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Hurricane Ian: Lee County officials under fire for delaying evacuation orders as death toll rises to 77

Lee County officials did not issue mandatory evacuation orders until 24 hours before Hurricane Ian was to make landfall in Florida

LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA: As the death toll from Hurricane Ian rose to 77 as of Saturday, October 1, Lee County officials are now facing criticism for not issuing a mandatory evacuation order until Tuesday, September 27, just 24 hours before the hurricane slammed into Florida with 150 mph winds and severe rain.

The total storm-related deaths were recorded in Florida and North Carolina, according to a tally by state officials and an NBC News count, reports NBC. Gov Ron DeSantis said in a news conference on Saturday, October 1, that around 1,100 rescues have been made in Florida since Ian made its way to the state. He said, "There’s been a great outpouring of support and I’ve seen a lot of resilience in this community of people that want to pick themselves up and they want to get their communities back on their feet. We’ll be here and we’ll be helping every step of the way.” At the same time, he backed Lee County officials saying, "They were following the data, and you remember people were looking initially at the panhandle on Sunday. Then Monday came and people were thinking maybe north of Tampa Bay. When we went to bed Monday night, people were saying this is a direct hit on Tampa Bay, worst-case scenario for the state."

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The governor further added while defending the officials, "As that track started the shift south, and the computer models the next morning, they (Lee County leaders) called for the evacuation, they opened their shelters and they responded very quickly to the data. But at the end of the day, Fort Myers and Naples, on Sunday, I think at the 11 am advisory, 72 hours out, they weren’t even in the cone. That’s just the reality, so they followed it very closely."

Lee County issued a mandatory evacuation for Zones A and B – which include the hard-hit coastal areas – on Tuesday at 5:20 pm ET, according to a tweet by Lee County officials. 

Lee County criticized

However, many continued to express their angst towards the officials. One wrote, "Wow, crazy that the emergency officials of Lee County waited until less than 24 hours before landfall to order mandatory evacs. Surge was always going to be the worst on the south end of the storm, too." While another said, "Lee County, Florida *CHOSE* to wait before issuing a mandatory evacuation order until Tuesday- when residents had less than 24 hours to prepare. This is Uvalde-level incompetence. They got people killed! #HurricaneIan."

Update from Lee County Sheriff's office

In a video released on October 1, the Lee County Sheriff confirmed storm-related deaths. Sheriff Carmine Marceno said there are "about 35 deaths" so far. "There are those that are wondering about their loved one, their friends and family. I'm here to tell you today as much information as I possibly can as quickly as possible. Today we had over 600 to 700 rescues of people that are in need during this difficult time with about 35 deaths, unfortunately," he said. 

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