Horrifying images and videos surfaced Wednesday afternoon showing the catastrophic damage that Hurricane Ian is inflicting on the state of Florida.
Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane Wednesday afternoon after more than two million Floridians were given evacuation orders. With 150 mph winds, Hurricane Ian is tied for the 4th strongest hurricane to ever hit the state.
Approximately one million Floridians have lost power so far as the hurricane makes landfall with the majority of the outages occurring in Lee, Collier, and Sarasota counties.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) warned that residents in those counties, if they chose to ignore evacuation orders, could no longer safely evacuate and they needed to prepare themselves for a bumpy ride.
Videos from the impacted areas showed severe flooding caused by the storm surge, which the National Hurricane Center warned could swell nearly 20 feet above ground level.
One video showed large boats floating through a housing community as a group of people looked onward in shock.
WATCH:
Looks like the boats are out for an afternoon stroll in the city as Hurricane Ian is causing massive destruction in Fort Myers, Florida. #HurricanIan #IanHurricane #Hurricane pic.twitter.com/9ZZI1WRYG4
— Jayden X (@nojaydenx) September 28, 2022
Other videos that were posted on Twitter showed homes being swept away by the massive storm surge.
Naples. Houses are moving pic.twitter.com/nFVY9oP1y4
— reallyryanbush (new acct) (@reallyryanbush) September 28, 2022
Houses are wiped off their foundations and seen floating down streets in Fort Myers Beach as storm surge from Hurricane #Ian moves in.
📹 Cathy Haggins pic.twitter.com/Zw1IOXbgQY
— Zach Covey (@ZachCoveyTV) September 28, 2022
Other videos showed the scary nature of the storm surge from ground level and showed what the area normally looks like without water.
*RARE* first person view of storm surge. This camera is 6 feet off the ground on Estero Blvd in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Not sure how much longer it keeps working. You’ll see it live only on @weatherchannel #Ian pic.twitter.com/WwHtvgVxjY
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022
Here is what this view typically looks like pic.twitter.com/HZjzPBr8h2
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022
A local reporter shared a video showing a fire station being severely flooded as first responders prepared to deal with emergency calls.
Video from Facebook Live of a flooded Naples Fire Station. Thinking of all the first responders working through #HurricaneIan to keep their communities safe. @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/W9NWqx1KC8
— Lauren Pastrana CBS 4 (@LaurenPastrana) September 28, 2022
A local news station shared a video showing how the powerful force of the winds generated by the hurricane, which reached upwards of 155 mph, knocked over power lines and sparked fires.
WATCH!: Video shows a fire caused by a fallen power line in Naples as the wind from Hurricane Ian picks up. pic.twitter.com/b0Ezgnv3QF
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) September 28, 2022