Thursday 29 September 2022 08:41 PM Stunning aerial pics reveal how deadly hurricane cut a swath through Florida trends now
Stunning aerial photos lay bare the devastation Hurricane Ian left in its wake after it barreled through the Sunshine State, bringing windspeeds of up to 155mph and leaving communities flooded.
Ian came ashore with catastrophic force near Cape Coral Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm, knocking out power to more than 2.6 million residents within just a few hours.
It then cut a path from the southwest corner of the state to the east, before it went off-shore once again near Orlando as it once again gains speed on its way to South Carolina.
Along the way, it brought a combination of wind, rain and storm surges that destroyed hundreds of homes, while closed roads and downed power lines made it impossible to escape Ian's wrath.
Many communities were left flooded in the wake of the excruciatingly strong storm, with Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring it a 'biblical 500-year flood event.'
In some areas, CNN reports, storm surges hit up to 12 feet on Wednesday, with a storm-surge warning — meaning that storm surges could be life-threatening — in place for a stretch of northeastern Florida into an area north of Charleston, South Carolina.
Experts expect the damages to cost up to $260billion, though the clean-up efforts are currently unable to get underway as swathes of Florida remain underwater.
Thousands remain trapped inside their homes, waiting desperately to be rescued, with some forced on to their roofs to escape rising floodwater that swallowed two-story homes.
National Guard crews are now traveling around the state looking for those who are still stranded or were reported missing in the aftermath of the storm.
But officials say they are only 'scratching the surface,' as hundreds are feared dead.
PORT CHARLOTTE: Much of Port Charlotte remained under several feet of water as storm surges reached up to the second story of some homes
FORT MYERS: Some houses were completely leveled in the 155mph winds when the storm struck Wednesday afternoon
SANIBEL ISLAND: Coast Guard crews were working on Thursday to rescue people from flooded areas of the island
FORT MYERS: The heavy winds even damaged some roofs, as experts estimate the damages to cost up to $260billion
FORT MYERS: An aerial photo from a drone shows yachts piled up against each other along the shore
FORT MYERS BEACH: Hurricane Ian brought heavy winds that caused several homes in the Sunshine State to collapse
SANIBEL ISLAND: The main bridge connecting Sanibel Island to Florida's mainland was destroyed in the hurricane
FORT MYERS BEACH: Thousands remain trapped inside their homes, waiting desperately to be rescued, with some forced on to their roofs to escape rising floodwater that swallowed two-story homes
SANIBEL ISLAND: A section of the damaged bridge is pictured here, leaving the island impassable
In southwest Florida, officials are already reporting that at least a dozen people have died as a result of the storm.
CNN reports that one person who was in hospice care died in Osceola County, about five people are believed to have died in Lee County and six deaths were reported in Charlotte County.
Photos and videos from that area show buildings collapsed in the storm, power lines were down — and even a major bridge connecting Sanibel and Captiva's islands to Florida's mainland was destroyed.
In one video posted to Twitter by Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marcino, roads were completely obscured by feet-deep waters as smoke billowed from some of the homes that were destroyed.
'We are devastated,' he wrote. 'Our hearts go out to every resident who is impacted.
'The Lee County Sheriffs Office is mobile, and will stop at nothing to help our residents.'
Speaking to CNN afterwards, Marcino said 'there's really no words that I can say
