Hundreds feared dead as Tropical Storm Ian exits Florida

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Hundreds of people are feared dead as Tropical Storm Ian leaves the US state of Florida on Thursday after making landfall as a devastating Category 4 hurricane.

Widespread catastrophic damage has been left in much of southwestern Florida as roughly 2.6 million people continue to lack power, and thousands remain stranded. Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a dire assessment, saying Ian devastated critical infrastructure and homes, leaving enormous work ahead as the state prepares to rebuild.

"The damage that was done has been historic, and this is just off initial assessments," the governor told a news conference. "We’ve never seen a flood event like this. We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude, and it hit an area where there's a lot people in a lot of those low-lying areas."

Ian is now in the Atlantic Ocean as it again strengthens, with meteorologists warning it will again become a hurricane before making landfall in South Carolina on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. A hurricane warning has been issued for the southern state's entire coastline.

The sheriff of Florida's Lee County, the home of Fort Meyers and Cape Coral, said he "definitely" knows the death toll will reach the hundreds as authorities continue to struggle to reach people who have been left stranded by Ian's trail of devastation.

"There are thousands of people waiting to be rescued," Carmine Marceno told ABC News’ Good Morning America program. "We can't access people. That's the problem.”

Marceno later confirmed to CNN that officials have so far confirmed five fatalities.

US President Joe Biden overnight approved a major disaster declaration at DeSantis' request, freeing up additional federal assistance as the state prepares to recover.

During an early Thursday morning call with the governor, Biden said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell would travel to Florida on Friday "to check in on response efforts and see where additional support is needed."

"The President and Governor committed to continued close coordination," the White House said in a statement.