The US Coast Guard conducted 68 rescue operations in Florida on Thursday, according to Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, Commander of the US Coast Guard’s 7th District.
McPherson told CNN that count was included in the 700 state-wide rescues that Gov. Ron DeSantis reported Thursday night.
“Very early in the morning, we had eight helicopters that were blanketing the area of Southwest Florida,” McPherson said.
Several rescues were on Sanibel Island, which has been cut off after a major bridge to the mainland collapsed, he said.
“We actually conducted some rescues, as the governor said, we also saw people that were safe and sound. Now whether they’re going to be able to stay there many more days without the services that they need. I’m a little bit doubtful about that,” McPherson said, adding that crews will continue to search for and rescue people on Sanibel Island.
“We’re certainly going to redouble our efforts tomorrow to make sure that we haven’t missed anybody,” McPherson said.
Some background: Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza reported two fatalities on Sanibel Island. CNN is currently reporting there are five deaths in Lee County.
Source link