VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Task Force 2 is now assisting in Fort Myers Beach, after a direct hit from Hurricane Ian.
Officials said the death toll in Florida has now surpassed 100 people.
The Virginia Beach-based team began their assignment late last week in Charlotte County, where they were seeing mostly wind damage.
After moving to Fort Myers Beach, Task Force Leader Brian Sullivan said they saw the absolute devastation the storm surge left behind.
Since Sunday, Sullivan and his team have done preliminary searches, going from building to building to see if anyone is still inside.
Now, he said they’re moving into a more comprehensive search. They’re getting a missing persons list and recovering people who didn’t make it through the storm.
Sullivan said they’re also helping survivors get off the island because there is hardly anything left.
"It’s kind of like they’re in a daze. They’re walking around in a daze and really don’t know what to do and I’m surprised by the number that are still here," said Sullivan. "Some are still refusing to leave, but a lot of them are starting to say they made it through...what we get from a lot of people is, ‘I’ll never do this again.'"
Sullivan said he’s not sure how long the team will stay down in Florida. Until they come home, he said they appreciate the support back home in Hampton Roads.