(CNN) — Ian became a tropical storm early Thursday after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane that trapped residents in their homes and left millions without power in what is already being called a “life-changing event.”
The storm made landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa on Wednesday afternoon as one of the strongest storms to make landfall on the state’s west coast, sending rising ocean waters onshore and battering the state with catastrophic winds of 150 miles (240 km). per hour as it moved deeper inland.
It left a trail of destruction and sent authorities scrambling as rescue calls came in from across the state and overwhelmed 911 call centers.
The monster storm flooded roads and homes, uprooted trees, sent cars floating through the streets and left nearly 2.5 million homes and businesses without power early Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Early Thursday morning, authorities reported heavy rain and flooding in the Orlando metro area, where 8 to 12 inches of rain had already fallen and another 4 inches of rain was expected.
Here are the latest developments:
- Downgraded to a tropical storm: Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm early Thursday with winds of 65 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The center of the storm was about 40 miles southeast of Orlando. The storm is tied with 2004’s Hurricane Charley as the strongest storm to make landfall on the west coast of the Florida peninsula, both with winds of 150 miles per hour at landfall.
- Hurricane warnings become tropical storm warnings: Hurricane warnings along the east and west coasts of Florida were changed to tropical storm warnings as the system was downgraded. The East Coast warnings extended north to Cape Lookout, North Carolina.
- Record high storm surges: Hurricane Ian’s storm surge reached as high as 12 feet in some places, while several areas, including Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Naples, experienced record high storm surges of 10 to 15 feet. By Wednesday evening, the storm surge along Florida’s west coast was expected to have peaked and begun to recede, while officials in Tampa warned residents to remain on guard.
- More than a foot of rain: Up to 20 inches of rain was expected in some areas, including Lehigh Acres, which received 14.42 inches of rain, and Warm Mineral Springs, which received 11.05 inches of rain.
- Other states are bracing for Ian’s destruction: The storm is expected to leave Florida and reach the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, where governors in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have already declared states of emergency
Search and rescue efforts are hampered as the hurricane traps residents
As Ian continues to carve a path of destruction through Florida, the state is planning a “three-pronged” search and rescue response, with crews ready to assist residents from the air, on the ground and at sea as soon as it is safe to to do that. officials said.
On Wednesday, calls for help came in several provinces.
In Fort Myers — where about 96% of the city was without power — Fire Chief Tracy McMillion told residents to stay indoors and remain hopeful. “We are coming for you, be encouraged,” he told residents.
Streets in the city’s center were flooded with nearly five feet of water on Wednesday, Mayor Kevin Anderson told CNN.
Crews surveying damage in the city Thursday morning reported debris on the roads, flooding, power lines down, utility poles in the roads, traffic lights out, disabled vehicles and collapsed buildings.
Fort Myers resident Thomas Podgorny told CNN he was trapped in his two-story home with three others, watching vehicles drift outside and worrying about his neighbors who didn’t evacuate.
“I have lost my house. Water and gas are flowing through my ground floor,” Podgorny said. “My neighbors have very little breathing room in their one-story house.”
A couple in Fort Myers said they were trapped in their home when the ceiling collapsed and water poured in.
“Something is dripping on me,” Belinda Collins recalled her partner saying. ‘He got up and the ceiling – the living room ceiling – collapsed.’”
The couple said they called 911 and were waiting for a call about when it would be safe to leave.
In Port Charlotte, the roof over a hospital ICU was torn off by the storm while about 160 patients were inside, Dr. Birgit Bodine, an internal medicine specialist at the facility, told CNN.
Staff moved the patients to a safe place, but they could not yet evacuate due to the conditions outside, the doctor said on Wednesday evening, adding: “It’s actually quite terrible.”
People in nearby Collier County also were without power and trapped in their homes, calling for help.
“Some are reporting life-threatening medical emergencies in deep water. We will reach them first. Some are reporting water entering their home, but not life-threatening. They will have to wait. Possibly until the water recedes,” a Collier Sheriff’s Office statement said County. statement said.
Complicating matters further, neighboring Lee County’s 911 system went down and calls were diverted to Collier County, Chief Stephanie Spell told CNN. “Right now, most of our 911 calls are water rescues,” Spell added.
Elsewhere, conditions were too severe to leave first responders outside.
Emergency services in Charlotte County were unable to respond to 911 calls on Wednesday due to dangerous storm conditions, Patrick Fuller, director of the county’s Emergency Management Department, told CNN.
And in Sarasota, authorities decided to take all police officers off the streets on Wednesday due to wind speeds and dangerous conditions, Mayor Eric Arroyo told CNN.
While other areas began rescue efforts Wednesday evening, authorities in Tampa and Orange County warned residents that the worst of Hurricane Ian was “yet to come” Wednesday evening.
Curfews were in effect for residents of Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties as severe conditions continued.
Monstrous hurricane is already leaving a ‘life-changing’ mark on Florida
Even before the hurricane made landfall, officials knew the damage would be severe and there would be a long road to recovery.
“Ian is going to be a life-changing event. This is a very powerful, catastrophic storm that will cause significant damage,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light.
There will be parts of the infrastructure that crews cannot repair and will need to be rebuilt, which could take weeks, Silagy said.
Jennifer Dexter, a spokesperson for the city of Fort Myers Beach, told CNN that the backup water pumps are malfunctioning.
“If the backup water pump system goes down, that shows how serious it is,” Dexter said.
Lee County Utilities has issued a systemwide boil water notice for all customers effective immediately due to the impact of the hurricane, county officials said. Residents in parts of Pasco County were also asked to boil their tap water as the area’s water distribution system lost pressure and a water main ruptured.
According to an update from the city, Punta Gorda’s water system is empty and boil water notices are in effect.
In Manatee County, it was residents asked to limit flushing, showering, washing dishes and laundry due to power outages affecting the system.
In Cape Coral, authorities received reports of significant structural damage throughout the city, Ryan Lamb, the city’s fire chief and director of emergency management, told CNN.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked President Joe Biden to approve a major disaster declaration for all 67 counties in the state, his office said in a news release. DeSantis is also asking Biden to grant FEMA the authority to provide 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protection measures for the first 60 days after Ian’s landfall.
Where Ian goes next
After encircling Cuba and making landfall in Florida, Ian is expected to move slowly through the central part of the state before entering the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday afternoon, where the weather could strengthen and hit another part of the U.S. could hit.
The governors of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency in preparation for the storm’s potential impact.
According to the National Hurricane Center, there is a danger of “life-threatening” storm surge along the coasts of Northeast Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday and Friday. Hurricane conditions are also possible in those areas.
The storm is expected to drop up to 20 inches of rain in central and northeast Florida, while some isolated areas will receive 30 inches of rain, the hurricane center said.
Near the hurricane’s core, strong winds will continue to spread across central Florida and along the east-central coast overnight.