Hurricane Ian updates: Florida death toll climbs
Lee County, which encompasses Fort Myers, accounts for most of the fatalities.
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.
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Cuba without power in wake of Hurricane Ian: Reports
Cuba has lost power after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the island Tuesday, according to reports.
The country's Electric Union said it's working to restore service overnight to 11 million people, The Associated Press reported. The Cuban News Agency had initially reported there is no power.
There is "0 electricity generation" in the country, according to a National Electric System update. "This complicated condition is also associated with complex weather conditions that have affected the SEN infrastructure," the update said.
-ABC News' Mara Valdes, Darren Reynolds
Some Florida residents begin evacuating ahead of Ian's landfall
Some Florida residents have begun evacuating their homes as Hurricane Ian approaches.
People are seeking shelter ahead of the storm, which is currently forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Ian remains a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as of Tuesday might.
It’s moving north-northeast at 10 mph and the center is located about 180 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda, Florida.
There have been multiple tornado warnings in the area over the past few hours. A large tornado was reported on the ground in southern Broward County, near Davie, at around 7:30 p.m. ET.
-ABC News’ Daniel Peck
Satellite images show lightning-packed eye of Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian is barreling toward Florida, and satellite images show the eye of the storm packed with lightning as it strengthens over the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm is currently forecast to make landfall on Florida's western coast on Wednesday between 1 and 6 p.m., somewhere between Port Charlotte and Sarasota.
See the latest maps and read more about Hurricane Ian's projections and possible paths here.
DeSantis on Hurricane Ian: 'This thing is the real deal, it is a major, major storm'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has urged Floridians to take Hurricane Ian seriously as the powerful storm heads to the state.
"You don't get a mulligan when your personal safety is at risk,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday.
About 2.5 million people in the state are under evacuation orders.
"This thing is the real deal. It is a major, major storm,” DeSantis said.
-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds
Ian to be at least Category 1 hurricane when it hits South Carolina
Ian is expected to be at least a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when it makes its third landfall near or north of Charleston, South Carolina, Friday, in the late morning or early afternoon.
Ian, currently a high-end tropical storm with winds up to 70 mph, is moving off the east-central coast of Florida, currently 40 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral. The storm is forecast to regain hurricane strength in the next 12 hours.
Hurricane warnings remain in effect for the entire coast of South Carolina. Charleston already had almost 2 foot storm surge Thursday as Ian gets closer, and storm surge is forecast up to 7 feet.
The storm surge combined with up to 10 to 12 inches of rain is extremely concerning as the area floods easily.
-ABC News' Melissa Griffin