President Biden is delivering remarks as Florida is reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Devastation in some parts is impeding the restoration and recovery work.
September 29, 2022 Hurricane Ian updates
By Elizabeth Wolfe, Travis Caldwell, Kelly McCleary, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Maureen Chowdhury, Elise Hammond and Seán Federico O'Murchú, CNN
Updated 1:30 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022
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NOW: President Biden speaks in the aftermath of Ian
Drone video from Cape Coral shows homes surrounded by flooding
Water engulfs entire neighborhoods in Cape Coral after Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida's southwestern coast on Wednesday into Thursday, CNN Air drone video shows.
Emergency teams also conducted rescues.
Watch it here:
2 Sarasota bridges reopened to barrier islands, city says
From CNN’s Amanda Watts
Two bridges in the city of Sarasota, Florida, have opened to the barrier islands, according to the city's social media.
“The John Ringling Causeway and Siesta bridges are now open. Ringling Bridge access is limited to residents and business owners with identification,” the post said.
The city noted that water and sewer service have not been restored and residents should plan accordingly.
Residents in mainland Sarasota are now allowed to return to their homes after the devastation of Hurricane Ian, the city posted in another Facebook.
Sarasota Police posted a photo showing a long lines of cars waiting to get to the islands.
The county said they are using a Red/Yellow/Green level system to inform residents about the conditions across the area. Red areas are “unsafe” and have suffered “extensive damage limiting travel.” Yellow areas do not have power and have damage and debris. Green areas are considered safe for the general public.
The map shows Sarasota County split with the north half in yellow and the south half in red. No area of the county is currently green.
View the map here:
At least 3 dead in Cuba from Hurricane Ian, state-run website reports
From CNN’s Patrick Oppmann from Havana
Cuban officials on Thursday raised the number of dead from Hurricane Ian to three people, the state-run website Cubadebate reported.
Previously, Cuban officials had said two people died during the storm as it made landfall in Cuba.
There was no further information provided on how the third victim died.
Although Cuban officials said they had begun to restore power knocked out in Cuba by Ian, large swathes of the island remained without electricity.
On the ground: Chunks of sea wall seen strewn across streets of downtown Fort Myers
As Fort Myers reels in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, huge chunks of sea wall and other debris can be seen on the streets after the flooding subsided from the downtown area.
"We are a few blocks off the water. So that's how far this traveled ... in the water. And you can imagine the force that it would have taken for this kind of piece of stone to move," CNN correspondent Randi Kaye said as she came across several chunks of the sea wall that were waist-high and sometimes, even bigger.
Take a look at the devastation in downtown Fort Myers:
There's major flooding along some Florida rivers as Hurricane Ian causes torrential rainfall
From CNN's Allison Chinchar and Brandon Miller
Recording flooding is already happening in central and northern Florida due to Hurricane Ian as torrential rainfall swells area rivers, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The flood waters are expected to rise further, as well as stretch well beyond the state’s borders in the coming days.
Currently there are 15 river gauge locations in Florida at or above flood stage, nine of those are at major flood stage, and three have reached all-time records.
- The Myakka River in Myakka State Park forecast to reach 13.0 feet (previous record is 12.5 feet)
- Horse Creek in Arcadia forecast to reach 21.4 feet (previous record is 18.0 feet)
- Peace River in Zolfo forecast to reach 26.5 feet (previous record is 25.0 feet)
For most of these locations it will take at least 3 to 5 days before water levels return below major flood stage, and one week before they return to "normal levels".
Nearly 50 locations along dozens of rivers spanning 8 states are expected to reach flood stage, according to CNN analyses of NOAA and USGS flood forecasts.
As Ian moves up the East Coast widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches are expected from Savannah, Georgia to Ocean City, Maryland, with isolated higher amounts of 6 to 8 inches possible.
More than 2.6 million customers are still without power across Florida
From CNN's Jamie Loftus
At least 2,617,257 Florida energy customers are still without power, according to the tracker PowerOutage.us.
In Hardee County, nearly 100% of customers are without power.
In Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral, and Charlotte County, home to Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, about 89% of all customers are in the dark.
In DeSoto County, which includes the city of Hernando, about 92% of customers lost power.
Coast Guard photos show widespread flooding from Ian on Sanibel Island
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Adrienne Vogt
High floodwaters can be seen surrounding homes in US Coast Guard photos from a flight over Sanibel Island, which is located southwest of Fort Myers and Cape Coral.
Portions of the Sanibel Causeway, which connects the island to the mainland, have been washed away, according to aerial video from CNN affiliates.
The US Coast Guard has already performed 28 rescues today, commander says
From CNN’s Naomi Thomas
The US Coast Guard has already performed 28 rescues since they went out in the early hours of the morning today, looking for people who may be in distress, Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson, a US Coast Guard commander, told CNN Thursday.
Most of these were along the coast from Fort Myers to St. Petersburg, he said, adding that Fort Myers rescues were both maritime rescues as well as roof rescues.
The Coast Guard has eight helicopters currently in the air, “blanketing” the southwest of Florida, he said, looking for people who may be in distress.
“Right now, we’re responding to a distress call in Lakeland, Florida, which is between St. Petersburg and Orlando ... they’ve had a lot of rain and flooding in that area,” he said. “We’ve sent a helicopter up there to respond to a report of six people on a roof that need rescuing.”