VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 72-year-old Deltona man has died after Volusia County officials said he went outside Thursday morning during Hurricane Ian to drain his pool.
The victim’s wife said he disappeared after heading outside shortly after 1 a.m. While searching for him, deputies said found his flashlight and then spotted the man unresponsive in a canal behind the home.
Several deputies pulled the victim from the water and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but said he could not be revived. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Deputies said the initial investigation indicates the man was using a hose to drain the pool down a hill and into a 30-foot-wide canal, where a steep decline into the water was extremely soft and slippery due to the heavy rain.
In a 2020 article from the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, officials say you should not drain or partially drain your pool before a storm.