Stunning Photos Show Hurricane Ian’s Destructive Aftermath

Extremely dangerous conditions persist in Florida as Hurricane Ian, now a tropical storm, moved north along the Atlantic coast, leaving a trail of destruction.

Ian dropped between 6 inches and 20 inches of rain in central Florida, with maximum wind gusts of 140 mph reported in Cape Coral, near where it made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 monster.

As search and rescue efforts ramped up, the number of casualties was unclear. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told “Good Morning America” ​​that the death toll is likely “in the hundreds,” but his office could not confirm the number to HuffPost, and Gov. Ron DeSantis said which was “an estimate” based on the 911 calls from the stop. residents

More than 2.6 million people were without power in the state, according to PowerOutage.us, and it will take some time to fully recover.

“We’ve already restored about three-quarters of a million customers, but it’s clear that the hardest-hit areas near Naples and Fort Myers will take longer,” Florida Power and Light spokesman Peter Robbins told CNN. “We won’t stop until everyone is activated, but I know our customers will need some patience.”

See the latest photos below.