Shocking photos show the extent of devastation left by Hurricane Ian as it raged across southwest portion of the state Sunday, bringing with it historic flooding and widespread power outages.
The stark before and after images show the extent of such flooding as the historic storm heads north to the central part of the state, causing nearby Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina to issue their own state of emergencies.
Fort Myers was one worst battered by Ian, with apocalyptic photos showing homes decimated by its wrath as roads turned into rivers with the tsunami of floodwater.
Naples and nearby Sanibel Island were also rocked by the ‘historic’ hurricane, with images of the latter showing a beachside pool overwhelmed by water as the region saw winds in the excess of 155mph.
The images show the current, embattled state of the Sunshine State’s southwest coast, with more than 1million out of power and forced to their home’s rooftops as water levels are still reported to be on the rise.
Shocking photos show the extent of devastation left by Hurricane Ian as it raged across southwest portion of the state Sunday, bringing with it historic flooding and widespread power outages. Pictured is flooding seen at a Sanibel Harbor Resort this morning
A before image shows a pool and several houses near Estero Blvd in Fort Myers before the storm rocked the city
Photos show the pool was already submerged by noon Wednesday, in a coastal portion of the city known as Estero Island
A few hours later, levels rose even further, leaving several houses almost entirely submerged, with none of the pool and its gate now visible
On Sanibel, an island just west of Fort Myers and northwest of Naples, photos show flooding at the city’s Sanibel Harbor Resort, where water levels reached more than 12 feet.
Gale force winds of up to 155mph, meanwhile, ripped out trees and shattered windows of houses on the island, which is home to roughly 6,400 Floridians.
The island served as the first locale in Florida’s southwest to be hit by the storm, which at that point had reached Category-4 status.
More snaps show some of the nearby area before the flooding started around 10am
Roughly two hours later, the street was almost completely underwater, as winds of up to 155 mph ripped tries out of the earth
By the afternoon, the area was almost entirely unrecognizable, almost entirely submerged by water
The storm would proceed to move through nearby across the narrow channel of sea that separates the island from Fort Myers, where it wrought even worse destruction.
Photos show a pool and several houses on the city’s coastal Estero Blvd before the storm rocked the city. Further images show the pool was already submerged by noon Wednesday, in a coastal portion of the city known as Estero Island.
A few hours later, levels rose even further, leaving several houses almost entirely submerged, with none of the pool and its gate visible.
Another set of images show a shopping center to the right of the pool before the flooding began
By the time made landfall in the city, cars had already been submerged by rising water levels that would eventually surpass 12 feet
Water levels in Fort Myers are still extremely high more than five hours after the hurricane – which was downgraded to a Category 3 storm Wednesday evening – made landfall
Water levels in Fort Myers are still extremely high more than five hours after the hurricane – which was downgraded to a Category 3 storm Wednesday evening – made landfall.
Still-strong winds on the tail-end of the hurricane, meanwhile, are pushing the surge onshore as of Wednesday night, keeping the land flooded.
As of 9pm, the water level has only dropped about eight inches, meaning the pictured areas all still underwater.
Photos show the coastal city in the morning hours before the full extent of the storm was felt
Hours later, many parts of the island – a channel that juts off the rest of the city and into the Atlantic – were underwater
By the afternoon, the devastation in the area was irrefutable – with homes destroyed and debris strewn across the submerged streets
More photos show the coastal city in the morning hours before the full extent of the storm was felt before many parts of the de facto island – a channel that juts off the rest of the city and into the Atlantic – found itself almost completely underwater.
By the afternoon, the devastation in the area was irrefutable – with homes destroyed and debris strewn across the submerged streets.
Earlier in the day, other more southern cities saw similar conditions, with officials invoking a 10 pm curfew in Collier County, including Naples.
Naples in Florida has been completely submerged by floodwater as the coastal town continues to be battered by Hurricane Ian
Houses have been completely destroyed by the water and pieces of the buildings are now being pushed along with the current
Meanwhile, nearly 2 million citizens are without power – up from 1.3 million seen earlier in the evening, when Governor Ron DeSantis warned citizens in an evening address that the worse may have yet to come.
‘This storm is doing a number on the state of Florida,’ the governor said, telling citizens to expect the storm to move through the state today and ‘much of tomorrow.’
The Florida governor further urged residents who decided to brave the storm to stay in their properties or emergency bunkers while the hurricane blasted the coastline and neared on Category 5.
Cars can be seen floating in the 18ft storm surge in Fort Myers, with thousands of homes being submerged underwater as winds batter the trees
One family home had the first story submerged up to it’s roof, with the residents surviving Charlie and Irma safely and refused to evacuate for Ian because they had impact windows and hurricane shutters
Fort Myers, Naples and Sanibel Island have already been flooded, with the beach in Fort Myers currently underwater as stronger rainfall and winds are set to hit
Charlotte Harbor is bracing for the brunt of the water levels, and could see between 12ft to 18ft of surge storm as the eyewall continues to move across the state
A swimming pool and parking lot in Fory Myers has now been completely covered by the flood water as cars are now floating past
Naples Fire Rescue department showed a firefighter battling the undercurrents as he attempted to carry gear into the fire station as the water reached waist height
Roofs were damaged and trees flattened vehicles as emergency services rushed to help those in need in Naples, Florida, as Hurricane Ian hit the coast
Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Florida – in a move to protect the vehicles against the high winds
Properties up and down the coastline have been partially destroyed as the 155mph winds hit, with no major injuries currently being reported as of Wednesday morning
Planes at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines were flipped over by a tornado as several tropical storm warnings were in place across the state
A tree in Sarasota was uprooted and strewn across the street as lashings of rain and wind hit the city
Charlotte Harbor is bracing for the brunt of the water levels, and could see between 12 to 18ft of surge storm as the eyewall continues to move across the state
Residents in Key West, Florida, cross a bridge as a boat floats next to the handrails amid the rising water levels as wind batters the area
An uprooted tree, toppled by strong winds from the outer bands of Hurricane Ian, rests in a parking lot of a shopping center, in Cooper City, Florida
BEFORE AND AFTER: The Pink Shell Resort in Fort Myers has been battered by the storm, with the ocean blue pool being overrun with floodwater
Pictures show water receding from Tampa Bay, due to the movement of the hurricane, as the same phenomenon happened just before Hurricane Irma hit
DeSantis warned those in Collier, Charlotte and Sarasota county that it was ‘too late’ to leave and urged anyone still out on the roads to get to a ‘safe place as soon as possible’
Emergency vehicles are the only ones to brave the extreme weather on the Sunshine Skyway over Tampa Bay which has seen extreme flooding
Water is rapidly receding at Hubbard’s Marina as the eye of the hurricane has hit Florida at Charlotte Harbor on the western coastline
Ron DeSantis warned citizens in an evening address that the historic storm will likely worsen, as more than 1.3 million citizens have be left without power