More than 2.6 million Florida customers — about 24% in the state — were without power Thursday as now-Tropical Storm Ian continues to move northeast across the state on its way to the Carolinas.
The big picture: Ian unleashed widespread life-threatening storm surge flooding after making landfall as a high-end Category 4 storm near Cayo Costa Wednesday afternoon. Officials in coastal communities were responding to multiple water rescues. In Port Charlotte, storm surge flooded a hospital emergency room, per AP.
- Power outages have increased since Wednesday across the state. The vast majority of customers in many counties in southwestern Florida — including Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota — had no electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.
- Hardee County had close to 100% experiencing outages with 9,504 of 9,544 customers without power.
The latest: Thursday brought more outages to the east coast.
- Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach, had about 68% without power Thursday while neighboring Seminole County had nearly 50%.
- Orange County, home to Orlando and theme parks, has more than a third of customers without power.
Meanwhile, boil water notices were issued in several counties — including Collier County, where the City of Naples was inundated with floodwaters.
Zoom in: Naples' Fire Rescue Department shared online video of their station flooded by about three feet of water.
- The Collier County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that officers were "getting a significant number of calls of people trapped by water in their homes" after Ian swept through.
Of note: Hurricane Ian weakened to a Category 1 storm overnight, but the National Hurricane Center said it's still pummeling areas of the Florida Peninsula with powerful winds, storm surge and "life-threatening, catastrophic" flooding.
By the numbers: Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state's southwest saw surges as high as 12 feet in some areas.
- Ian caused over 6.18 feet of surge in Naples at 1pm Wednesday ET — a new record for the city, per a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitoring station.
What we're watching: DeSantis said 30,000 lineworkers, including many from other states, were moving to help with power restoration efforts across Florida.
Flashback: The hurricane left all of Cuba without power late Tuesday after the storm swept through and severely flooded the island.
More from Axios:
- Hurricane Ian closings: Universal Studios, Disney, stores, schools and more closed
- Flight cancellations top 1,900 as Hurricane Ian nears Florida
- Insurance tips for homeowners pre- and post-Hurricane Ian
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
