In Pictures: Hurricane Ian Rips Florida, Uproots Homes. Hundreds May Be Dead

Florida Governor Ron Desantis described it as historic. “We’ve never seen a flood event like this,” he said. “It is one of the top five hurricanes to ever hit the Florida peninsula.”

President Biden has since declared it a disaster, approving disaster funding to get the state to a sense of normalcy. He added that though not official, many people are feared dead. “This could be the deadliest storm in Florida history. The numbers we have are still unclear, but we’re hearing early reports of what may be a substantial loss of life.”

Ian made landfall on Wednesday as a category 4 hurricane. It has since weakened to a tropical storm as it barrels up north but is expected to strengthen as it moves over the Atlantic Ocean later on Thursday.

Orlando has since declared a flash flood emergency.