Throughout the last few days, citizens of Florida have braced for Hurricane Ian, which already set records before making it to land. With millions evacuating the area, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all counties. And on Wednesday, Hurricane Ian revealed its strength as it ripped through the state. On Thursday morning, as rain and winds still circled Florida, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno admitted that it was a “life-changing event for all of us.” Sadly, it appears that the storm did more than damage, as the sheriff noted that hundreds of people have been killed. 

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Speaking with Good Morning America about the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said, “I don’t have confirmed numbers — I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds. So far, confirmed in the hundreds. There are thousands of people that are waiting to be rescued. And again, cannot get a true assessment until we’re actually on scene assessing each scene, and we can’t access people. That’s the problem.”

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According to the White House, “President Biden approved an Emergency Declaration for the State of Florida within hours of receiving the request from Governor DeSantis, to support preparedness efforts and ensure resources are pre-positioned in advance of potential storm impacts. At President Biden’s direction, FEMA is coordinating across the Federal government to support State and local preparations. And, the President and the Administration urge everyone to follow the guidance of local officials.”

Joe Biden also spoke with Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis explained to Sean Hannity, “Well, Sean, you know, what I said today is that my phone line is open. When people’s lives and their property are at risk like this, we all need to work together regardless of party lines. It’s my sense that the administration wants to help. I think they realize that this is a really significant storm, and there’s a lot of people that, you know, we’re working with the locals. We work very well with them. And, of course, at the state level. But we really need everyone working together to make people have their needs tended to.”

Representative Jim Jordan was sure to point out the leadership being shown by Ron DeSantis. He praised the governor on Fox News, saying, “We’re seeing great leadership from the governor. I think the governor — what’d he say, [they] already have 40,000 line workers on standby. He’s got National Guard on standby. They’ve got planes ready to go, I think — you talk about air, land, and sea — ready to help the residents and families of his [state]. And he’s already set up a way to raise money for the families who we’re all praying for, who are going to be impacted by this.”