Friday 30 September 2022 03:08 AM Officials in Fort Myers implement 6pm curfew due to LOOTERS targeting local ... trends now

Fort Myers has staged a citywide 6pm curfew following multiple reports of looters targeting local businesses left savaged in Hurricane Ian's aftermath - as Floridians continue to survey the extent of the damage done by one of the strongest storms in US history.

The impacts of Ian, made landfall in the beachside city as a Category 4 hurricane early Wednesday, has left officials to scrambling to address extensive infrastructure damage and likely deaths, carrying out 700 confirmed rescues, Governor Ron DeSantis revealed during a 7:30 pm press update Thursday.

The chaos has since also sparked looting, officials in Lee County revealed, result in the activation of a county-wide curfew - which will effect more than 413,000 citizens.

The reported incidents brazenly defied warnings from lawmen across the county that 'looting and violence' in the aftermath would 'not be tolerated' as flooding died down Thursday. 

Speaking to reporters Wednesday evening, Lee County Manager Roger Dejarlais ordered the curfew for all cities including Fort Myers in his jurisdiction, where the brunt of the hurricane was felt before it moved northeast to communities such as Orlando and Jacksonville.

The address saw the official warn prospective offenders of 'a zero tolerance policy for looting and violence' - which he said will stay in place 'until further notice.' 

The county head said there will be some exceptions to the order - including those pertaining to work, health care, grocery shopping, or school - while also stressing that looting and violence in the storm's wake would not be tolerated.

Staggering before and after photos, meanwhile show the extent of the destruction in county seat Fort Myers caused by Ian - leaving the door open for such vandals to capitalize on the unrest and turn a profit.

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'Our community has been, in some respects, decimated,' DesJarlais said during a late-night briefing Wednesday at the Lee County Emergency Operations Center as the storm was still raging. 

He added that the city's Sanibel Island was also rocked by the 'historic' hurricane, with houses overwhelmed by water, debris flung through windows and some even ripped from their hinges by flooding. 

'There is tremendous damage on Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach,' the official said. 

The county head added that officials were not yet aware of 'the full extent of the damage' to the county, as officials continue to search for hundreds reported missing and feared dead.

The official went on to announce the evening curfew for residents, after revealing that amid the chaos of Ian, looting and other crimes had been already begun in the county.

'Earlier today, when law enforcement was unable to respond because of weather conditions... there was a break-in on Cleveland Avenue,' DesJarlais said of one such reported instance near the city's center and the then overflowed Caloosahatchee River

'Earlier today, when law enforcement was unable to respond because of weather conditions, it was unsafe, there was a break-in on Cleveland Avenue and there was looting,' Lee County Manager Roger DesJarlais said during a press conference.

'There was looting and there was a group of people, don't know a lot about it yet, who just had their way.'

The official added that authorities believed that the targeted business was a gas station , prompting a request from the city to order the curfew. After talks with Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, DesJarlais obliged, issuing the order that evening after speaking with county and city officials about enacting the curfew.

DesJarlais said the curfew would be in place indefinitely, 'until further notice,' but mentioned a potential 48-hour limit.

The curfew includes unincorporated Lee County and all cities with the exception of Estero at this time, he said, as Estero officials could not be reached. The city, which is just tot he south of Fort Myers, reportedly experienced similar flooding and hurricane force winds as it neighbors.

DesJarlais was also asked about deaths in his county - to which he said that five in his county have so far been confirmed.

In nearby Charlotte, Volusia and Lake Counties, a further eight casualties have been reported - a number that is expected to swell in the coming days as officials sift through the carnage. 

Lee County, which includes cities such as Fort Myers and Cape Coral, saw devastating impacts from the now Category 1 storm, which downgraded to a tropical storm after pummeling much of the southwest and central parts of the state before intensifying over the Atlantic Thursday afternoon.  

It is now forecast to make a third landfall - its second in the US - in South Carolina Friday morning, as well as neighboring Georgia and North Carolina.

During a separate press conference on Wednesday, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno also warned residents about looting and other prospective violence that may emerge as the city seeks to recover following the widespread destruction.

'A message that's very clear for any of those individuals that think they're gonna go out there and loot or prey on people during this horrific event,' Marceno said. 'You better think twice. When I say zero tolerance, zero tolerance means we will hunt you down, track you down and you're going to jail if you're lucky.'

Lee County officials, meanwhile, said they are receiving and tracking 9-1-1 calls from residents, such as those stranded by high water and storm surge, said Lee County public safety director Ben Abes.

