Hurricane Irma: 66 Confirmed Dead; 9M Without Power; Death By Chainsaw; Uplifting Moments, Too

As Floridians emerge Wednesday from ebbing floods to begin the dirty work of clearing debris, emptying refrigerators of rotting food and drying out homes, the death toll from Hurricane Irma increased by eight when elderly nursing home patients died in their facility. The record-breaking hurricane that pummeled the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm sparked the largest evacuation in U.S. history and left millions in three states without power. For hard-hit western Florida, it could be 10 days before electricity and crucial air-conditioning are restored, but gas tankers are in Tampa's ports, and trucks are headed across the state to replenish gas stations.

The storm killed at least 22 people in Florida, four in Georgia, and two in South Carolina, while across the Caribbean there were 38 deaths, according to the Associated Press. The potential cost of damage to privately insured property in the United States and the Caribbean is $55 billion.

As of 3 p.m.Wednesday, 3.5 million homes and businesses statewide remained without power and therefore air conditioning. According to the state, that amounts to 33 percent of the 10.5 million electric accounts in Florida.

Evacuation was underway Wednesday at a Hollywood, Florida, nursing home after six residents died in the hot facility that had no power. A criminal investigation has begun. Utility officials said that before the storm started, the county failed to list the nursing home as a priority for power restoration.

Hours after the Hollywood nursing home deaths were reported, the city of North Miami Beach confirmed that it was evacuating 80 residents from the Crystal Bay Assisted Living Facility. There were no reports of injuries. North Miami Beach officials said that the city was using "trolleys and other vehicles" to assist with the evacuation.

In Orlando, three people died and four others were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning Tuesday after using a portable generator powered by gasoline inside their home. Auxiliary power sources are considered must-have equipment in hurricane and other storm-prone areas, but generators can be deadly if improperly used.

Clearing downed and damaged trees is yet another hazard in the the recovery process. On Monday in Town 'n' Country, a man was killed by the chainsaw he was using to clear a branch. Reports say the chainsaw became stuck in a branch, then kicked back, severing the man's carotid artery in his neck and causing him to bleed to death.

And in Woodstock, Georgia, a Port Lucie, Florida, family that escaped Irma's punishing winds and rain suffered a double tragedy. Kaitlin Hunt was carrying her 3-month-old daughter, Riley, across a street when they were struck by an SUV. The infant died Saturday, and her mother died Tuesday. (For more information about the recovery from Hurricane Irma, subscribe for free to the Tampa Patch and receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you're outside of the Tampa area, find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Watch: Hurricane Irma's Destructive Journey By The Numbers

On Wednesday morning, flooding threatened to close one of the main highways that connects Florida to the rest of the country. The Santa Fe River in north central Florida that runs under Interstate 75 has rapidly risen within the past two days, according to Florida transportation officials. Officials say the water will likely rise further in the coming days. The bridge that crosses the river is just north of Gainesville, home to the University of Florida. If the highway is closed it would require major detours for those trying to return to the state after evacuating due to Irma.

Communication is also a struggle in parts of the state, where Irma brought down or damaged cell phone towers. Federal officials say 24.6 percent of cell sites in Florida were without service Tuesday, a slight improvement from Monday. That number was 10.5 percent in Georgia and less than 1 percent in Alabama.

For all the destruction, death and inconveniences Irma caused in Florida, the hurricane also bought people together. In Miami, a chainsaw-wielding nun tore through downed trees to help with the cleanup.

On the opposite coast, Irma Zimmer used her 97th birthday as an occasion to send messages of support to those affected by Hurricane Irma. A resident of The Watermark at Rosewood Gardens in Livermore, California and known for her random acts of kindness, Zimmer took to social media to make sure hurricane victims — including residents of three Florida Watermark communities — knew they were not forgotten.

Vulnerable Floridians, like the elderly, often have the hardest time coping with the natural disaster. A couple from Venice, Florida, both in their 80s afflicted with different degrees of dementia, disappeared after they evacuated and headed toward Pennsylvania. Their credit card was used at gas stations in Georgia and, more recently, Wildwood, Florida. The couple was found safe Wednesday afternoon back in Venice.

