FLORIDA: Nearly 2 million people were without power and crews were preparing to conduct rescue efforts early Thursday as Hurricane Ian moved across the U.S. state of Florida.

Forecasters warned of life-threatening, record flooding in the central part of the state with the storm expected to emerge off the northeastern Florida coast into the Atlantic Ocean sometime Thursday before making a second landfall in the southeastern United States.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it expects the storm to weaken throughout Thursday, but that it could still be near hurricane strength.

Forecasters said central and northeastern Florida could get 30-50 centimeters of rain, with higher amounts in some isolated areas.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of about 150 kph late Wednesday.

It came ashore earlier Wednesday near Cayo Costa with maximum sustained winds of nearly 250 kph, along with a powerful storm surge and heavy rains that combined to flood coastal areas.

State emergency officials said crews, including those working by land, sea and air, were ready to launch rescue efforts as day broke Thursday.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said it carried out at least 30 rescue missions Wednesday and cautioned residents that Thursday was likely to be “frustrating and heartbreaking for many” as people began to assess damage from the storm.

The county was one of several that instituted overnight curfews.

“We’ll be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday. “And we’ll be there every step of the way. That’s my absolute commitment to the people of the state of Florida.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters Wednesday the storm had done “a lot of damage.”

He praised other states in the region and utility companies that sent crews to help restore power to affected areas.

More than 2 million residents on Florida’s west coast were told to evacuate their homes ahead of the storm.

Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld are among tourist attractions that shut down their popular theme parks and resorts.

The U.S. space agency, NASA, closed the visitors’ center at its Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s eastern coast, and rolled its massive Artemis 1 moon rocket and Orion space capsule from its launch pad back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, further delaying its much-anticipated test flight by several more weeks.

(VOA)