The head of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management said Hurricane Ian left at least 21 people dead in the state, although that figure is expected to climb as search and rescue efforts continue.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie told reporters in Tallahassee that there was one confirmed death in Polk County, 12 unconfirmed deaths in Charlotte County, and eight in Collier County. The state is monitoring possible deaths reported in Lee and Volusia counties as well as vehicle deaths in Lake and Putnam counties, he said.
“People die in disasters that have nothing to do with a disaster,” he told reporters. “The medical examiner is the one that makes that determination. They are the lead agency at the local level to determine when they investigate that this is either disaster-related or not disaster-related. ”…