September 29, 2022 Hurricane Ian updates

Alex White and her daughter Stella decided to wait out the flooding -- and although the water is rising Thursday around their Orlando-area home, she has no regrets.

Standing outside her front door, she admitted she has never seen this much water.

"The level that it's at right now is very surprising," White said, noting that it has risen very quickly over the past few hours.

But she feels pretty good about staying put. "I feel really good seeing the boats and things going by and the rescue people started checking in on everybody pretty early, so that was super comforting," she said.

"Currently we're still fine, we're just hunkering down waiting to hear when things are going to start going back down when the power's going to start coming back," White said.

White added that neighbors who also decided to stay are checking in on one another. The biggest concern among residents is their vehicles, "because our cars are shot," she said.

More than 2.6 million people across Florida are still without power Thursday and officials are warning people to take precautions when firing up portable generators.

Generators can be immensely helpful for storm victims without power. They can also be deadly when used incorrectly.

“Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms in areas dealing with power outages,” the National Weather Service said. There is also a risk of electrocution or the generator starting a fire, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

Here are some other tips to keep in mind, according to the National Hurricane Center:

Liston Bochette, mayor pro tempore and city council member of Fort Myers, said the powerful Category 4 Hurricane Ian "shredded the community."

"Large parts have no electricity, large parts have no water. And even the sewer systems — the computers that process — are down," Bochette told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.

"Florida depends on storage tanks," he said. "When we don't have the generators to drive the tanks, it cuts off drinking water, washing water. And then with the sewage problem, it will only become a bacterial problem."

"We're hoping the cavalry will ride over the hill and help us out here. ... The computer system, city hall failed, the generators failed, the Internet, and the backup internet companies both failed. So we got quite a communication problem just letting people know what to do," Bochette said.

But teams are working hard at the central emergency center, he said. "We're doing the best we can in a bad situation," he said.

About 40 Florida nursing homes have been evacuated due to Hurricane Ian, according to the Florida Health Care Association.

“As of this morning, there have been about 40 nursing home evacuations, approximately 3400 residents,” spokesperson Kristen Knapp said in an email to CNN. “Most are in the low lying areas where counties have issued evacuation orders, others are in areas where concerns over flooding are occurring.”

The Florida Health Care Association is an advocacy organization representing long-term care providers.   

In southwest Florida, approximately 15 to 20 facilities are without power but have generators operating and minimal damage. 

“We are still watching the central/east coast as the storm moves through and the potential for flooding is the most concerning. Facilities will work with their local emergency managers if there are immediate concerns, since all emergencies are local and that is the most effective way to get critical needs met,” Knapp said. 

CNN's Don Lemon joined a group of first responders on a boat conducting water rescues in Orlando — and they said they made dozens of rescues on Thursday.

One of the challenges during rescues is that they don't always know what's under the water, the lieutenant said.

"Part of the big issues that we had is navigating these waters. Even though we know we're in a neighborhood and you know the streets dictate where we go. You know, we've gotten hidden mailboxes, culverts," he said.

The area where they were operating is prone to flooding, but "this is the highest it's ever been," the lieutenant said.

He added, "It happened about some five years ago and these three lakes, these small lakes, they join together by small canals, they crested sometime early this morning and this whole area here is a super low-lying area, this one and the neighborhood we were at this morning, which was all single-family dwellings, completely devastated, completely under water."

The water was 6-8 feet deep on Thursday, the first responders said.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis cautioned those affected by Hurricane Ian to be wary of insurance scammers.

"The predators ... [will] initially try to sign up construction management contracts, public adjusters. They're going to come in like a bunch of locusts, and they're going to try to hit the neighborhoods, and people are vulnerable right now," Patronis said in Punta Gorda during a briefing with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"That first phone call that you're going to make needs be to your agent, your carrier, or to my office," he advised people who have suffered damage to their homes.

Patronis said the state will probably have 20 to 25 carriers that will initially be in RVs to give out living expense funding.

Hurricane Ian left a fire station in hard-hit Naples, Florida, submerged in water, but it didn't stop crews from making rescues in the community Thursday, the department's fire chief said.

"It got us quick," Chief Pete DiMaria told CNN, describing the moment storm surge flooded the first responders' base of operations.

Video shows firefighters wading through knee- and waist-deep water in the station's garage, moving around the fire trucks and checking on which equipment still functioned.

"We couldn't get our vehicles out of the station fast enough. We had to shelter in place for a little while," DiMaria said.

The fire chief said emergency calls came to the station while crews were still stuck inside, a frustrating and unnerving experience.

The department eventually got most of its equipment working and sent rescue teams out on the streets to find people in need, including a woman they pulled from a car stuck in floodwater.

The fire chief said the storm surge has largely receded and that many roads have now been cleared. The department plans to sweep the streets and check on neighbors again before dark.

Tropical Storm Ian threatens another blow to air travel as it moves up the east coast and away from the Florida panhandle, where airports are assessing conditions and determining when service can safely resume.

Flight cancelations are about to surpass those of Wednesday — the worst day for US flight cancelations of the last six months, FlightAware data shows Thursday. As of 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, airlines have canceled more than 2,000 flights in the US and have already canceled more than a thousand flights on Friday.

“Tropical storm Ian is moving off of Florida into the Atlantic and is expected to turn northwest and make landfall again in the Carolinas tomorrow,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement, saying passengers should check on the status of their flights with the airlines. 

Here's a look at how some airlines are impacted:

Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport anticipates reopening by late Friday, CEO Rick Piccolo told CNN. He watched from his office as the storm pulled apart the airport’s roof. “While we won’t look as pretty as we used to because the ceiling’s all gone, we’ll be functional,” he said.    

Tampa International Airport officials said an inspection Thursday morning “determined TPA did not sustain any serious damage during the storm.” It expects “high passenger volumes” when it reopens at 10 a.m. on Friday. The airport is “very lucky to have come out on the other side of this largely unscathed,” airport CEO Joe Lopano said in a statement.  

Melbourne Orlando International Airport – one of the smaller commercial airports in Florida with service from Allegiant, American and Delta — said it plans to reopen Friday morning.

CEO James Parish said Punta Gorda Airport experienced “extensive” damage to hangars at the airport and does not have power in the passenger terminal. Once power is restored, the airport will make plans to restore service from Allegiant Air, he added.

All the bridges to Pine Island, Florida, have failed, meaning the barrier island is inaccessible by car, Lee County manager Roger Desjarlais said during a briefing Thursday afternoon.

There were also five structural failures on the Sanibel causeway because of Hurricane Ian. 

The curfew in Lee County — which includes the cities of Cape Coral and Fort Myers — that began last night at 6 p.m. ET remains in effect, Desjarlais said.  

Desjarlais participated in a helicopter tour of damage Thursday morning and said the greatest damage the county suffered appears to have occurred on Fort Myers Beach after storm surge levels reached 10 feet. 

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the area looks like it was hit “by a very large tornado.” He said “there are no words to describe what we got to see,” during the helicopter tour. 

Marceno said his team has been involved in “dozens of rescues made in waist-high water” and he urged residents to stay home.  

“If you don’t have to be out, don’t be out,” Marceno said.