He said the numbers are currently unclear.

But early reports suggest what he called a substantial loss of life.

The storm made landfall as one of the strongest ever to hit the U.

S.

And he's still lashing florida with strong winds and torrential rains, a trail of destruction after making landfall in florida.

Southwest Hurricane Ian left flooded neighborhoods, leaving many trapped.

This hospital was badly affected evacuations in other parts.

Further along the hurricane's trailer ongoing.

Governor DeSantis called the storm historic.

We've never seen a a flood event like this.

We've never seen storm surge of this magnitude and it hit an area where there's a lot of people and a lot of those low lying areas and it's going to end up doing extensive damage to a lot of people's homes.

With the storm already passed.

It was a harrowing experience.

It was just relentless, spinning constantly.

Just over its over here, the metal banging against the building, it's dark.

You don't know what's going on out there 10 o'clock last night.

They're swaying and their brand new like, no, no, no, you can't go stay stay.

But yeah, they're all standing.

All our polls are standing, others were not that lucky.

This could be florida's deadliest hurricane on record.

Us President Biden said the federal government promised help.

The President and our administration are fully committed to offering and supplying federal support to state officials and doing everything we can to help them both in terms of recovery, but also whatever is necessary to ensure that folks are safe and out of harm's way.

Hurricane Ian has left millions across florida without electricity authorities fear even more severe damage.

As the storm continues its trail of destruction on florida's northeastern coast, We'll carry.

Barber is a broadcaster for National Public radio.

She joins us from Fort Myers in florida, which as we've seen has also been badly hit.

Welcome Carrie.

And what can you tell us about the situation there right now?

Well, the damage has truly been catastrophic around here, The Fort Myers Beach is a town that has basically been leveled.

Every building seems to be gone.

Downtown Fort Myers is, there was water almost to the second level cars submerged.

Many people lost homes.

Many people are injured and there is just a huge amount of damage and President biden warning that the storm could be the deadliest in the state's history.

How badly our people being affected.

What are you seeing and hearing there?

We simply don't know the extent of the harm and the injury.

Yet I know that more than 500 rescues have been made in Lee County, which is where Fort Myers is and Charlotte, which is the county just north.

When rescuers get out and about, We will know more.

The Naples.

City manager estimated $200 million well it is going slowly only because they couldn't get out until really late morning today.

Uh It's about three p.m. Here in florida now.

Uh So they've been at it for some hours.

But until the wind and rain died down, they couldn't get out either.

So people have possibly been waiting for help and they may be waiting a bit more.

Is it too soon to start talking about reconstruction and the costs and how that's gonna work?

I think it is, we still have power is still out for about 2.7 million people in the region, which is almost the entire grid.

Uh and authorities say that the infrastructure has been badly damaged to the point where they can't just run around and reconnect things, they have to really rebuild.

So I don't know the full extent, but I know that it's going to take a long time and be very, very deep changes.

Right?

And the storm has weakened now.

What's being predicted for its course?

It is the last I heard.

It's in the atlantic ocean off of the east coast of florida and headed for south Carolina.

It may strengthen to a hurricane again, but there are still tropical storm force winds and flooding in northeastern florida this evening.

Good talking to you, thank you so much for joining us.