- Photos and video show destruction from Hurricane Ian in south Florida.
- The category 4 storm is approaching the state after making landfall in Cuba Tuesday and leaving the island without power.
Hurricane Ian, the category 4 storm that hit Cuba and is currently hitting south Florida with rain and wind, has caused mass destruction of much in its path.
First touching down in Cuba on Tuesday, the storm left the island without power after destroying the entire power grid.
Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday afternoon, and the storm has already caused major flooding in Fort Myers and left 300,000 Floridians without electricity.
—Kaitlin Wright (@wxkaitlin) September 28, 2022
—Ashley Graham (@ashleygrahamtv) September 28, 2022
Experts are expecting up to 18 feet of water to be pushed on land in the storm surge.
Photos and videos of the state being walloped by the storm have started circulating, showing the devastation Ian has already brought.
—Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022
A weatherman reporting live from Fort Myers said he can see three or four feet of water from his spot on a balcony. He added that winds are up to 100 mph and that this is "one of the worst hurricanes I've ever been in," he said.
—The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 28, 2022
One Twitter user posted photos of flooding from the storm surge in Fort Myers, showing houses almost completely submerged in water.
—Beth ️ (@itsbethbooker) September 28, 2022
Other cities in south Florida are being similarly rocked by the storm, with photos from Sarasota, Cooper City, and the Florida Keys showing trees ripped from the ground and other scenes of major flooding.
Orlando International Airport canceled all commercial flights starting Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, Walt Disney World in Orlando announced that the park would be shutting down Wednesday and Thursday due to the hurricane.
Sunken Gardens, a self-described "botanical paradise" in St. Petersberg, said on Twitter that their animals are "safe with staff on site to see them through the storm," and attached a photo of their flamingos have a "hurricane party" in the bathroom.
—SunkenGardens (@SunkenGardens) September 28, 2022