REPORTING LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE BEACH. I’M AARON FARRAR CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL
STATION.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, ERIN. ON
FLORIDA’S WEST COAST, THE
DEATH TOLL HAS REACHED THE
DOUBLE DIGITS, REACH THE
DOUBLE DIGITS IT. OKAY.
FLORIDA BEEN SIDE BY SIDE. I’M
SO SORRY. THERE ARE AT LEAST
21 DEATHS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE
HURRICANE.
>> AND AS MANY AS 10,000
PEOPLE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
ARE STILL UNACCOUNTED BEFORE.
NOW, THIS IS A BEFORE AND
AFTER SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON,
IMAGES OF FLORIDA BUSINESSES
GONE. LIVES LOST AND HOMES
DESTROYED IT AND HIT FLORIDA
AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE
NEWS. 4 JAX ANCHOR VIC
MICOLUCCI JOINS US LIVE VIA
ZOOM FROM FORT MYERS THIS
MORNING IN VIC, YOU’VE BEEN
THERE SINCE BEFORE THIS STORM
STORM HIT. I’VE SEEN YOU SAY
ON AIR THAT IT’S LIKE A BOMB
WENT OFF. TELL US THE IMPACT
OF WHAT YOU’RE SEEING.
>> INSTEAD, HE’S DATING TO YOU
SEE SO MUCH DESTRUCTION OF
PROPERTY, ASHLEY. AND WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THE HUMAN TOLL AND THE
SUFFERING AND THE PEOPLE THAT
NOW ARE GOING TO PASS TO
REBUILD THEIR LIVES, YOU KNOW,
NOT ONLY HAVE THEY LOST THEIR
HOMES AND THEIR CARS AND THEIR
PERSONAL BELONGINGS. THERE ARE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR MEANS TO
MAKE MONEY. THIS IS A TOURIST
AREA, SANIBEL ISLAND, FORT
MYERS BEACH, PEOPLE GO THERE
ON VACATION. ALL OF THE
RESTAURANTS, THE SHOPS, THINGS
ARE JUST LIKE THE WAY. SO YOU
ARE LOOKING AT VIDEO OF FORT
MYERS BEACH. WE ACTUALLY HAD
TO GET ESCORTED ON. THANKS TO
THE MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE MIAMI FIRE RESCUE. THEY
ARE HERE PART OF THE SOUTH
FLORIDA SEARCH AND RESCUE
TEAM. YOU KNOW, WHAT WE SEE IS
UNIMAGINABLE. THERE’S ONLY
VERY FEW STRUCTURES UP THERE.
THIS IS NORMALLY, YOU PAT AREA
WITH WITH LOTS OF HOMES AND
AND BUSINESSES AND VACATION
RENTALS. AND NOW MOST OF THE
SKI, YES, MOST OF THOSE HAVE
BEEN FLATTENED. AND THERE’S
JUST DIRT AND DEBRIS
EVERYWHERE. AND SADLY, YOU
TALKED ABOUT THE DEATH TOLL.
IT CONTINUES TO GROW BECAUSE
WE WENT OUT WITH THAT TEAM
YESTERDAY AND THEY SAID THAT
THEY PERSONALLY FOUND 7
VICTIMS, 7 BODIES IN AND WHEN
WE WERE THERE, WE WERE ON THE
STREET AND SADLY THEY FOUND.
ONE PERSON THAT WAS. IN DEBRIS
FROM A HOME THAT APPARENTLY
TRIED TO STAY AND TRYING TO
RIDE THE STORM OUT AND THEY
DIDN’T LISTEN TO THE
EVACUATION ORDERS. YOU KNOW,
TERRIBLY THAT DAY FOR THAT
DESION WITH THEIR LIVES.
LIFE.
>> YES, THANK YOU KNOW, WHEN
THINGS LIKE HAPPEN, WE OFTEN
HEAR PEOPLE TALK LOOK FOR THE
HELPERS. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING
ON THAT FRONT? A SEARCH AND
RESCUE THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> SO MANY HELPERS. IT’S
INCREDIBLE. WHEN YOU GO
OUTSIDE, YOU JUST HEAR SIRENS
NONSTOP. AND IT’S RELIEF
COMING IN BECAUSE THESE
AMBULANCES, THEY ACTUALLY DO
CONTINUE TO FIND SURVIVORS OR
YOU HAVE A GUY GOT TO THINK
THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
LIVE DOWN HERE THAT ARE OLDER
OR HAVE MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND
THEY’RE OUT IN THE ELEMENTS.
THEY DON’T HAVE ELECTRICITY.
THEY DON’T HAVE A FRESH FOOD,
YOU KNOW, EVEN WATER IS
RUNNING OUT. THE WATER BOTTLES
UP AND STOCKPILED ARE RUNNING
OUT BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN.
