Florida Power Outage Map, Update as Hurricane Ian Leaves 2M Without Power

An estimated 2.3 million people across Florida are currently without power, according to PowerOutage.us, as Hurricane Ian moved through the state overnight as a Category 4 storm.

Much of the southwest was hit by catastrophic flooding, which damaged the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and left people trapped by water in their homes.

PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks blackouts across the country, shows that the most affected areas in Florida are DeSoto County, with a power outage estimated at 99.9 percent and over 18,000 people affected, Charlotte, with a power outage estimated at 98.4 percent and over 125,000 people affected, and Hardee, with an estimated power outage of 91.23 percent and over 8,000 customers left in the dark.

Also significantly affected are other counties in southwest Florida including Collier, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Okeechobee, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office reported overnight that it had received calls from people trapped by water in their homes and some with life-threatening medical emergencies. It wrote that emergency services will get to these people first, as the county is operating on a "triage mode."

No deaths were reported in Florida by Wednesday night.

With power cut off in so many areas of the state, emergency responders have been forced to wait until the morning to start rescue operations. Electricity outages and communications problems mean the extent of the damage caused by the hurricane is still unknown.

Florida Power & Light, the largest power utility in the state, wrote on Twitter that the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian will force the company to rebuild part of its system.

"Hurricane Ian's catastrophic winds will mean parts of our system will need to be rebuilt —not restored. Be prepared for widespread, extended outages as we are assessing the damage. We are already at work restoring power where we can do so safely," the company wrote on Twitter.

More than a million Florida Power & Light customers are still without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

Duke Energy, a provider that has more than 490,000 customers affected by the blackout, wrote on Twitter that "nearly 10,000 lineworkers, tree professionals, damage assessors and support crews will begin repairs when conditions safely allow. Repair work can be lengthy and difficult depending on strength and duration of Hurricane #Ian."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on Twitter that more than 42,000 linemen are ready to join power restoration efforts across the state. He also launched a disaster fund where people can contribute to help Floridians affected by the hurricane.

Hurricane Ian had previously hit Cuba, where it killed two people and brought down the country's entire electrical grid.

The hurricane, which is being described as one of the strongest to hit the U.S., has weakened to a Category 1 storm but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned against the possibility of "life-threatening" flooding with Ian expected to hit central and northern Florida on Thursday.

"Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic flash and urban flooding,
with major to record flooding along rivers, will continue across
central Florida," the NHC wrote. "Widespread considerable flash, urban, and river
flooding is expected across portions of northeast Florida,
southeastern Georgia, and eastern South Carolina today through
the weekend."