Caskets at an Oakland, Florida, cemetery have been exposed due to the flooding caused by Hurricane Ian.
Some of the caskets were swept away from their designated graves by the influx of water.
People with family buried there told Fox News that they had rushed to the scene to make sure their loved one’s remains were not lost.
“My family buried our grandmother here last Tuesday.” one man told Fox 35. “It’s hard to believe.”
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Central Florida is experiencing “a 500-year flood event.”
“We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude,” DeSantis said. “The amount of water that’s been rising, and will likely continue to rise today even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flooding event.”
Hundreds are feared dead as search efforts are underway in the state.
In a press release published on Thursday evening, Gov. DeSantis’ office said that “since 1:00 a.m., search and rescue operations have been underway in response to Hurricane Ian.”
“Urban Search and Rescue Team 2 was the first on site and the Coast Guard made dozens of rescues overnight,” the statement continued. “There are 8 USAR teams with more than 800 team members performing search and rescue. There are currently 42,000 lineman responding to the more than 2 million reported power outages. Floridians should continue to heed local weather warnings and listen to local officials for updated safety information.”
Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden approved Gov. DeSantis’ request for a Major Disaster Declaration, which unlocks federal assistance in affected areas.
Though the president and Florida governor have had massive political disagreements, they have seemingly put them aside to handle the hurricane’s aftermath.
Biden said that his administration is ready to help in “every single way possible.”
“I made it clear to the governor and the mayors that the federal government is ready to help in every single way possible,” Biden said. “We’ll be there every step of the way.”
DeSantis has said that he believes that they do want to help.
“It’s my sense the administration wants to help,” DeSantis said Tuesday night on Fox News. “They realize this is a very significant storm.”
