Tag Archives: Hurricane Ian

CNN reports: A county in Florida that was slammed by Hurricane Ian has reported more than two dozen flesh-eating bacteria cases in the aftermath of the devastating storm. Lee County has seen 26 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in the last three weeks, leading to six deaths. The bacteria enters the body through open wounds and kills about 20% of the …

The Associated Press reports: A winning lottery ticket worth a share of a $494 million Mega Millions jackpot was purchased in a southwest Florida city hammered by Hurricane Ian late last month. Florida lottery officials on Monday said one of the two winning tickets was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Fort Myers. The other winning ticket was bought in California. …

The Washington Post reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is making it easier for voters to cast ballots in three southwestern Florida counties that were hit hard by Hurricane Ian and are bastions for GOP support, sparking criticism that he is “politicizing a natural disaster.” More than 1 million voters in Charlotte, Sarasota and Lee counties will have more time to get …

Florida Politics reports: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has requested an initial $33 billion in major disaster supplemental spending in response to Hurricane Ian’s impact. The largest portion of funding requested comes from the Army Corps of Engineers for Civil Works projects, about $12.38 billion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also received a request for $10.05 billion from Rubio. Rubio …

Florida Politics reports: According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the owner of Duque Roofing, Terence Duque, was arrested last Friday for contracting without a Florida license, which is a felony crime. CCSO said that Duque had read the Governor’s State of Emergency order regarding contractors, and that he understood it to mean that contractors from out of state …

Axios reports: Hurricane Ian likely caused between $53 to $74 billion in insured losses from Florida to the Carolinas, with a “best estimate” of $67 billion, according to new data released today from modeling firm RMS. These preliminary damage totals would make Hurricane Ian the costliest storm in Florida history and second nationally to Hurricane Katrina when adjusted for inflation. …

Florida Politics reports: Hurricane Ian left Gulf Coast residents asking for water, electricity and places to shower. But at least one congressional candidate is asking for “emergency” campaign donations. A new mailer from Anna Paulina Luna, headlined as an “emergency contribution reply,” shows the Pinellas Republican in military fatigues and asks for donations. But it wants checks written to “Anna …

The Associated Press reports: Even before Ian, Florida’s home insurance market was dealing with billions of dollars in losses from a string of natural disasters, rampant litigation and increasing fraud. The difficult environment has put many insurers out of business and caused others to raise their prices or tighten their restrictions, making it harder for Floridians to obtain insurance. The …

CNN reports: The devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian likely caused more than $50 billion in damages — and also dinged overall US economic output, economists say. Initial damages from the deadly storm are estimated to be in the range of $45 billion to $55 billion in Florida and at least several billion dollars in South Carolina, according to Laura Ratz, …

The New York Post reports: John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s Pizza who was forced to step down as CEO after uttering a racial slur during a conference call, was slammed on Tuesday for telling a cable news channel that he had “lost a home” in Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian. Schnatter, whose net worth was pegged …

First, some backstory via the Orlando Sentinel: Democratic state House candidate Allie Braswell is criticizing his Republican opponent Carolina Amesty for living and registering to vote in a Windermere home owned by a nonprofit religious organization, Central Christian University, where Amesty is vice president. “How can you represent me if you’re not facing the same responsibilities that I have, paying …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis, during an exclusive interview with the right-of-center Florida’s Voice website, was asked if there would be any “accountability in the media” for reporting that the storm had been forecast to strike the Tampa Bay area. “Quite frankly, you have national regime media that wanted to see Tampa, because they thought that would be worse …

CNN reports: The number of people killed in Florida by Hurricane Ian rose to at least 100 on Monday, days after the storm made landfall at Category 4 strength, decimating coastal towns and leaving rescue crews searching for survivors while communities face the daunting task of rebuilding. At least 54 people died in Lee County alone, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said …

The New York Post reports: Scores of Venezuelan migrants in New York City are hopping on vans to head down to Florida for Hurricane Ian clean-up, they told The Post. The migrants had scant information about whom they would be working for, but they still piled into vans in Queens that they said were headed to the Sunshine State over …

The Naples Daily News reports: It may be months before some Southwest Florida coastal areas hammered by Hurricane Ian have their power restored, according to Florida Power & Light Co. “We are repairing in most places outside of, right along the barrier islands and the beaches and the immediate coast line of Southwest Florida,” FPL CEO Eric Silagy said Sunday …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis has waived several requirements to receive unemployment assistance for Floridians affected by Hurricane Ian, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced Sunday. Now, Hurricane Ian survivors will temporarily be able to bypass the work search reporting, waiting week and Employ Florida registration requirements for reemployment assistance claims. The waiver applies to those in FEMA …

Florida Politics reports: Because of rising water, a section of Interstate 75 between Venice and North Port has been closed in both directions. The closures affect I-75 and Florida State Road 93 in both directions, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). FDOT also says to expect major delays and for the detours to continue …

The Associated Press reports: Rescuers searched for survivors among the ruins of Florida’s flooded homes from Hurricane Ian as the remnants of one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. continued to push north. The powerful storm terrorized millions of people for most of the week, battering western Cuba before raking across Florida from the warm …

The New York Times reports: As Hurricane Ian charged toward the western coast of Florida this week, the warnings from forecasters were growing more urgent. Life-threatening storm surge threatened to deluge the region from Tampa all the way to Fort Myers. But while officials along much of that coastline responded with orders to evacuate on Monday, emergency managers in Lee …

The Greenville News reports: Hurricane Ian made its second U.S. landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, 2:05 p.m. Friday as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Hurricane-force winds could be felt 70 miles from the center of the storm and tropical-storm-force winds could be felt as far as 275 miles from the center. Reports of damage …