Images from areas hit by Hurricane Ian show how quickly the historic storm swamped Florida.
Ian, now a tropical storm, submerged a hotel pool in Sanibel Island, Florida, in under an hour, as seen in video taken by WFTX reporter Elyse Chengery.
Additionally, footage taken by Loni Architects showed the rapidly deteriorating conditions in Fort Meyers, which took a brutal blow from the storm.
IAN EXPECTED TO BECOME HURRICANE AGAIN AS TROPICAL STORM BATTERS FLORIDA
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office shared photos to social media early Thursday showing trees had damaged property and blocked roadways in the wake of now Tropical Storm Ian.
Ian destroyed a section of the Sanibel Causeway, which connects Sanibel Island and Captiva with mainland Florida, preventing all access for ground vehicles.
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The Sanibel Causeway is a 12-mile stretch of road that rises into a bridge connecting the island with the mainland. The bridge is the only land-access route between the two areas.
Debris litters a street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Punta Gorda, Florida on Sept. 29, 2022.
(Ricardo Arduengo /AFP via Getty Images)
LIVE UPDATES: IAN EXPECTED TO BECOME HURRICANE AGAIN AS TROPICAL STORM PUMMELS FLORIDA
Speaking in a Thursday morning media briefing, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said first responders had descended on southwest Florida following the hurricane.
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Operations are ongoing, with 28 large helicopters between the National Guard and Coast Guard performing rescue missions, and more air assets brought in as the day continues.
Fox News’ Julia Musto, Anders Hagstrom, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