While residents pulled together to board up houses before the hurricane and clean up debris once the skies cleared, restaurant chain Pizza Hut came under fire after a manager at one of its locations in Jacksonville told employees they couldn't evacuate more than 24 hours before Hurricane Irma struck and then had to return to work within 72 hours.

A photo making the rounds on Twitter appears to show a one-page note that tells Pizza Hut team members they are only allowed to miss shifts within 24 hours of Hurricane Irma's arrival. Those who missed shifts before then would be considered a "no call/no show" and "documentation" would be issued. The company says the manager in question didn't follow corporate policy.

Meanwhile, a tiny restaurant in Port Richey took the opposite approach and posted a note on Facebook about its "pay what you can" spaghetti dinner on Tuesday. "Come in and sit down in the ac, enjoy a spaghetti dinner, and pay what you can, IF you can," management wrote.

Questions about the welfare of people in Irma's angry path remain unanswered in some cases. A silver alert was issued for an elderly Venice couple who evacuated ahead of the hurricane but dropped off their relatives' radar as they made their way home. Police said Milan Yezic, 89, and his wife Lucille, 86, have since been found safe.

MISERY ALONG THE KEYS

In the Keys, drinking water supplies were cut off, fuel was running low and all three hospitals in the island chain were shuttered. It was also clear that the Keys, a vacation paradise for visitors from around the globe, suffered a terrible blow from the storm. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency officials, about 25 percent of the islands' homes were destroyed as the hurricane made landfall early Sunday morning. Another 65 percent of homes have suffered major damage.

On the flip side, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine first ordered the evacuation of all 90,000 residents in his city ahead of Hurricane Irma, and now he has to convince tourists nationwide that the damage to his city was minimal. “We didn’t dodge a bullet. We dodged a cannon,” he told Patch in an interview Tuesday night.

If you're interested in helping to rebuild the area affected by Hurricane Irma, there is a list of charities and organizations where you can donate at the end of this article.

While Levine didn’t share the exact percentage of homes that still lack power, he said the significant damage to his city will be measured in downtime — putting up shutters, taking them down, having to incur unexpected lodging costs for residents and then cleaning up after the storm.

Statewide, 9.5 million people were without power Wednesday morning, three days after Irma steamrolled up the Florida peninsula. That's nearly half of the state's population.

There also were new worries over unhealthy conditions across Florida due to sewage and wastewater. In Manatee County, where electrical service has yet to be restored to many homes, wastewater pump stations were not working. Officials there ask that residents not flush toilets, take showers or do laundry because the wastewater has no place to go and will back up in homes.

Watch: Coast Guard Footage As Crews Rescue A Sailor And His Dog

In Polk County, emergency officials warned residents to take care if they're using gas-powered generators to bring electricity to homes. Patients in two separate incidents were taken to area emergency rooms Tuesday morning with carbon monoxide poisoning. One mishap took place in southwest Lakeland and the other in Lake Alfred, and both involved a generator running in an enclosed garage, officials said.

And firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze that caused nearly $5 million in damage at Lee Elementary Magnet School in East Tampa Tuesday night soon after power was restored in the area, residents said. Authorities don't yet know what caused the fire, but say nothing appears suspicious.

Displaced residents and business owners from Key Largo, Tavernier and Islamorada near the mainland were allowed to return for their first glimpse of the damage Tuesday morning. People from the Lower Keys faced a longer wait with a roadblock in place where the highway to farther-away islands was washed out by the storm. Road repairs were promised in the coming days.

"It's devastating," Gov. Rick Scott said after flying over the Keys Monday. He described overturned mobile homes, washed-ashore boats and rampant flood damage.

While much of the state's east coast could have power back by Sunday, Florida Power & Light says restoration in other areas could take 10 days or more. Rob Gould, vice president and chief communications officer for FP&L, said Tuesday that the power should be on for most customers along the state's eastern coast by the end of this weekend, the Associated Press reports.

