Photos: Hurricane Ian leaves 'historic' damage in Florida

Christopher Wilson and Yahoo News Photo Staff
Updated ·4 min read
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Hurricane Ian caused “historic” damage after making landfall in Florida, leaving more than 2.5 million without power.

In a briefing Thursday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “The impacts of this storm are historic and the damage that was done has been historic, and this is just off initial assessments.”

An aerial view of damaged homes and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Damaged homes and debris in Fort Myers, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on Thursday. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

“We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude, and it hit an area where there’s a lot of people and a lot of those low-lying areas, and it’s going to end up doing extensive damage to a lot of people’s homes. So there’s going to be a lot of work to do,” DeSantis added, calling it “basically a 500-year flood event.”

“You’re looking at a storm that has changed the character of a significant part of our state,” he said. “This is going to require years of effort to rebuild."

An aerial photo of damaged homes and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Devastated homes near the coast in Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday following the Category 4 hurricane. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

Sanibel Causeway and Matlacha Pass Bridge, which connect barrier islands near Fort Myers to the mainland, were declared “impassable” by DeSantis, who said they would require structural rebuilds. Images from Fort Myers Beach showed much of the nearby community leveled by the Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph.

Authorities transport a person out of the Avante nursing home in Orlando amid floodwaters.
Authorities transport a person out of the Avante nursing home in Orlando. (John Raoux/AP)

The White House said Thursday morning that President Biden had been in communication with DeSantis about Federal Emergency Management Agency aid for hurricane victims, including approving a formal disaster declaration for the nine counties hit hardest. There was no official death count, with the governor saying there were two deaths possibly tied to the hurricane that had yet to be confirmed.

Downgraded to a tropical storm on Thursday, Ian is expected to make landfall in South Carolina on Friday as a hurricane. The governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia have declared states of emergency.

An aerial view of a flooded neighborhood in Fort Myers, Fla., damaged by Hurricane Ian.
An aerial view of a flooded neighborhood in Fort Myers, Fla., following Hurricane Ian. (Po3 Kruz Sanders/Us Coast/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire)
Stedi Scuderi holds a broom amid the wreckage of her apartment in Fort Myers, Fla.
Stedi Scuderi looks over her apartment in Fort Myers on Thursday after floodwater inundated it. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A man stands in the middle of an empty street near a downed traffic light in Orlando.
A man near a downed traffic light on Orange Avenue in Orlando on Thursday. (Gary Bogdon/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Boats are scattered on land near the coast amid debris in Fort Myers.
Boats are scattered amid debris in Fort Myers. (Marco Bello/Reuters)
A large commercial sign lies in a parking lot after being toppled by the heavy winds and rain.
A commercial sign in Bartow, Fla., toppled by the winds and rain from the hurricane. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
A woman standing with one hand on her hip and the other hand on her forehead stands while she inspects the damage in her flooded apartment.
Stefanie Karas stands in her flooded apartment in Fort Myers on Thursday assessing the damage. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A aerial view of flooded homes, some of them inundated to the point where just the roofs are showing.
Homes in Lee County, Fla., inundated with floodwater on Thursday. (WPLG TV via ABC via Reuters)
Downed street signs in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Downed street signs in Punta Gorda, Fla., on Thursday. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images)
An aerial view of flooded homes in Lee County, Fla.
An aerial view of flooded homes in Lee County, Fla., on Thursday. (WPLG TV via ABC via Reuters)
A person stopped on his bike looking at the damage in flooded Centennial Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
A person on a bike in flooded Centennial Park in Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday. (Crisobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
A section of the Sanibel Causeway in Lee County appears to have fallen into the water.
A section of the Sanibel Causeway in Lee County that was knocked out by Hurricane Ian. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A woman sits on stairs outside an apartment building next to a large boat that was pushed against her Fort Myers apartment
Brenda Brennan on Thursday sits next to a boat that was pushed against her Fort Myers apartment when Hurricane Ian passed through the area. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A worker clears debris and palm fronds in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., following Hurricane Ian.
A worker cleans debris in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., following Hurricane Ian. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
A man stands in the yard outside his home in Valrico, Fla., looking at a tree that has fallen on to his roof, creating a large hole in the structure.
A man surveys damage to his home in Valrico, Fla., on Thursday. (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Damaged boats and debris are stacked along the shore.
Damaged boats and debris are stacked along the shore in Fort Myers, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)
Firefighters in a small boat make their way down a flooded street, helping people stranded by Hurricane Ian.
Firefighters in Orange County, Fla., help people stranded by Hurricane Ian early Thursday. (Orange County Fire Rescue's Public Information Office via AP)
A spiral staircase lies in the brush next to a white pickup truck.
A spiral staircase lies in the brush next to a pickup in Sanibel, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Boats are seen pushed up on land against a causeway as cars drive by.
Boats are pushed up on a causeway in Fort Myers. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A man bikes through water past a downed street lamp.
A man bikes through water past a downed street lamp in Fort Myers on Thursday. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)
Broken-up pavement just before the Sanibel Causeway as a car drives by.
Broken-up pavement just before the Sanibel Causeway. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A statue of a mermaid with blond hair and a blue tail is washed up on the shore.
A mermaid statue on the shore in Fort Myers on Thursday. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)