3 People Remain Missing in Fort Myers After Hurricane Ian, Florida Sheriff Says

Joe Raedle/Getty Hurricane Ian damage in Fort Myers Beach

Three people remain unaccounted for in Fort Myers, Fla., which was devastated by Hurricane Ian last month.

In an update on Tuesday, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said that officials currently have "3 missing person reports in regard to the hurricane."

Those individuals were identified by Marceno as Gary Luke of North Fort Myers as well as James Hurst and Ivonka Knes, both of Fort Myers Beach.

Marceno also said that since Sept. 27, the day before the powerful storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, officials have responded to 4,866 well-being checks.

RELATED: Shocking Aerial Photos Show Before & After Damage Along the Florida Coast Following Hurricane Ian

At least 127 fatalities have been reported in Florida due to the storm, according to ABC News. As of Tuesday, Marceno said that 61 deaths have been reported in Lee County alone.

Additionally, five people died in North Carolina, according to Gov. Roy Cooper.

RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Hurricane Ian damage in Cayo Costa, Florida, located west of Fort Myers

RELATED: Reporting on Hurricane Ian's Devastation from the Field, I Was Struck by Floridians' Will, Faith and Resolve

As the powerful hurricane came ashore with sustained winds of 150 mph, storm surges reached nearly 7 ft. high in areas like Fort Myers, while 12 ft. water levels were recorded in Naples.

"We've never seen storm surge of this magnitude," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at the time. "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."

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Florida residents in Hurricane Ian's path shared harrowing stories of survival and loss with PEOPLE.

When Fort Myers resident Stan Pentz phoned his daughter for help, the water was already up to his shoulders and he couldn't get out. "The last thing I heard my dad say was, 'I think I'm going to drown,' " said Downing, a 32-year-old physical therapist.

For the next 20 hours, she lived in fear for the worst — but after finally gaining access to the internet, she saw a message from her stranger informing her that her father was alright.

"My sister fell to the ground crying," said Downing. "I just fell into a chair with my head in my hands, saying, 'Oh my God, he's alive.'"

Joe Raedle/Getty Hurricane Ian damage in Fort Myers Beach

The loved ones of Scott Lumley, 65, were not as lucky. 

Although his sister, Nancy Arbelo, begged him to leave, she said her brother — who only had partial use of his arms and legs, used a cane and spoke with a stutter because of the lingering effects of a serious car accident — decided to remain in Fort Myers Beach. He and some friends were going to ride out the storm together, but as the storm hit, floodwaters began creeping up the steps of the bungalow.

Two days after their last conversation, Arbelo learned of her brother's death from law enforcement officers. "Everybody on the island knew my brother," she told PEOPLE. "He was just a big guy, a gentle giant. He had a heart of gold and never said a bad word about anybody."

RELATED: Man Swam Half a Mile During Hurricane Ian to Save Mom, 84, from Flooded Home: Water Was 'Up to Her Chin'

As a result of the widespread devastation, the morning after the storm hit, more than 2.5 million people in Florida were without power.

That weekend, officials said that while they hoped to expediently restore power to most Floridians, it could be "weeks or months until some residents of southwest Florida are back online, according to Naples Daily News.

Over 11,000 people in Lee County are still without power as of Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us.

RELATED: After Harrowing Escape from Island in Hurricane Ian's Path, Couple Can't Wait to Go Home: 'It's Paradise'

In addition to causing billions of dollars in damage, the storm has left some Florida residents struggling to come to terms with how they can possibly rebuild what they lost, according to the Associated Press.

"Some people have lost everything, maybe the walls of their home may be still standing, but they're uninhabitable," Beth Hatch, a CEO of a local branch of the National Alliance of Mental Illness, told the news agency.

Added Hatch, "When someone's in a state of trauma that so many are in, they don't know where to begin."