'Please know that we are with you,' said Lee County public safety director Ben Abes. 'We are all part of our community. Our loved ones are here. Our homes are here, and we are here and we are going to get through this together.'

Eerie aerial pictures show the total destruction of Fort Myers from Hurricane Ian after the 'superstorm' ripped its beloved pier from its hinges.

Before and after shots captured the devastation to the small Florida city, with homes leveled, ships swept on to land and fires breaking out through ghost town neighborhoods.

The sea finally appeared to have ebbed back from the shoreline to reveal the devastation to the once tropical paradise, with trees yanked from their roots and roofs shed from restaurants along the promenade.

Meanwhile helicopter images showed buildings across the city splattered with holes where debris was flung by the storm.

It comes as Ron DeSantis said the tsunami-like flooding was a 'once in a 500-year' event and revealed it has left 2.7million without power across his state.

He has scrambled 50 National Guard helicopters to search for survivors and rescue the thousands still stranded, missing or stuck in their homes following extensive damage from the torrent of water and 155mph winds.

Eight people are confirmed to have been killed as a result of the storm in Charlotte County, County Commissioner Chris Constance told CNN.

Many emerged from their bunkers on Thursday morning to witness the devastation to their communities, with some bursting into tears at the sight of their belongings destroyed.

Lee County's Sheriff raised fears it was one of the worst natural disasters since Katrina with hundreds dead, but he later tempered his comments after DeSantis and FEMA insisted the death toll is not known.

Yet he did not row back on the claims, simply saying they were preliminary, as he also warned that 'looting and violence' in the aftermath would not be tolerated.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is urging residents to prepare to be hit hard by Ian, warning them of the 'dangerous unpredictability' of the storm which continues to change course.

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He also warned of potential power outages and confirmed that he has activated members of the state's National Guard, adding: 'So, for North Carolinians, I want to be clear, this storm can still be dangerous and even deadly.

'Heavy rains, up to seven inches in some areas, are likely to bring flooding. Landslides are a threat in our mountains and there's a chance of tornados state-wide.'

Ian blasted ashore with catastrophic force on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center in an update early on Thursday.

Experts are expecting the damages to cost up to $260billion, though the clean-up efforts are currently unable to get underway as swathes of Florida remain underwater.

Sanibel Island has been cut off from the mainland after the Causeway Bridge collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico due to the force of the tempest.

Ian is currently around 35 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral, with maximum speeds of 65mph, and is moving northeast at around 8mph.

Speaking at a press conference at FEMA's HQ,  President Biden said: 'It is still moving across the state today. This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history.'

The president added: 'The numbers are still unclear but we are hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.'

Earlier he declared it a 'major disaster' and freed up funds to help those without power and hundreds of thousands whose homes have been leveled.

The President also confirmed he was in 'close coordination' with the Florida governor after a phone call early on Thursday morning.

 The monster storm continues to rage across the US as:

Multiple weather warnings are in place across Orlando, as flash flooding continues to ravage central Florida; Six inches of rain could fall in southern Virginia as the storm moves inland over towards the Carolinas; The NHC has warned that landslides were possible in the southern Appalachian mountains on Friday; Two people have died, likely as a result from the storm, but their causes of death are still unconfirmed. LEE COUNTY

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, whose area covers Fort Myers, one of the worst affected areas by the monster storm, confirmed that he was expecting hundreds of fatalities in his jurisdiction alone.

He told GMA: 'While I don't have confirmed numbers, I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds.

'Thousands of people are waiting to be rescued, I cannot give a true assessment until we are on scene assessing each scene and we can't access people that is the problem. 

'This will be a life changing event for the men and women who are responding. This is a life-changing event for all of us.'

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood predicted the recovery effort for the tsunami-life waves hitting the state will be like 'something we've not seen in this county ever.'

The Sheriff's department also confirmed that a man, 72, was found dead in water in a canal behind his home in Deltona near Daytona Beach.

He appeared to be using a hose to drain his pool into the wide canal and fell down an incline that was 'extremely soft and slippery due to the heavy rain.'

Meanwhile horrifying footage showed flames and black smoke coiling into the sky in Fort Myers as homes were suddenly being engulfed by the blaze.

In a press conference on Thursday, DeSantis said that Florida had 'never seen a flood event of this magnitude', saying that there has been 'extensive damage' to a lot of building.

He added that both Lee and Charlotte County are in 'difficult situations' and 'off the grid' after being the hardest hit, and recovery efforts there will focus on rebuilding communication and rescuing those in need.