TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Ian left behind catastrophic damage across portions of southwest Florida, making landfall as a Category 4 storm and pushing in a devastating storm surge.
As it pressed inland, the storm dumped at least a foot of rain across a wide swath of the Florida peninsula, which is causing — and will prompt — river flooding.
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Here's some of the damage we're seeing reported so far:
Hurricane Ian Florida damage reports
- In Southwest Florida: Exclusive Sky10 aerial video shows the catastrophic damage in Fort Myers Beach, Naples, Sanibel Island, Estero Island and Iona.
- In Lee County: The sheriff's office shared aerial video showing damaged roads, flooded streets, and buildings and homes completely destroyed.
- In Venice: 10 Tampa Bay reporter Miguel Octavio shared a photo of the Venice Theatre, which had its walls completely torn down by strong winds. The Venice Theatre is one of the largest community theatres in the U.S. and has been a staple of the Venice community since the 1950s.
- In Clearwater: Photos taken by the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Division show windswept and deserted Clearwater Beach. Crews said no one should get into the water, as conditions are still volatile.
- In Fort Myers: Video taken by Twitter user Bobby Pratt shows structures at Fort Myers Beach completely leveled.
- In Lee County: A photo posted to Facebook shows South Beach Grill in Boca Grande before and after Hurricane Ian. The "after" picture shows the restaurant almost completely leveled.
- In Tampa: In a tweet, Tampa Electric said they are already working to restore power to the community after damage caused by Hurricane Ian damaged powerlines.
- In Tampa: Tampa police posted photos of officers working to remove debris, including fallen signs, branches and trees. They asked motorists to stay off the road while they work to make conditions safe.
- In Sarasota: 10 Tampa Bay reporter Miguel Octavio took a picture of an uprooted tree with the base pulled almost horizontal to the ground.
- In Manatee County: The Manatee County Sherriff Office stated in a post on Twitter that traffic lights in many intersections are out. When approaching an intersection with a broken traffic light, treat it like a four-way stop.
- In Charlotte County: The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office announced at around 9:15 a.m. Thursday that first responder services had resumed.
- In Fort Myers: Fort Myers police posted a short video on Twitter of fallen trees and powerlines into roadways. They instructed residents to stay off roadways for their own safety.
- In Lee County: Portions of the Sanibel Causeway, which connects Sanibel Island with mainland Florida, was damaged due to storm surge from Hurricane Ian. It is the only way for vehicles to access Sanibel Island.
- In Venice: Multiple mobile homes on N. Waterway in Country Club Estates were damaged early Thursday in a fire in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Multiple law enforcement agencies and fire departments responded and were able to bring the blaze under control around 2:50 a.m. No one was hurt.
- In Fort Myers: A view from the Oasis Grand Apartments shows the extent of flooding caused by Hurricane Ian.
- In Sarasota: 10 Tampa Bay reporter Miguel Octavio shared a picture of a shed that had blown from his neighbor's yard into his own.
- In Sarasota: Crews are removing trees, powerlines and other debris on roads in downtown Sarasota. 10 Tampa Bay reporter Miguel Octavio was at the scene Thursday morning as first responders worked to clear roads.
- In Bonita Springs: Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno spoke about rescue and first response efforts, as well as damage to the area in a press conference.
- In Naples: Naples Fire-Rescue posted a video of a water rescue from Wednesday, saying it's a reminder to stay off flooded roads when possible. The department also said that water had receded from their building and they were able to respond to calls again.
- In North Port: Around 10:45 p.m., North Port Police said winds had died down enough for a special response crew to begin assessing damage and conducting any needed rescues.
- In Fort Myers: The studio at fellow CBS affiliate WINK News experienced extreme storm surge flooding as Hurricane Ian made landfall. Those who were still in the building evacuated to the second floor of the building.
- In St. Petersburg: A viewer sent in this photo of a tree down in the Lynn Lake area of South St. Pete.
- In downtown St. Pete: 10 Tampa Bay's Jenna Bourne also came across a tree that fell on a red Corvette.
