Florida, with nearly four dozen reported dead, was hit hardest by the Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest to make landfall in the United States.
The Associated PressJohn Vest looks at his storm-damaged business at Fish Trap Marina on Saturday in Bonita Springs, Fla. The Category 4 storm made U.S. landfall Wednesday afternoon and Florida is still reeling. Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated, amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet.
More than 1,000 people were rescued from flooded areas along Florida's southwestern coast alone, Daniel Hokanson, a four-star general and head of the National Guard, told The Associated Press while airborne to Florida. The bridge to Pine Island, the largest barrier island off Florida's Gulf Coast, was destroyed by the storm, leaving it accessible only by boat or air. The volunteer group Medic Corps, which responds to natural disasters worldwide with pilots, paramedics and doctors, went door-to-door asking residents if they wanted help to leave.
While swollen rivers have crested or are near cresting, the levels aren't expected to drop significantly for days, National Weather Service meteorologist Tyler Fleming said.