Hurricane Ian: Florida governor warns of 'historic' destruction

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned Hurricane Ian will leave historic devastation, as the storm batters the state with catastrophic wind and rain.

Ian, which has left people trapped in their homes, is expected to set flood records and may be one of the worst storms to ever strike the state.

It continued to wreak havoc as it moved east over Florida on Thursday.

One person is confirmed to have died in the state and some 2.7 million people are without power.

President Joe Biden has declared the storm a major disaster - triggering access to federal funds and disaster relief.

"We've never seen [a] storm surge of this magnitude," Mr DeSantis said on Thursday. "The amount of water that's been rising, and will likely continue to rise today even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flooding event."

Some 30,000 first responders are coming to the state, Mr DeSantis added, although some areas of the state remain inaccessible.

Erik Salna, associate director of the International Hurricane Research Center, told the BBC the damage from Ian would likely leave parts of of the state unrecognisable.

"From what we're seeing now, Fort Myers beach, Bonita Beach, Naples - these places are going to look dramatically different when this is finally done," Mr Salna said. "We just hope that the people who were asked to evacuate did."

Ian has continued to inundate communities with severe rainfall as it moves east to west over the Florida peninsula.

Orlando, a major city in central Florida now just east of Ian's eye, has been battered by heavy rains overnight. One couple who spoke to the BBC said they had spent Wednesday night sheltering in the hotel where they work.

They were anxious to get back and check on the state of their home, they said, although they will face wind gusts up to 96kmh (60 mph) in order to get there.

"Bottom line - this is bad, and it's so sad," the Hurricane Research Center's Mr Salna told the BBC. "It's people, it's families, it's their homes, their businesses, their livelihoods."

On Thursday morning, traffic crawled along a major road that slices the length of the Florida peninsula, with cars heading back towards areas hit hardest by Ian such as Fort Myers and surrounding Lee County.

Almost all of this ocean-side county was without power as of 10:30 local time (15:00 GMT), authorities said, and search and rescue efforts were active.

By Thursday afternoon, Ian had emerged over the Atlantic as it continues its journey west towards North and South Carolina. The US National Weather Service said it expects Ian to intensify into a hurricane once again.

"If Ian continues across the Atlantic there will be a third part to this story," Mr Salna said. "Part one was Cuba, part two was Florida. Part three will be over Georgia and the Carolinas."

How have you been affected by Hurricane Ian? Share your story by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.