Hurricane Ian Heading Towards South Carolina After Causing Widespread Damage in Florida

Nicholas Rice
·2-min read
A downed tree blocks the road after being toppled by the winds and rain from Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Bartow, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage.
A downed tree blocks the road after being toppled by the winds and rain from Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Bartow, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges and rain to the area causing severe damage.

Gerardo Mora/Getty

Hurricane Ian is continuing on its path of destruction across the southern United States.

After the storm made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a catastrophic Category 4 storm on Wednesday, Ian is now heading towards South Carolina as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds up to 85 mph, according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

Ian had initially weakened to a tropical storm as it made its way through Florida, but when it traveled over the Atlantic Ocean, it grew to become a Category 1 storm.

Ian is now expected to make landfall in South Carolina midday on Friday between Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

The governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia have each declared states of emergency, The Guardian reported. President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency in South Carolina, the outlet said.

RELATED: Hurricane Ian Death Toll May Be in the 'Hundreds,' Florida Sheriff Fears

A blown down street sign is seen as the eye of Hurricane Ian passes by in Punta Gorda, Florida on September 28, 2022. - Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida September 28, 2022, with the National Hurricane Center saying the eye of the storm made landfall at 1905 GMT as high winds and heavy rain pounded the coast.
A blown down street sign is seen as the eye of Hurricane Ian passes by in Punta Gorda, Florida on September 28, 2022. - Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida September 28, 2022, with the National Hurricane Center saying the eye of the storm made landfall at 1905 GMT as high winds and heavy rain pounded the coast.

RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty

RELATED GALLERY: See Photos of Hurricane Ian's Path as Historic Storm Hits Florida

Ian first hit Florida's southwestern coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, causing damage with winds that reached as high as 150 mph. The hurricane snapped apart trees, ripped homes to shreds and tore down power lines across the coastline.

For more on Hurricane Ian, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

Storm surges reached nearly 7 ft. high in areas like Fort Myers, while 12 ft. water levels were recorded in Naples. Photos and videos from the storm shared on social media showed streets that looked like oceans.

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Millions of Florida residents remain without power as of early Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. Most counties with the highest percentage of outages are in the southwest, including Lee, Charlotte, DeSoto and Hardee.

Twelve people have been confirmed dead due to the powerful storm as of Thursday evening, NBC News reported.

Biden, 79, spoke from the FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, where he said, "This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history. The numbers are still unclear, but we are hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life," per CNN.

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