HUNKERING DOWN SINCE TUESDAY
NOW YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IS
GETTING LOW. SO AND YESTERDAY
THE FIRST RESPONDERS FOUND
SOMEBODY THAT WAS IN CARDIAC
ARREST AND THEY DID CPR AND
THEY HAD TO MEDEVAC THEM OUT
OFF OF THE ISLAND OFF OF FORT
MYERS BEACH. SO OBVIOUSLY YOU
HAVE AMAZING FIREFIGHTERS AND
POLICE OFFICERS AND DOCTORS
AND NURSES ENGINEERS. DOWN
HERE MAKING A BUT THEN YOU
HAVE VOLUNTEERS DID SAMARITANS
THAT HAS COME FROM ALL OVER
WITH JOHN BOATS WITH KAYAKS
WITH WHATEVER THEY CAN HAVE
BECAUSE THIS EMERGENCY IS NOT
OVER. MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT
THE HURRICANE IS GONE AND
YOU’RE CLEANING UP. AND THAT
IS THE CASE IN SOME AREAS,
ACTUALLY. BUT IT IN CERTAIN
SPOTS. THE WATERS CONTINUE TO
RISE BECAUSE ALL OF THAT RAIN,
ALL THAT FLOOD WATER HAS TO GO
SOMEWHERE. IT’S GOING INTO THE
RIVERS IN THE BASINS AND NOW
IT’S RISING TO NORTH PORT
PERSONALLY WHERE MYSELF AND MY
PHOTOJOURNALIST PARTNER, CHRIS
O’ROURKE RODE OUT THE STORM.
IT IS INCREASINGLY UNDER
WATER. SO IT WASN’T AS BAD
WITH THE FLOODING SITUATION
DURING THE HURRICANE. THE WAY
THAT IT’S IT’S THE WATER IS
RISING THERE OPENING MORE
SHELTERS TO BRING IN MORE
RESCUE CREWS. THEY NEED MORE
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT
PEOPLE COMING FROM ALL OVER
THE SOUTH WITH WITH BOATS
BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY KNOW
THAT POLICE AND FIRE CREWS CAN
ONLY DO SO MUCH AND THEY’RE
TAXED. SO YOU YOU DO HAVE
THESE VOLUNTEERS THAT JUST
WANT TO COME OUT HERE AND DO
WHATEVER THEY CAN TO HEALTH
AND SAFETY.
>>JENNIFER READY: EXACTLY.
THEY CAN. WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT A
MINUTE LEFT REAL QUICK, BUT
I’VE KNOWN YOU FOR LIKE 10
YEARS. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE
COVERED SO MANY HURRICANES.
NOW, IAN, YOU ALSO COVER
HARVEY, OF COURSE, HOW IS THIS
STORM DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU
PERSONALLY SEE? I SEE IT IN
YOUR EYES REALLY?
>> YEAH, IT’S PAINFUL. AND YOU
KNOW IT. IT NEVER GETS EASY,
ACTUALLY, TO SEE ALL OF THE
HUMAN SUFFERING HERE. I WILL
TELL YOU THAT FEELS A LOT LIKE
HURRICANE MICHAEL IN 2018 IN
THE PANHANDLE. I WAS IN PANAMA
CITY WHEN THAT STORM CAME
THROUGH IS ULTIMATELY A
CATEGORY 5 AND THEN MEXICO
BEACH AND I WAS TALKING WITH
SOME OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS,
THE RESCUE CREWS YESTERDAY AND
THEY SAID THIS FEELS LIKE
MEXICO BEACH. MEXICO BEACH WAS
A SMALL VACATION COASTAL AREA
THERE IN THE PANHANDLE. AND IT
WAS WIPED YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN
AS FAR AS PUERTO RICO IN THE
BAHAMAS. AND I WILL SAY THAT
THE ACTUAL WIND DAMAGE, THE
STORM SURGE, DESTRUCTION IS
WORSE HERE THAN PUERTO RICO.
THE ONLY PLACE THAT I’VE SEEN
THAT THERE’S WORSE WAS THE
ABACUS IN THE BAHAMAS AFTER
HURRICANE DORIAN AND THEY DID
NOT HAVE A STRONGER STRUCTURES
SAID AS WE DO. AND AND THEY
UNFORTUNATELY BEING AN ISLAND
IT TOOK A LOT LONGER TO GET
RESCUE AND TO GET HELP AND TO
GET PEOPLE OFF OF THE HARDEST
HIT THIS CONTINUES. IT REALLY
DOESN’T. YOU KNOW, LET ME JUST
SAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO LEAVE. WE’RE
FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO
TO GO AND AND WE EVEN GET FUEL
AND GET FOOD AND THINGS LIKE
THAT. MAKING RUNS TO PEOPLE
DOWN THERE. DO. I DON’T HAVE
THEIR COLORS. YOU DON’T HAVE
ACCESS TO GAS. THEY’RE
LITERALLY LIVING OFF OF
WHATEVER THEY CAN GET. AND
WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO JUST SOME
OF OUR HURRICANE SUPPLIES,
SOME OF OUR STACK, SOME OF OUR
WATERS. SOME GUYS JUST WANTED
FRESH SHIRTS, GAME SHIRT AND
SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR. WHATEVER
YOU CAN DO AND WE KNOW THAT
WE’VE ONLY COME IN CONTACT
WITH A FEW PEOPLE COMPARED TO
THE HUNT. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
THAT ARE SUFFER.
>>JENNIFER READY: THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR THE NECK FOR JOINING
US AND FOR TELLING THESE