FEMA administrator warns residents to be ‘vigilant’ in days after Hurricane Ian

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday warned residents to be “vigilant” and careful in the coming days after Hurricane Ian struck Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Criswell told “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream that Americans often “worry a lot about the direct impacts from the storm itself” but noted there are often more deaths after the storm hits.

“We see so many more injuries and sometimes more fatalities after the storm because there are so many dangers out there,” Criswell said. “People need to stay vigilant right now.”

Hurricane Ian made landfall last Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, devastating the Fort Myers area of Florida before it moved on to North Carolina and South Carolina over the weekend.

FEMA and other emergency personnel have deployed to assist the rescue response.

Amid the ongoing cleanup and rescue effort, Criswell on Sunday warned residents that flood water brings “all kinds of hazards.”

“It has debris. It could have power lines. It can have hazards in there that you just don’t know about,” she said. “So we want to make sure that people are being extra cautious, they’re taking extra protective measures to make sure that they are taking care of themselves and their family.”

She also warned about excessive heat as residents seek to rebuild.

“They need to be taking care of themselves, taking breaks, because we also see an increase in the number of dehydration incidents or heat attacks,” Criswell added. “A lot of issues that come in after a storm. People really need to take extra care to make sure that they’re taking care of themselves and their families.”