- From the Tampa Police Department: There are wires down closing Himes Ave. south of MLK Blvd. to Tampa Bay Blvd. They also posted a video of a large tree that fell at the 300 block of W. Frances Ave.
- In Hillsborough County: The sheriff's office reports a downed tree at Morris Bridge Rd. and Pictorial Park Dr. They also report having received several calls of downed power lines. A street light has been reported down and blocking westbound lanes of Bloomingdale Ave. at US 301, as well.
- In Lakeland: 10 Tampa Bay's Aaron Parseghian has seen a street light down and branches in the streets as winds begin to pick up.
- In Fort Myers: Videos are circulating of massive flooding from the storm surge throughout Fort Myers Beach. The Town of Fort Myers Beach has asked people to not rush back to the island with "significant levels of Hurricane Ian related damage."
- In Lee County: The county government gave a public update at 5:30 p.m. and described a bleak picture of the damage. While they haven't been able to fully assess damage because conditions remain dangerous, officials said "we are beginning to get a sense that our community has been in some respects decimated." They described "tremendous damage" to Fort Myers beach and Sanibel Island. In an update just before 8 p.m., Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said there were "reports of buildings compromised, we have reports of vehicles just floating out into the ocean."
- From the Lee County Sheriff's Office: They report, and shared a video of, their temporary outreach center disconnecting from its foundation and being swept away by storm surge.
- In Lee County: This video shows the storm surge bringing flooding to Sanibel Island.
- In Englewood: Viewer sends in a video of damage at their pool.
- In Naples: The fire department shared a video of an apparent electrical fire that broke out as power lines have fallen.
- In Port Charlotte: Videos are circulating of winds and rain sweeping through as Ian approaches landfall, plus a report of collapsing cranes.
- From the Naples Police Department: Flooded roads have been reported at: 1st Ave./Gulf Shore Blvd. N (impassable SB for several blocks); 1590 Pelican Ave.; Crayton Cove (completely flooded); Neapolitan Way/Crayton Rd. (completely impassable); 1000 Sandpiper St.; Seahorse Ave./Seagate Dr.; 201 Goodlette Frank Rd. S; Gordon Dr./18th Ave. S (impassable); Gulf Shore Blvd. S/12th Ave. S (impassable 12th to 18th); 600 Park Shore Dr. (EB side flooded); 5th Ave. S/Goodlette Frank Rd. (from Goodlette to 4 Corners impassable); Binnacle Dr./Starboard Dr. (impassable); Sandpiper south of Bluepoint impassable; 2600 block of Leeward In (SB and NB under water); 1200 5th Ave. S (two feet of water into restaurants); Park Shore Bridge.
- From the Naples Fire-Rescue Department: Video of heavy flooding at their station:
- From the Collier County Sheriff's Office: Authorities reported multiple parking garages on the coast are flooded with water, even above the roofs of cars. Severe flooding has been reported on Marco Island and Isle of Capri. "We cannot respond to your individual requests to check flooding on roadways," the sheriff's office advised. "This is an evolving emergency and we are still experiencing significant impacts." They tell anyone trapped by flood waters or in a life-threatening situation to call 911.
- In Punta Gorda: A view of damage in the city of under 17,000 residents, which saw some of the strongest winds reportedly in excess of 120mph.
- In Bradenton: The city warns its wastewater treatment plant is in danger of overflowing.
- From the Bradenton Police Department: They posted a photo of a downed awning near Motorworks Brewing Company, and a video of trees down. The department also posted a video of what winds were looking like around 6:30 p.m.
- At Marco Island: All roads and bridges are now impassable, the police department reports. They posted a video of major flooding.
Numbers you can call to report damage
- In Tampa: A citizen information line is available at 1 (833) TPA-INFO (1-833-872-4636). Power outages can also be reported to TECO at 1-877-588-1010.
- In St. Petersburg: Report fallen trees/limbs to the St. Pete Service Center at 727-893-7111. You can also report issues to seeclickfix.com/st-petersburg.
- In Pinellas County: The County Information Center is open at 727-464-4333. The sheriff's office notes this is not an emergency line. For emergencies, still dial 911.