Employees from Coral Springs Coral deployed across Florida to help with rescues and other relief from Hurricane Ian

Coral Springs, Florida – After Hurricane Ian battered Florida’s west coast with strong winds and flooding, leaving millions without electricity and enough water to drink, rescuers were working to free stranded people from houses, cars, and other places by Thursday morning.

Nine Coral Springs employers are among those assisting in the restoration of lives.

According to Lynne Martzall, the city spokesperson, they include a four-person engine company, a member of the State of Florida Incident Management Team, a member of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team, and three members of the team in charge of the state’s Behavioral Access Assistance Program.

“Thankfully, our city was spared any direct impacts from Hurricane Ian. Our focus now turns toward providing support to our fellow Floridians who have been impacted by the storm,” Martzall said in an email.

She stated that in the upcoming days and weeks, the city anticipates giving “additional support as needed.”

The duration of the city employees’ absence is not yet known.

U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard, and hundreds of state and local rescuers are fanned out across the hardest hit areas of southwest Florida, where collapsed buildings, flooding, downed power lines, and impassable roads have been reported.

According to the sheriff, Lee County is likely to have seen at least five fatalities, and CNN reported that a crucial bridge connecting the Florida mainland to the Sanibel and Captiva islands has been partially swept out.

According to PowerOutage.us, which CNN cited, more than 2.5 million households and businesses statewide are without power as of Thursday morning, and some drinking water systems have malfunctioned or had boil notices in effect.