September 30, 2022 1:18pm EDT
Sanibel, Florida mayor says town decimated by Hurricane Ian: 'The perfect storm we hoped we'd never see'
Mayor Holly Smith said it will be long-term recovery effort as area is cut off from mainland due to damaged causeway
By Amy Nelson | Fox News
Sanibel, Florida Mayor Holly Smith said Hurricane Ian turned into the perfect storm she hoped she would never see in her lifetime. Now, her community is trying to recover from the unprecedented situation without direct access to mainland Florida.
Hurricane Ian collapsed part of the Sanibel Causeway, which connects the island to the mainland.
"We’re cut off," she said by phone on "America’s Newsroom" Friday.
Smith told Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino that the biggest priority is search and rescue. She said first responders started doing wellness checks early Thursday morning after the worst of the storm passed.
"We did everything that we could to prepare. Everything we could to get the word out to please evacuate," she said.
She said an estimated 200 households remained on Sanibel Island during Hurricane Ian, but that number is growing as officials hear from more people who need assistance.
"We don’t know the number of people and pets that were in those residences. We’re getting that information as it comes through," she said.
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