After devastating Florida, Ian becomes a hurricane again and heads for South Carolina: Live updates

Table Of Content

• Florida counties are 'basically off the grid,' Gov. DeSantis says
• Study first to use LiDAR, aerial imagery to remotely assess structural damage and beach structural changes
• Fort Myers and Naples implement citywide curfews
• Residents arrive at shelters, not knowing whether they will have homes to return to.
• Gov. DeSantis says reports of fatalities in Lee County are unconfirmed
• LATEST NEWS
• North Carolina

“With the potential for hurricane force winds along our coast, it’s important for South Carolinians to plan now." Gusty winds, along with rainfall as the storm passes through could lead to some trees down and power outages. They included two residents of hard-hit Sanibel Island along Florida’s west coast, Sanibel city manager Dana Souza said late Thursday. Three other people were reported killed in Cuba after the hurricane struck there on Tuesday. The hurricane came ashore near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a major Category 4 storm but its maximum sustained winds were only 7 mph less than a Category 5.

Florida counties are 'basically off the grid,' Gov. DeSantis says

North Carolina and South Carolina are forecast to be pummeled by "life-threatening storm surge and hurricane conditions" as the storm creeps closer this afternoon, the hurricane center said. Ian is exiting Florida as a tropical storm — but as it moves back over the water, it could regain hurricane status, drawing power from the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters are warning of potential flooding and other impacts, from Florida to North Carolina. You can follow the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Twitterand Facebook, as well as the websites and social media pages of your county government and emergency management.

Study first to use LiDAR, aerial imagery to remotely assess structural damage and beach structural changes

He stressed that a storm of this magnitude can not only knock down power lines, which can be repaired, but also uproot infrastructure in a way that requires restoration. Authorities have warned that Hurricane Ian will bring significant power outages to Florida. Earlier on Thursday, the administration said FEMA had pre-staged 110,000 gallons of fuel and 18,000 pounds of propane across the impacted region and readied generators that could be used to help power critical infrastructure. Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor urged people not to drive through flooded streets, saying that most vehicles will be flooded by as little as 6 inches of standing water. Marstiller said officials were also working to ensure that health care facilities maintained appropriate temperatures and safe conditions for patients and residents throughout Hurricane Ian. The Coast Guard later tweeted that crews had rescued three people at sea about 2 miles south of the Florida Keys.

Fort Myers and Naples implement citywide curfews

911 and emergency services were also halted on Wednesday, with officials saying winds topping 45 mph made it too dangerous for responders' vehicles to travel. • Heavy rainfall will continue to spread across the county and will intensify, resulting potentially lifethreatening flooding. The storm, which was a Category 4 hurricane as of Wednesday afternoon, would only have a brief, small impact on production, the president suggested.

Boodheshwar says three damage assessment teams tried to go out last night to get a sense of what they would find in the morning, but the team he was with was unable to make it to the south side of the city because of the flooded streets. Jay Boodheshwar, the city manager of Naples, Fla., — just south of where Hurricane Ian made landfall yesterday — spoke to Morning Edition's Rachel Martin about what the storm's impact and aftermath look like there. "The pavement is folded up like an accordion, ripped to ribbons by a powerful storm surge," they wrote. "Nearby, a spiral staircase was deposited in the brush next to a white pickup. The storm flung a boat trailer and other debris, too." The two coastal counties most directly hit by the storm — Lee County, home to Fort Myers and Cape Coral, along with Charlotte County, its neighbor to the north — are “basically off the grid at this point,” DeSantis said.

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Flash flooding and strengthening winds have combined to create hazards making it no longer safe to be on the road, Hillsborough officials said in an email Wednesday morning. The outer eyewall of Ian has reached Florida's Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Many had mandatory evacuation notices, though officials in some areas warned residents who stayed behind not to try to leave Thursday morning, as the hurricane was by then too close to make travel safe. The category 4 storm's high winds could produce destructive waves and storm surge as high as 16 feet from Englewood to Bonita Beach.

Though expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it marches inland at about 9 mph (14 kph), Ian’s hurricane force winds were likely to be felt well into central Florida. In the hours since landfall, top sustained winds had gradually dropped to 90 mph (150 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane crossing the peninsula. Still, storm surges as high as 6 feet (2 meters) were expected on the opposite side of the state, in northeast Florida. At least 19 people have died in the US due to the storm, which made landfall in southwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday afternoon. Weakening to a tropical storm as it crossed the Florida peninsula, Ian has since intensified into a Category 1 storm packing nearly 85 mph sustained winds after reaching open waters.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for all of North Carolina except southwestern portions of the state. Ian made its second landfall as a hurricane in South Carolina on Friday. This brought heavy rain, gusty winds, power outages and some structural damage to Charlotte. The “worst is not yet here,” Pinellas county officials said in an email Wednesday morning. “Our area could experience wind speeds up to 110 miles per hour, storm surge and heavy rain through Thursday morning. Ian made landfall in Lee County with sustained winds of 150 mph, and state officials had warned residents that the powerful storm would likely result in widespread power outages.

North Carolina

KEY WEST, Fla. — Eko Kereselidze looked out at the huge stretch of water nipping at her front door on Wednesday and wondered what to do next. Hurricane Ian had flooded her street in Key West just to her front step, and the authorities were predicting even worse storm surges through Friday during high tides. Wind damaged the roof of the HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte, Fla., a coastal town about 100 miles south of Tampa. The hospital said that the resulting water damage forced patients to be moved to lower floors, but that they were safe, and medical staff were continuing to provide care. The Lee County government advised residents to stay put as the storm continues to sweep across the state.

The devastation inflicted on Florida came into focus a day after Ian struck as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. As of now, the storm is expected to cross Florida, where a hurricane warning is now in effect on the east coast (from Sebastian Inlet north to the Volusia/Flagler County line). It's forecast to enter the Atlantic Ocean and then move north towards the Georgia/South Carolina line and strike as a tropical storm, perhaps on Friday.

In a press conference Thursday morning, DeSantis explained that will allow individual Floridians, especially those who have been displaced by the storm, to seek assistance from FEMA. He also said he expects a similar declaration to be made for other countries in the state. Speaking at a press conference later Thursday morning, DeSantis said officials had not yet been able to confirm any fatalities. Instead, he said, the sheriff had made a guess based on the number of calls the county had received. Meanwhile, nonprofit relief organizations have worked with state and federal officials to fill up warehouses in the region with food, water, clothing and other essentials. In a statement released on Thursday, the day after Hurricane Ian devastated the southwest Florida coast, team officials say the game will not be rescheduled.

This comes from more than 776,000 claims, most of them involving residential property and auto damage. DOWNLOAD the free NBC2 News app for your latest news and weather alerts. A chunk of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people live. “I don’t know how anyone could have survived in there,” William Goodison said amid the wreckage of the mobile home park in Fort Myers Beach where he’d lived for 11 years. The National Hurricane Center says Ian could cause elevated water levels across Florida, and floodwaters may not fully recede for days in some inland areas. Three lanes of outbound I-277 near West 12th Street in Charlotte were closed for several hours due to a loose overhead sign, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.