People Trapped, 2.5M Without Power as Ian Drenches Florida

Syndication: Florida Times-Union

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP/77WABC) — Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people.

It’s now aiming for the Atlantic Coast as a tropical storm. One person is confirmed dead and a Florida sheriff said he believes fatalities are in the hundreds.

One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. is drenching the Florida peninsula overnight, threatening catastrophic flooding. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said they still cannot access many of the people that are in need.

“This is a life-changing event for all of us,” Marceno told Good Morning America. “I don’t have confirmed numbers — I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds.”

Marceno noted that conditions were too dire for his officers and other rescuers to get a true sense of the disaster.

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