Hurricane Ian Does ‘Biblical’ Damage to Southwest Florida as 1st Death Confirmed

Damaged homes and debris are shown in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers, Fla., on Sept. 29, 2022. Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo

As the first death from Hurricane Ian in Florida was officially confirmed, footage revealed the devastation caused by the storm in southwestern Florida.

It’s “like somebody took an atom bomb and dropped it,” Kevin Behen, 60, told the Tampa Bay Times about the devastation. “It sounded like there was a tornado coming every five minutes,” Behen said, adding that he hunkered down in a building in Fort Meyers—near where the Category 4 made landfall on Wednesday afternoon.

The first death in Florida due to Ian occurred on the other side of the state. A 72-year-old man in Volusia County died overnight Thursday when he went outside to drain his pool before he apparently slipped down a hill, officials confirmed.

“It got hit with really biblical storm surge and it washed away roads, it washed away structures that were not new and could withstand that,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Thursday afternoon news briefing.

Photos that circulated in the media and on social media Thursday revealed a significant hole in a bridge that connects Sanibel Island to mainland Florida. Some 50 to 65 feet of the causeway collapsed and fell into the Gulf of Mexico.

Noting the damage to the bridge—which essentially cuts the island off from the rest of the world—DeSantis said that the structure will be rebuilt. There are ongoing efforts to evacuate Sanibel residents, he said.

Repair work is “not something that will happen overnight,” the Republican governor said.

Men walk among debris in Bonita Springs, Fla., on Sept. 29, 2022. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Storm debris litters a street after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, on Sept. 28, 2022. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

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Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said his office was scrambling to respond to thousands of 911 calls, but many roads and bridges in Fort Myers and the surrounding area were impassable.

“It crushed us,” Marceno told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “We still cannot access many of the people that are in need.”

Emergency crews sawed through toppled trees to reach stranded people. Many in the hardest-hit areas were unable to call for help because of electrical and cellular outages.

“Portable towers are on the way for cell service. Chances are your loved ones do not have the ability to contact you,” said the sheriff’s office in Collier County, which includes Naples. “We can tell you as daylight reveals the aftermath, it’s going to be a hard day.”

The Florida Highway Patrol shut down the Florida Turnpike in the Orlando area and said the main artery in the middle of the state will remain closed until the water subsides.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.