Hurricane Ian slams into Florida leaving cities under water and 1.3million without power
28 September 2022, 23:56
Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida unleashing a 6ft wall of water that plowed through Fort Myers destroying homes and engulfing properties.
Wave after wave could be seen battering the city as the storm reached the United States after earlier killing at least two in Cuba.
An "unsurvivable" torrent of water and 155mph winds crashed into the tropical resort. The speed of the winds make Hurricane Ian only the fifth storm in history to hit land at that speed.
Fort Myers was one of the first cities to be battered by Ian, but early reports said the storm was also leaving a trail of destruction in Naples and Sanibel Island.
Read More: Hurricane Ian could hit Florida as Cat 4 storm after wiping out power supply to Cuba
Locals are reporting that hundreds of people in Naples are stranded on their rooftops, with the population of the town being made up mostly of elderly residents.
And in Martin County, the sheriff's office confirmed that this morning the body of 34-year-old construction worker Cody Dudek was found face down near Palm City.
Across the state 1,103,460 households saw blackouts and governor Ron DeSantis said during a lunchtime update he expected the number to multiply to millions as well as cause $45billion damage.
As Ian travels across Florida in the next 24 hours, it is expected to drop 12 -18 inches of rain on top of coastal surges.
DeSantis urged Floridians to hunker down, noting that it would be a “nasty” couple of days. More than 1.million people were without power on Wednesday afternoon.
