re not empty lots where families used to call home. there is one estimate that puts the enormity of all of this destruction in the state of florida, get this, at 47 billion dollars. cnn s team is out covering the storm and its aftermath, bill
mid-atlantic states. after leaving florida, ian did make landfall earlier today near myrtle beach, south carolina, as a category one hurricane. it heavily flooded a local street. do you see this? this was a scene a few miles south and nearby pawleys island. the streets are turning into rivers look at this. the power of the storm surge as the hurricane was churning, the atlantic ocean, it sliced a peer into. as ian news northward tonight, a tornado watches now in effect for parts of the carolinas and virginia for at least one more hour until 10 pm eastern. meanwhile, back in florida, the extent of the destruction, well, it s staggering. this, that we re looking at, that is aerial video of fort myers beach. much of the committee has simply been totally obliterated. the result of a hurricane smashing into that part of florida as a massive category four storm.
cleanup can be as much of a man made disaster as the hurricane itself. if not properly managed, but we can only hope that all available resources will manage to on jumble this mess as soon as possible for these folks. you have to think not in terms of property damage, but insurance companies in this state are taking a brutal beating. there s no denying that. these are homes for a lot of people, laura. when i look at what s happening out here in the yacht basin, and you look at how many of these boats have some, they have to check, those four people, it s heartbreaking everywhere you look. i mean, looking at the destruction and knowing fort myers relies on the tourism industry, at that, the idea of trying to rebuild even for that sector of the economy, let alone for people who live there, who as you say, looking at that
on shore after hurricane force winds and storm surge push them out of the sea. this is a scene of utter destruction. in areas where the storm leveled homes and businesses, damage assessments are also underway in south carolina to the was battered by dangerous storm surge. residents from florida to virginia facing another challenge in the form of a power outages. the lights are still out for more than 1 million people in florida alone. the white house has yet to confirm when president biden will visit that state. he says he plans to travel there as soon ask conditions allow. meanwhile much needed relief is starting to flow to some of the hardest hit areas after the president approved federal emergency aid for florida, south carolina, and north carolina. fox team coverage on ian s aftermath from the fox weather center, florida and south carolina. that is where we begin with nay boy live in myrtle beach. john, good evening. the damage here certainly could
into sharper focus. this picture shows fort meyers beach one of the hardest-hit areas before the hurricane and here it is after. homes wiped out. sea of debris and rubble stretching to the horizon. there is this marina during normal times in fort myers. and then after. a scene of utter destruction. the damage throughout florida. 2 million still without power. it will continue for some time. ten people are confirmed dead thus far. the number may change as search and rescue teams work their way through the flooded neighborhoods. we re moments away as dana mentioned and get an update from the florida governor ron desantis back in tallahassee. team fox coverage. city manager marty lawing is standing by. robert ray is back with us today. we begin with track of ian. adam klotz is in our studio