(NewsNation) — One week after Hurricane Ian destroying Southwest Florida, emergency crews said several people were still trapped inside their homes.
“We’re still on a search and rescue operation,” Ignatius Carroll of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue told NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” on Wednesday. “We found people on the first and second floors they were washed away and they couldn’t get out.”
Due to looting, police checkpoints were set up at access points to the worst-hit areas. One Myers Fortress The neighborhood hires private security after a van, weapons and other valuables are looted.
“We paid for our own security to be here,” Jeannie Caldwell, a local resident, told “Busy Hour” on Wednesday. “This is sad. But you know, the fire department and all the teams did everything they could. They are overwhelmed.
Many residents here tell NewsNation that they are armed.
“Hopefully, we don’t need them. You never know. There have been reports of people being shot in the gas lines,” said Brett Caldwell.
The work crew hired to clean up were now also patrolling the looters.
“We had to go after three people – one person was threatening us, we had to call the police,” Brett said. “Two people last night – maybe eight people in total, I think. It’s so heartless… Everyone lost everything. You’d think people would have a little bit of respect, but I don’t think so,” he continued.
President Joe Biden was able to take some damage up close, as he landed on the ground in Fort Myers with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, touring the storm’s devastation in the worst-hit areas.
“It’s going to take a lot of time. Not weeks or months (but) years for everything squared in the state of Florida to fully recover and rebuild,” Biden said.