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Ian recovery efforts, a mounting death toll and ongoing flooding. Plus: How to build a more resilient Florida?

Flooded streets in Sanibel Island, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2022, after Hurricane Ian passed through a couple of days earlier.
Tom James
/
for WGCU/NPR
Flooded streets in Sanibel Island on Sept. 30, 2022, after Hurricane Ian passed through a couple of days earlier.

The recovery from Hurricane Ian continues — as the death toll climbs into triple digits.

The death toll from the massive storm has passed 100, the majority of those victims in Florida.

While Ian’s projected path shifted in the days leading to landfall in Lee County, there are questions about the timing of evacuation orders.

Did residents in the hardest hit counties have enough time to get out of the storm’s path?

We got the latest from Lee County, where residents are still taking stock of the devastation. Our guest: Mike Braun, managing editor at WGCU in Fort Myers.

We also welcomed Jessica Meszaros, who covers the environment for WUSF.

And we touched base in Central Florida, where residents have been flooded out of their homes. Alan Harris, chief administrator with the Office of Emergency Management in Seminole County, described ongoing rescue efforts.

Plus: the politics of hurricane recovery as we spoke with Bruce Ritchie, Florida environment and energy reporter for POLITICO.

Finally, how should Florida seek to build more resilient communities?

For insights, we spoke withCynthia Barnett. She’s the environmental journalist in residence at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

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Melissa Ross joined WJCT in 2009 with 20 years of experience in broadcasting, including stints in Cincinnati, Chicago, Orlando and Jacksonville. During her career as a television and radio news anchor and reporter, Melissa has won four regional Emmys for news and feature reporting.