Hurricane Ian.Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock

In this image made from a NASA livestream, Hurricane Ian is seen from the International Space Station on . Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa on Wednesday as a catastrophic Category 4 storm Tropical Weather, Outer Space - 28 Sep 2022

Ianmade landfallnear Cayo Costa, Florida, as a catastrophic category 4 storm on Sept. 28, with its 150 mph winds snapping apart trees, ripping homes to shreds and tearing down power lines across the coastline.

Storm surges reached nearly 7 ft. high in areas like Fort Myers, while 12 ft. water levels were recorded in Naples. Photos and videos from the storm shared on social media showed streets that looked like oceans.

President Joe Biden on Thursday officially declared the state of Florida a major disaster zone, sending federal aid to residents in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

“It’s going to be a long recovery but we’re going to recover because Floridians are very resilient,” Anderson added.

Hurricane Ian.Wilfredo Lee/AP/Shutterstock

An airplane overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian is shown, at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status Tropical Weather, Pembroke Pines, United States - 28 Sep 2022

It’s continuing to forge a path of destruction as it moves towards the east-central coast of Florida, pummeling Orlando with torrential downpours as of Thursday morning.

According to the NHC, it is currently forecast to return over the Atlantic before traveling northward to Georgia and the Carolinas through Friday

“Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic flooding, with major to record river flooding, will continue today across portions of central Florida with considerable flooding in northern Florida, southeastern Georgia and eastern South Carolina expected today through the end of the week,” the NHC added.

Wilfredo Lee/AP/Shutterstock

Tree limbs and palm fronds, knocked down from wind produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian, litter a parking lot of a shopping center, in Cooper City, Fla Tropical Weather Florida, Cooper City, United States

Hurricane Ian made landfall as an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to the NHC.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned on Wednesday that it was “going to be one of those historic storms,” ranking as “one of the Top. 5 hurricanes to ever hit the Florida peninsula.”

“It’s going to really shape the communities in southwest Florida and have a profound impact on our state,” he remarked as Ian approached. “We justask people for their thoughts and their prayers.”

National Weather Service director Ken Graham also warned of Ian’s potential impacts at aFEMA press conferenceon Wednesday.

“This is a storm we are going to talk about for many years to come,” Graham said.

source: people.com