Hurricane Ian has passed through Florida and has now been downgraded from a Category 4 storm to a Tropical Storm.

It is now moving through the West Atlantic and is likely to impact the east coast of the states of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The governors of these states have already declared states of emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival. 

President Joe Biden announced that federal aid would be provided to the affected counties with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saying that the hurricane’s rainfall was a “500-year flood event” on Thursday morning. 

Here’s what we know about the impact of Hurricane Ian on Florida so far. 

Power outages

A PowerOutage.us showed that of the 11 million customers that it tracks, 2.5 million have lost power. Governor DeSantis said in a news conference that the Lee and Charlotte counties are “basically off the grid at this point.” 

In Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral, 90% of customers have no access to power. Similarly, in Charlotte County 92% have been left in the dark. 

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Rainfall

Hurricane Ian brought with it the tremendous amounts of rain, with some places recording four to five inches of rainfall per hour in some places through Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Radar estimates showed that over a foot of rain was recorded in regions which were hit by Hurricane Ian. 

Storm surges reached as high as 12 feet in some places, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

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Infrastructure

Counties impacted by Hurricane Ian are currently assessing the damage done. In some places, like the Lee and Charlotte counties where the power infrastructure has been completely crippled, Governor DeSantis has said that it will need to be completely rebuilt.

Parts of the Sanibel Causeway were washed away by Hurricane Ian, according to a CNN report quoting its affiliates WBBH and WPLG. Three sections of the causeway have been washed away, according to the report. Governor DeSantis said that the Sanibel Causeway and the Pine Island Bridge are “not passable” and that they would require “structural rebuilds.” The Sanibel Causeway is the only land route from Sanibel Island to Punta Rassa on the Florida mainland.