Hurricane Ian updates: Florida death toll climbs

Lee County, which encompasses Fort Myers, accounts for most of the fatalities.

ByJulia Jacobo, Teddy Grant, Kevin Shalvey, Emily Shapiro, Melissa Gaffney, Meredith Deliso, Jon Haworth, Nadine El-Bawab, and Stephanie Guerilus
Last Updated: October 4, 2022, 7:27 AM EDT

The remnants of Ian are charging up the East Coast on Saturday after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in South Carolina on Friday afternoon.

The monster storm made its first U.S. landfall on Wednesday on Florida's west coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, shredding homes with ferocious winds topping 150 mph. Florida's death toll has climbed to at least 81, according to information from local officials.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Sep 29, 2022, 5:20 AM EDT

Biden and DeSantis update schedules for Thursday

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will be holding his next press conference on the latest developments of Hurricane Ian at 8:45 a.m. ET at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

President Biden, meanwhile, will visit FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to receive an update on Hurricane Ian at 12 p.m. ET.

While Hurricane Ian is expected to become a tropical storm on Thursday, the storm has battered southwest Florida and has left more than 2 million people without power so far.

Sep 29, 2022, 2:15 AM EDT

Ian now 75 mph Category 1 hurricane, expected to become tropical storm later this morning

As of the 2 a.m. ET advisory this morning, Ian continues to maintain its hurricane status.

However, it has weakened to a 75 mph Category 1 hurricane and is expected to become a tropical storm later this morning before emerging off of Florida’s east coast.

Ian’s new track will be issued and updated again at 5 a.m. ET.

-ABC News' Riley Winch

Sep 29, 2022, 2:09 AM EDT

2.3 million customers without power, Florida providers say

Florida's electric providers said more than 2.3 million customers were without power at about 2 a.m. local time.

Utility trucks are staged ahead of Hurricane Ian, near the Florida Turnpike, Wednesday, on Sept. 28, 2022, in Wildwood, Fla.
Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

Florida Power & Light, the state's largest provider, reported more than 1.1 million outages for its 5.7 million customers.

“Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic winds will mean parts of our system will need to be rebuilt -- not restored,” the company said on Twitter late Wednesday. “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.”

-ABC News’ Keith Harden

Sep 29, 2022, 12:38 AM EDT

Portions of Fort Myers under up to 4 feet of water

Portions of Fort Myers are under up to 4 feet of water, the city said late Wednesday night, and residents are being told to stay inside as first responders try and assess the damage from Hurricane Ian.

"We need to ensure that the roads are clear so that our first responders and our assistance crews can go out there and help everyone that needs us," the city wrote on Twitter. "PLEASE, please, please stay inside."

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