HURRICANE IAN: Leaves a Trail of Destruction

PDATE (8:00 a.m. ET): Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told Good Morning America that there are fatalities around Fort Myers but doesn’t yet know the exact number. He said, “While I don’t have confirmed numbers, I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds.”

Hurricane Ian is leaving a trail of destruction throughout Florida.

The category 4 storm came ashore on the southwest coast of the state around 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. At the time it packed winds of 150 miles per hour. Storm surges as high as 12 feet hit areas around Naples and Ft. Myers. And it continues to dump more than a foot of rain in a wide band across the peninsula.

As of 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, at least 2 million customers have no electricity. Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he’s been in regular contact with President Biden, who has pledged all available federal resources. The two political rivals have pledged to set aside their differences during the emergency. (NBC News, Politico)

A hospital in Port Charlotte was flooded when the storm surge rushed into the main floor of the building. The roof of the building was also torn off by the powerful wind. It will be days before we know the full extent of property loss across Florida, but videos circulating social media show extensive flooding, houses actually floating away, roofs being ripped off of buildings and toppled trees everywhere.