(CNN) Frustrations grew Wednesday along a two-lane stretch of highway through the Florida Keys as disappointed residents were told it wasn't safe enough for them to return home.

The lower Keys were particularly hard hit by Hurricane Irma, with first responders Wednesday still searching through wreckage.

In Ramrod Key, a search-and-rescue team had to cut its way through a pile of brush and trees in the front yard of a house before forcing the front door open. Inside they found an elderly woman who had stayed home during the fierce hurricane. The team gave her water and got her out.

In Big Pine Key, houses were reduced to splinters.

A home on Big Pine Key was ripped apart by the Category 4 hurricane.

Boats were scattered across land -- a reminder that streets were like rivers for hours.

Richard Tabacco stayed with his family on the island through the storm. They are all OK -- he got a malfunctioning generator to work at his damaged home Tuesday -- but he warns residents who evacuated to stay away.

"There's nothing here," he told CNN's Chris Cuomo, who accompanied an urban search-and-rescue team, on Wednesday. "There's no gas, there's no water. There's no stores. There's no electricity. There's no cellphone service. Just stay away for about two weeks.

"Let the first responders ... do their job, and y'all can come back later."

Still, residents flocked to the Keys. At a checkpoint on Lower Matecumbe Key, sheriff's deputies turned away people trying to get to their homes in the lower Keys. Instead of going back north, many just pulled their cars over to the side of the highway, sat and waited.

Deputies told CNN's Brian Todd there was no timetable for permitting access. A deputy at the checkpoint said they were trying to keep people safe.

One man showed another deputy a pill bottle and it seemed he wanted to get medicine to someone down the road. He was told to turn around. When he tried to drive around the deputy, the officer moved in front of him and yelled at him to go back.

Other residents complained that they knew the risks and were willing to accept them. Many wanted to survey the damage and some wanted to prevent looting.

Eight nursing home residents die

Florida's governor called on first responders Wednesday to check health care facilities statewide after eight nursing home patients died in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

The nursing home deaths were reported Wednesday in Hollywood, three days after Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys and left millions statewide without power.

The fatalities should spur everyone to check up on senior citizens, who are among the most vulnerable to Florida's stifling heat, exacerbated by power outages that might extend into next week, Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said.

"I'm going to aggressively demand answers on how this tragic event took place," Gov. Rick Scott said. "... I am also asking available first responders to immediately check in with the health care facilities in their area to make sure nursing homes and assisted living facilities are able to keep their residents safe."

Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Children clean a dirty mattress from a flooded home in Immokalee, Florida, on Thursday, September 14. Hurricane Irma laid waste to beautiful Caribbean islands and caused historic destruction across Florida. The cleanup will take weeks; recovery will take months. Hide Caption 1 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida On September 14, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and first lady Melania Trump hand out food to people impacted by Hurricane Irma in Naples, Florida. Hide Caption 2 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Debris litters the area around a group of homes in the Florida Keys on Wednesday, September 13. Hide Caption 3 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Lake County jail inmates fill sandbags in Astor, Florida, on September 13. Hide Caption 4 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A classic Volkswagen sits in floodwaters September 13 in Middleburg, Florida. Flooding from the Black Creek topped the previous high-water mark by about 7 feet. Hide Caption 5 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida James Wade checks for water-damaged items as floodwaters recede in Middleburg on September 13. Hide Caption 6 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Floodwaters surround vehicles in Callahan, Florida, on Tuesday, September 12. Hide Caption 7 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Jose Encarnacion pulls a chicken from a cage as he gathers belongings from his flooded house in Bonita Springs, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 8 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Joseph Dupuis III stacks boxes off the floor in his parents' water-logged apartment in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 9 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Motorists in Estero, Florida, fill gas cans September 12, moments before police shut the station down because of a curfew. Hide Caption 10 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Mike Gilbert and his daughter Brooke embrace in front of a relative's destroyed condominium building in the Florida Keys on September 12. Hide Caption 11 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Members of the US Coast Guard operate in floodwaters during rescue missions in Hastings, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 12 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Waist-deep in floodwater, Shelly Hughes gets her first look at the inside of her camper in Arcadia, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 13 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, a house slides into the Atlantic Ocean in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Monday, September 11. Hide Caption 14 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Richard Shieldhouse maneuvers through storm-surge floodwaters in Jacksonville on September 11. Hide Caption 15 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Mario Valentine sits in his badly damaged home in Immokalee on September 11. Hide Caption 16 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Boats are partially submerged in Key Largo, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 17 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Chris Stokes works in the mud as he helps clean up damage to his father's convenience store in Everglades City, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 18 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Ashley Tomberg drags a tree branch from the roof of a neighbor's house in Gainesville, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 19 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Floodwaters inundate a car in Jacksonville on September 11. Hide Caption 20 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A crocodile appears at the Dinner Key Marina in Miami on September 11. Hide Caption 21 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida John Duke tries to salvage his flooded vehicle in Jacksonville on September 11. Hide Caption 22 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A van sits in a sinkhole that opened up in Winter Springs, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 23 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People check out floodwaters at Jacksonville's Memorial Park on September 11. Hide Caption 24 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Kelly McClenthen and her boyfriend, Daniel Harrison, walk through floodwaters in Bonita Springs on September 11. Hide Caption 25 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A truck drives through a flooded street in Key Largo on September 11. Hide Caption 26 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A man walks by damage in Palm Shores, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 27 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Catharine Taylor Woods cleans up a broken awning outside her building in Wauchula, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 28 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida The roof of a home is damaged in Marco Island, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 29 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Rick Freedman checks damage to his neighbor's home in Marco Island on September 11. Hide Caption 30 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Boats are partially submerged in a marina in downtown Miami on September 11. Hide Caption 31 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People step out of their flooded home in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 32 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A felled tree blocks a street in downtown Miami on September 11. Hide Caption 33 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Irma damaged this gas station roof in Bonita Springs. Hide Caption 34 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Michele Snelling sleeps on couch cushions next to her 4-month-old daughter, Lauryn, at a middle school in St. Petersburg, Florida, on September 11. The school was filled with evacuees. Hide Caption 35 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Hotel guests navigate a dark stairwell after they lost power in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hide Caption 36 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People in Cape Coral, Florida, tend to a car that flipped over during Hurricane Irma on Sunday, September 10. Hide Caption 37 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A manatee lies stranded September 10 after waters receded during Irma's approach in Manatee County, Florida. Hide Caption 38 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida High winds split this large tree in half in Fort Lauderdale. Hide Caption 39 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida An American flag is torn as Irma passes through Naples on September 10. Hide Caption 40 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A sheriff's deputy walks through a shelter in Naples after the power went out on September 10. Hide Caption 41 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A police officer walks over debris after a tornado touched down in Palm Bay, Florida, on September 10. Hide Caption 42 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Yaya Lopez holds her fiance, Howard Lopez, while they sleep in a middle-school hallway in St. Petersburg on September 10. Hide Caption 43 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Geoff Rutland, a local volunteer from Crossing Jordan Church, helps other residents get ice from a vending machine in Tampa, Florida, on September 10. Hide Caption 44 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida PJ Pike checks on his boat and one belonging to a friend in Fort Myers. Both were sitting in mud at their moorings due to an unusually low tide on September 10. Hide Caption 45 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People walk past a building in Miami where the roof was blown off by Hurricane Irma on September 10. Hide Caption 46 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida An abandoned car sits in floodwaters during a storm surge in Fort Lauderdale on September 10. Hide Caption 47 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Fallen trees block a parking lot in Fort Lauderdale on September 10. Hide Caption 48 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Sailboats moored near Watson Island ride out the winds and waves on September 10. Hide Caption 49 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Members of the Blinckman family use their personal devices in a stairwell utility closet as Hurricane Irma went over Key West, Florida, on September 10. Hide Caption 50 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Evacuees watch the weather from a shelter in Naples on September 10. Hide Caption 51 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Heavy winds and rain blow through Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 52 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel fights fierce winds and flooded streets while reporting in Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 53 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A man records the gusty winds going through downtown Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 54 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A tree lies on a pickup truck after being knocked down by the high winds in Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 55 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Hotel guests eat breakfast by lamplight after the Courtyard Marriott was left without power in Fort Lauderdale on September 10. Hide Caption 56 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Part of this crane tower collapsed in Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 57 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People sit in the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center as Irma approached Miami on Saturday, September 9. See Hurricane Irma's impact on the Caribbean Hide Caption 58 of 58

Police were helping to evacuate about 80 residents from the the Krystal Bay Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Miami Beach on Wednesday afternoon. Police public information officer Brian Andrews said residents were being moved from the facility, which has no air conditioning, to another using city trolleys.

