Ian regains hurricane strength over Atlantic after devastating Florida

Anderson Cooper 360

CNN

News

3.7 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2022

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Hurricane Ian regained strength and intensified into a Category 1 storm and is heading straight toward Charleston, South Carolina. At least 15 people have died as search and rescue efforts continue in the worst-hit areas in Florida. Fort Myers Fire Chief Tracy McMillion joins AC360 to give an update on how his city is doing and how many rescues his department has done. Plus, Sanibel is an island off the coast of Fort Myers and three sections of the causeway were washed away, cutting if off from the mainland. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the area was hit with a “Biblican storm surge.” Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith tells AC360 how many people she thinks stayed on the island. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There are no words to describe what we saw.
0:05.8	John Burman, Infra Anderson, in Fort Myers, Florida tonight.
0:09.4	That's what Carmine Mercino, the sheriff here in Lee County, told reporters this afternoon
0:13.2	about the destruction that is everywhere tonight.
0:16.5	No words to describe what we saw and are seeing in the present tense, which is important to
0:22.0	know because this is an ongoing disaster, both here in Florida, but also potentially in
0:27.2	coastal South Carolina, where Hurricane Ian, yes, it is a hurricane again, is taking aim.
0:34.7	This is what it did to Fort Myers Beach, when it came ashore as the most powerful storm
0:39.0	ever to hit this part of Florida.
0:41.2	Like today, Sheriff Mercino gave a CNN photojournalist and me our first look at the area from above.
0:47.8	It is far from the only destruction on a scale that can only fully be revealed from the
0:52.0	air.
0:53.0	Ian struck the local barrier islands hard, severing the bridge to Pine Island as you
0:57.2	can see here, along with the Santa Bel Causeway, which is also impassable tonight.
1:03.0	It also did considerable damage to marinas up and down the coast, pushing even larger
1:08.0	boats around like toys, sending them floating down city streets with all the damage that
1:12.5	can do.
1:14.1	Florida's governor called this a 500 year flood event for the state.
1:18.4	We have some time lapse video of the water pouring into one neighborhood here, stunning
1:23.3	as it is.
1:24.3	This was not isolated.
1:25.9	In this in nearby Charlotte County, more than 500 people had been rescued as of this afternoon,
	...

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