Gould said it would take until Sept. 22 to put the lights and AC back on along the state's western coast where the damage was much more severe. He did say some areas hit by tornadoes or flooding might take longer.

How do utilities determine who gets their power back on first? They start with vital services such as hospitals, police and fire stations, then move on to utilities, communications providers, then big stores like supermarkets and home improvement stores, and finally, residential areas.

Residents tired of seeing red bags covering gas pump handles at the neighborhood convenience stores are in luck: The first of 10 petroleum ships are arriving Tuesday evening at Port Tampa Bay. Ten fuel vessels will all arrive within the next 48 hours and have top priority to dock at the port. Gas shipments from Tampa and other ports will get escorts by the Florida Highway Patrol to impacted areas.

Like humans, animals also got displaced in the storm. Also like humans, they're not happy about it. In light of that, wildlife and health officials are warning people to be aware what might be lurking under rocks, in drain pipes or elsewhere.

In a sign that normalcy is returning, Disney announced that Disney World and its Florida theme parks reopened for business Tuesday. SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatic Orlando and Discovery Cove are closed on Tuesday for debris cleanup from Hurricane Irma, but SeaWorld and Aquatica Orlando should reopen on Wednesday.

In Key West, the home of Ernest Hemingway and its pride of 54 six-toed cats survived the storm unscathed, according to a report from the Orlando Sentinel. It's one of the area's most famous attractions.

The National Hockey League and hockey players from across the world want Floridians to know they’re thinking of them. On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced a joint donation of $2.7 million to hurricane relief efforts to those affected across the state by Irma. And their pro sports counterparts the Panthers, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins held an impromptu fundraiser before the Rays and Sox baseball teams played at Fenway Park on Sunday, Sept. 10.

Up and down the Florida peninsula, work crews cleared downed branches from streets while homeowners emerged from their cocoon-like shelters to witness the calm after the storm. Some restaurants, bars and supermarkets reopened to grateful patrons who waited in lines to trade war stories and enjoy the brilliant sunshine once again.

While many cities still have curfews in effect, some cities, including Miami, have lifted the orders to stay off the street.

"Everybody is just happy to be out and about," observed one clerk at a Publix store in Boca Raton. There, shoppers lined up for deli subs but were disappointed to find that the store had run out of ice. Many were still without power and unable to make their own.

In Florida, internet, cable systems and cellular services fought a losing battle to stay connected on Sunday into Monday. Power flickered on and off every couple of minutes for many while eventually remaining off for seven out of 10 Florida Power & Light customers in Miami-Dade County.

The lingering power outages presented an issue with traffic signals. In Pinellas County, police asked drivers to use caution. There, some 300 traffic signals are not working because of the widespread power outages.

Now that the storm has passed Florida by and sunshine has returned, many people were struggling with a familiar problem returned: the heat. Temperatures were in the high 80s on Tuesday. Having no electricity also meant that residents have no air conditioning. “It’s unbearable,” said Sandra Pagan, who rode out the storm in her Fort Myers home. “We can’t sleep at all. It’s so hot.”

But farther north, into Georgia, the Carolinas and beyond, the storm continues to rage. School was canceled in communities around Georgia, where more than 1.2 million customers were still without power Tuesday. The NHC issued flash flood warnings for parts of the Appalachians, and flood warnings are in effect throughout the Southeast.

In Georgia, among the three people killed in the storm was Nancy Eason, 67, who was in a car driven by her husband, Mike Eason, a retired Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent-in-charge. A tree had a fallen onto their car while they were in a private driveway on Monday.

More than a million Georgians awoke without power Tuesday as the state began the slow work of recovery from the impact of the storm that was once Hurricane Irma. Strong winds buffeted the state throughout the day Monday, toppled trees that brought down power lines and killed two people. Also, a car accident killed a baby and critically injured her mother — both of whom were Florida evacuees.

