Frustration, desperation mount after Ian

Beachgoers survey the damage Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., as hotel and condo seawalls and pool decks along the Volusia County coastline were gutted by Hurricane Ian last week. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Beachgoers survey the damage Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., as hotel and condo seawalls and pool decks along the Volusia County coastline were gutted by Hurricane Ian last week. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Days after the skies cleared and the winds died down in Florida, Hurricane Ian's effects persisted Monday, as people faced another week without power and others were being rescued from homes inundated with lingering floodwaters.

Ten additional deaths were blamed on the storm in Florida as frustration and desperation mounted in the path the storm cut through state. And the hurricane's remnants, now a nor'easter, weren't done with the U.S.

The mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts were getting flooding rains. The storm's onshore winds piled even more water into an already inundated Chesapeake Bay.

Norfolk and Virginia Beach declared states of emergency, although a shift in wind direction prevented potentially catastrophic levels Monday, said Cody Poche, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia.

Coastal flooding shut down the only highway to part of North Carolina's Outer Banks and flooding was possible all the way to Long Island, the National Weather Service said.

At least 78 people have been confirmed dead: 71 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba since Ian made landfall on the Caribbean island on Sept. 27 and in Florida a day later.

Search and rescue efforts were still ongoing Monday in Florida. More than 1,600 people have been rescued statewide, according to Florida's emergency management agency.

Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy told NBC's "Today Show" that residents who evacuated were largely being kept away from their homes because of searches likely to last a few more days.

Washed-out bridges to barrier islands, flooded roadways, spotty cellphone service and a lack of water, electricity or the internet left hundreds of thousands isolated. The situation in many areas wasn't expected to improve for several days because waterways were overflowing, leaving the rain that fell with nowhere to go.

In DeSoto County, northeast of Fort Myers, the Peace River and tributaries reached record high levels and boats were the only way to get supplies to many of the county's 37,000 residents.

The county was prepared for strong winds after being hit by Hurricane Charley in 2004, but it was not prepared for so much rainfall, which amounted to a year's worth of precipitation in two days, DeSoto County Commissioner J.C. Deriso said.

"This flood has been pretty catastrophic," said Deriso, adding that officials hope to open one of the area's main highways by today.

Joe Gunn said the first two days without power at his Punta Gorda home weren't bad because he, his wife and 4-year-old daughter like to camp.

But then they ran out of gas, Gunn said as he waited for an hour for $20 worth of premium fuel from a Bonita Springs station, one of the few open in the area. The family then drove to get supplies and a hot meal.

Gunn was preparing for another stressful night, worried someone might try to steal his supplies. "I am constantly listening to the generator. It's pitch black outside of the house," he said.

  photo  Beachgoers survey the damage Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., as hotel and condo seawalls and pool decks along the Volusia County coastline were gutted by Hurricane Ian last week. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
 
 
  photo  In this Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, visitors gather to have their photos taken at the Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S.A. marker in Key West, Fla. Tropical storm-force winds and storm surge pummeled the Florida Keys landmark as the center of Hurricane Ian passed about 100 miles west of Key West Tuesday, Sept. 27. City of Key West Community Services workers just needed a few days to clean seaweed and other debris from the area. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
 
 
  photo  Alice Pujols goes through someone else's discarded items for clothes and shoes for her family Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. Pujols's home was completely destroyed after her home flooded due to rising waters caused by Hurricane Ian. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
 
 
  photo  Chris Spiezo, 18, takes a break on the front lawn after removing water logged walls from his home Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. The canal behind his home crested at 12 feet on Wednesday as Hurricane Ian ravaged the area. Residents of Southwest Florida continue the arduous task of cleaning their flooded homes and salvaging whatever they could. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
 
 
  photo  Robert Rioux removes a water logged bathroom counter already showing signs of mold from his home, Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. Rioux removed most of the walls, cabinets and furniture after his home was flooded during Hurricane Ian on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
 
 
  photo  Sivan Cohen looks our from her pool deck as she tries to dry water logged belongings, Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. The canal next to her home crested at 12 feet on Wednesday as Hurricane Ian ravaged the area. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
 
 
  photo  Beachgoers walk past a collapsed pool deck Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., as hotel and condo seawalls and decks along the Volusia County coastline were gutted by Hurricane Ian last week. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
 
 
  photo  A boy runs past a collapsed pool deck Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., as hotel and condo seawalls and decks along the Volusia County coastline were gutted by Hurricane Ian last week. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
 
 
  photo  Beachgoers walk past a collapsed boardwalk and seawall, Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., as hotel and condo seawalls and decks along the Volusia County coastline were gutted by Hurricane Ian last week. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)