The state has the largest percentage of residents who are 65 or older -- 19.1% -- the Pew Research Center said in 2014, citing census figures. Several counties in hard-hit areas after Irma have senior populations of 33% or higher.

Flooding in northern Florida

In Green Cove Springs, on the St. John's River just south of Jacksonville, many families need a canoe to get to their front doors.

Sharmaine and Todd Moldenhauer went back to their home Wednesday for the first time since the storm hit northern Florida.

It took only a few seconds to learn their home had suffered catastrophic damage. Their house is among the 1,000 homes in the county that have been damaged or destroyed.

Waters have receded from the high point of 6 feet in the structure but continue to flow through the house about shin deep.

"Oh my God, it's a mess," said Todd Moldenhauer, who was with the Air Force National Guard during the storm.

He and his wife were able to salvage some favorite photos. Not much else is worth keeping.

There was some good news Wednesday; the water, at least in that part of the state, is receding quickly.

No power, hot weather

More than 3 million utility customers in Florida remain without power in simmering temperatures.

It will be around 90 degrees for parts of central and southern Florida for the next several days, with humidity making the air feel like it's in the mid-90s.

The hurricane struck northern Caribbean islands last week, leaving at least 44 people dead, before it smashed into the US mainland over the weekend, with at least 33 storm-related deaths reported.

The latter figure doesn't include the nursing home deaths, which police said were under investigation.

Time still need to fix infrastructure, FEMA says

President Donald Trump is set to make his first visit to the region Thursday to see the devastation. "I will be traveling to Florida tomorrow to meet with our great Coast Guard, FEMA and many of the brave first responders & others," he announced on Twitter.

I will be traveling to Florida tomorrow to meet with our great Coast Guard, FEMA and many of the brave first responders & others. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2017

Customers who lost electricity on Florida's eastern side will likely have it restored by this weekend, because fewer electrical poles came down than in other parts of the state, Florida Power & Light Co. says.

Shelly Hughes gets a first look at her flooded camper at a campground Tuesday in Arcadia, Florida.

Those on the west coast, where Hurricane Irma made landfall, will likely have power restored by September 22, according to the company.

It says it's focusing first on restoring power at schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure.

"It takes a long time to not only to clear the pathways to get power crews in, but also fixing the infrastructure and making sure you have the right equipment" in the areas that need fixing, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said Wednesday.

Massive power outages still crippled Florida, where about 3.3 million customers had no power as of Wednesday afternoon, and Georgia, where the number of homes, businesses and organizations affected was almost 352,000.

Impact on nine states

Irma, which stretched 650 miles from east to west, has pummeled at least nine states -- deluging streets, knocking over trees and destroying homes along the way.

At least 33 storm-related deaths have already been reported on the US mainland, according to local officials:

-- Florida has reported 26 deaths, officials have said. That includes eight people who died in Monroe County, which includes the Keys, because of and/or during Hurricane Irma, county spokeswoman Cammy Clark said.

-- South Carolina had four deaths. That includes a 57-year-old man struck by a tree limb during the storm in Calhoun Falls; a 54-year-old man who died in a mobile home because of carbon monoxide poisoning while a generator was running; and a man who died in a car crash in Richland County. Authorities also reported the death of a driver with a Florida license plate, but they gave no details.

-- Georgia had three deaths. A 62-year-old man who was on his roof was killed in Worth County, which experienced wind gusts of 69 mph. Another man was killed in Sandy Springs when a tree fell on his house. And a woman was killed when a tree struck her vehicle in Cumming.