According to Georgia Power, about 787,000 people throughout the state remained without power shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Georgia EMC, which represents the state's various electric membership cooperatives, was reporting another roughly 431,000 customers with no power.

Meanwhile, state emergency officials were encouraging evacuees in the state — be they from Florida or south Georgia — to stay in place for the time being. Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security said shortly after 9 a.m. that 22 bridge inspection teams were at work assessing Irma's damage. Midday Tuesday Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal lifted the mandatory evacuation order for the state's six coastal counties.

In South Carolina, state officials say at least two fatalities on Monday were storm related. A 57-year-old man died when he was hit by a falling tree, and a 21-year-old man was killed in a traffic accident, authorities said. Some 200,000 people were without power today.

While there are countless stories of rescues and residents helping out each other, there were also tales of thievery and looting across the devastated southeastern United States. That included reports that some businesses were unfairly cashing in on people's desperation. The U.S. Attorney's office announced today will criminally prosecute companies that fix prices, rig bids, or allocate customers. Meantime, the Federal Trade Commission will investigate and take action against companies and individuals who violate the consumer protection laws.

Even the U.S. Navy is now lending assistance. The government deployed the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, along with the USS Iwo Jima and the USS New York, to help with search and rescue efforts and provide other assistance, the Associated Press reported.

In Jacksonville, Coast Guard Flood Punt Teams rescued more than 100 people on Monday. A team from Kentucky saved 91 people and 41 pets, a team from West Virginia saved 18 people and five pets and a team from Tennessee saved nine people and one pet.

Some law enforcement representatives, though, hoped that folks who stayed behind and disregarded evacuation orders learned a lesson from Irma.

As crews clear debris from streets and work to get power restored to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the wake of Hurricane Irma, Hillsborough County has extended the state of emergency another week. The declaration will remain in effect until Tuesday, Sept. 19. And officials have banned price-gouging at all retailers.

The UCF vs. Georgia Tech game, scheduled for Sept. 16, has been called off as a result of Irma as hundreds of National Guard troops use the campus as a staging area. "We're honored to host the National Guard and play a part in helping our community and state recover from Irma," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White. "On behalf of our student-athletes, athletics staff and fans, I promise the Knights will do everything we can to assist in recovery efforts."

LOOTING

Miami-Dade County Police have arrested looters, as have police in other Florida towns. But it's likely no criminal suspects have been as publicly shamed as some in Miami. Police photographed them in their holding cell and posted the picture on the police department's Facebook page. The agency wrote: "Thinking about looting? Ask these guys how that turned out."

The suspects in the photo may have been arrested in connection with the looting of a Foot Locker store, FOX5 reported. Miami-Dade police said 28 people were arrested for burglary/looting by Monday morning. Residents are asked to report looting or any criminal activity by calling 305-4-POLICE.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn issued a harsh warning to looters in Tampa. "If you don't need to be out, don't go out... We will be — let me underscore this — we will be very aggressive with anybody that we find looting. There is nothing worse than taking advantage of your fellow citizens at a time like this."

Two teens were arrested in Polk County for looting a residence, WFLA reported. The sheriff's office said they noticed a home not boarded up. They attempted to steal the homeowner's vehicle, but the battery was dead, WFLA reported.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Lots of charities and organizations are offering assistance in many forms to the victims of Irma. Find the one you'd most like to donate to and give what you can. There are tons more on Charity Navigator.

• Team Rubicon
• American Red Cross
• All Hands
• Volunteer Florida
• South Florida Wildlife Center
• Brigid's Crossing Foundation
• Global Giving

This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.

Lead image: Associated Press reporter Tamara Lush returns to her St. Petersburg, Fla., home on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, to find that it was spared damage from Hurricane Irma. The storm lashed the state but didn't hit the Tampa-St. Pete as hard as once feared. (AP Photo/Tamara Lush)

Other photos: A sailboat was tossed on to a Key Biscayne beach (Patch Editor Paul Scicchitano); third image: what is left of a house in the Florida Keys by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images;