TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — If you live in Hardee County and returned home to find spray paint on your house, you might be wondering why.
Search and rescue efforts have continued following Hurricane Ian, which killed two people in the county and knocked out power to most of the area. Nearly 40% of the county remains without power as of this writing Monday, according to the Peace River Electric Cooperative Inc.’s outage map.
According to the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office, rescuers have been spray-painting codes on homes that have severe damage.
The letter “X” means the home has been checked, but rescuers have not been able to contact the resident(s).
If contact was made with the property owner, the home will have an “X” with a circle around it.
The sheriff’s office noted that the markings were not an indication of injury, death or condemnation.