The Gulf of Mexico rose 15 feet above sea level during Hurricane Ian, new data reveals.

The high water level, recorded at Fort Myers Beach by the National Weather Service, places Ian among some of the Atlantic’s highest storm surges in history, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Pictures don’t do the destruction justice,” says the NWS’ Jeffry Evans, a member of the team that recorded the water level. “Complete and deadly inundation of the island.” Of the 50 Ian-related deaths reported in Lee County, at least 30 were attributed to drowning, authorities say. At least one drowning victim was found in a tree after having been swept up by the deluge, the Hurricane Center reports.

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