Hurricane Ian updates: Florida death toll climbs
Lee County, which encompasses Fort Myers, accounts for most of the fatalities.
The remnants of Ian are charging up the East Coast on Saturday after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in South Carolina on Friday afternoon.
The monster storm made its first U.S. landfall on Wednesday on Florida's west coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, shredding homes with ferocious winds topping 150 mph. Florida's death toll has climbed to at least 81, according to information from local officials.
Latest headlines:
Bidens to visit Puerto Rico, Florida
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Puerto Rico on Monday, and Florida on Wednesday to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian, respectively, the White House announced Saturday night.
Biden had previously said he would visit Florida to see the destruction in person, and that it was his "intention" to do the same for Puerto Rico.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
Florida death toll climbs
Florida’s death toll from Hurricane Ian has climbed to at least 72, according to information from local officials.
Lee County, which encompasses Fort Myers, accounts for the majority of the fatalities, with at least 35 lives lost in the county, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
In Charlotte County, which is home to Punta Gorda, the preliminary death toll is 23, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office told ABC News.
Other fatalities were reported in Sarasota, Volusia, Lake, Collier, Hendry and Manatee counties.
Despite the "complete devastation" in Lee County, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Saturday that "there's light at the end of the tunnel. ... We are going to be stronger than ever."
"We are one big family together. That's what makes us great. And sometimes these horrific events bring us all together for us to move forward," Marceno said.
-ABC News’ Matt Foster
1.05 million without power in Florida
Over 1.05 million customers remain without power in Florida on Saturday, days after Hurricane Ian tore through the state.
Another 56,800 customers are without power in North Carolina and more than 17,000 are in the dark in Virginia after Ian and its remnants moved north.
Over 1,100 people rescued in Florida by National Guard
More than 1,100 Floridians have been rescued by the Florida National Guard in the wake of Hurricane Ian, according to state officials.
The rescues include 1,076 people evacuated from flooded areas in southwest and central Florida as of Saturday morning, as well as 78 people transported from a flooded nursing home facility, Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said in a press release.
'We hear your calls': Sheriff
Lee County has received more than double the number of 911 calls it typically receives amid Hurricane Ian, according to Sheriff Carmine Marceno, as first responders have suspended their emergency response during the major storm.
"We hear your calls and are aware that Hurricane Ian was a powerful and devastating weather event," Marceno said in a social media post Wednesday evening. "We want to get to you. We want to save you. As soon as safely possible, our assets are ready to deploy to come to your aide."
Ben Abes, Lee County's public safety director, said current conditions, including flooding, make it "impossible" for first responders to go out. He said the county is tracking 911 calls and prioritizing them once first responders are able to act after the hurricane passes.
"We are aware of a number of calls of people who are stranded due to high water," he said during a press briefing Wednesday evening. "This is a scary situation. We urge you not to panic."
Lee County, which is home to hard-hit Fort Myers, Sanibel and Bonita Beach, issued a countywide curfew Wednesday evening due to the storm that is in effect until further notice.