CNN documents the destruction Ian left behind on San Carlos Island, 2:46
(CNN) — A mother of four traveled to Fort Myers, Florida to celebrate her 40th birthday; Now her family is preparing to bury her after she was identified as one of the victims of Hurricane Ian, her mother said.
Nishelle Harris-Miles, of Dayton, Ohio, was traveling with a group of friends and family to celebrate her and a friend’s birthday, her mother, Michele Harris, told CNN. According to her mother, she was staying at a vacation home when Hurricane Ian hit Florida.
“A lot of us back home were telling him not to go because a hurricane was coming,” Harris said. “They assumed they were safe.”
The true extent of the death toll from Hurricane Ian is still unknown, with more than 100 fatalities in the Southeast, the vast majority of which occurred in Florida, according to a CNN tally. Residents in parts of Florida have lost their homes and livelihoods, and others in the hardest-hit areas of the state’s Southwest are still awaiting rescue.
These are the stories of some victims of the hurricane:
Nishelle Harris-Miles
Nishelle Harris-Miles is survived by four children, her mother said.
The group of friends quickly realized it was not safe to be in Fort Myers, but could not find anyone willing to pick them up from their whereabouts, Harris-Miles’ mother said.
Harris said the water entered the vacation rental and pushed it through the roof.
“They were lying on a mattress and two of the girls couldn’t swim so they wrapped themselves in a sheet to protect each other,” he said. “They started kicking and screaming and begging for help. Then the roof collapsed on them.”
According to Harris, her daughter noticed that a nail had pierced her body while they were trapped inside the house.
A neighbor eventually heard the screams from inside the property and rescued the group by taking them to makeshift shelters.
Florida woman shares how she survived Hurricane Ian 2:39
“Her sister held her hand until Nishelle stopped moving,” Harris said. “They stayed in a makeshift shelter with Nishelle’s body for 16 hours until the shelter started cracking…” The neighbor told them to leave for safety, so they left her body there, Harris said.
Harris-Miles is survived by two daughters and two sons, her mother said.
Harris-Miles enjoyed dancing and spending time with her family, Harris said.
“She was always the life of the party,” Harris said. “She was a caring and loving person. She enjoyed life. My daughter was loved by many people.”
Elizabeth McGuire
Elizabeth McGuire was a friend when you needed her most, says her son Andrew Chedester.
Cape Coral, Fla., resident Elizabeth McGuire, 49, was found dead at her home on Friday after Hurricane Ian hit the area, her son Andrew Chedester told CNN. Chedester said police told him his mother died in her bed with her cell phone and that she appeared to have died instantly.
Her family last spoke to McGuire on Wednesday and have had trouble contacting her since, Chedester said. When no one heard from her, the neighbors asked for a wellness check.
Chedester said he was at home on Friday when a Cape Coral Police Department detective knocked on his door and informed him of his mother’s death. He said he had just received a call from his mother’s ex-boyfriend.
“I can’t believe someone I saw the other day is completely gone,” the 24-year-old said of his mother.
He told how the two were always joking. “‘Cheer up, little bitch, it’s going to be alright,'” Chedester said, saying his mother told him when times were tough.
“She was a friend when I needed her most,” Chedester said.
CNN spoke to her mother, Susan McGuire, who learned of her daughter’s death from her grandson Chedester. She said her daughter suffered from blood clots from deep vein thrombosis and was disabled.
His daughter, who went by the name “Liz,” has two sons, her mother said.
Susan McGuire had limited cell phone reception during and after the storm because she was stranded on Pine Island in Bokeelia, Fla. What worries him the most is his daughter, particularly because of her health condition, he said.
“A hundred snowstorms don’t cost you what a hurricane costs,” said Susan McGuire, who moved to the area from Maryland years ago. “My husband’s business is bankrupt, my daughter is dead. The destruction is massive. A blizzard has never taken anything away from me.”
Jayron Purvis
Jayron Purvis, 22, died in Robersonville, North Carolina when the remnants of Hurricane Ian ripped through the area on Friday.
“He was driving his truck on soaked roads during the storm when he went off the road and into a swamp where he drowned,” Keith Acree, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, told CNN in a statement .
Check out Ian’s stunning footage in Cuba, Florida and the Carolinas 3:40
Purvis is one of four storm-related deaths in the state.
Three people were killed in separate vehicle-related incidents on Friday, according to a statement from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office. Another person died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in a locked garage.
CNN’s Amanda Watts, David Williams, and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.