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🌀 Follow Ian's journey live
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2 mins ago
Florida power company says it's unclear when power will be restored to the state's west coast
By Hannah Sarisohn
While Florida Power & Light has restored power to 1.4 million customers, it could take "weeks to turn on the lights for everyone," a spokesperson for the utility company told CNN.
David Reuter, the company's director of communications, told CNN's Boris Sanchez that 2.1 million customers initially lost power because of Ian and roughly 700,000 of his customers remain without power.
FPL's focus remains on the state's western counties, where Reuter said it could take weeks to restore power there.
Power should be restored to all parts of the state except parts of the state's battered West Coast by Tuesday, he said.
"We're not going to stop until all the customers have electricity again," Reuter said.
According to Reuter, FPL has spent billions of dollars strengthening the state's power grid with concrete and steel materials, as well as building underground power lines.
13 mins ago
More than 1.7 million customers in four states without electricity
A lineman works to restore power in Ft. Myers, Florida, on September 30.
(Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
There are more than 1.7 million customers in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia without power as Ian's remains continue to affect the East Coast, according to PowerOutage.us.
Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone, moved inland overnight and is expected to weaken and dissipate over North Carolina or Virginia on Saturday night, CNN reported.
More than 1.25 million customers in Florida are without power as energy officials continue to work to slowly get customers back on the grid in the state.
There are about 346,000 customers in Lee County who are still in the dark.
More than 337,000 customers in North Carolina have lost power, mostly in the central region of the state.
In South Carolina, some 57,000 customers are without power in the northeastern part of the state.
In Virginia, more than 91,000 customers have lost power.
33 mins ago
Biden approves emergency declaration for North Carolina
By Betsy Klein
President Biden approved an emergency declaration for North Carolina overnight after Hurricane Ian.
According to a White House statement:
"The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts for the purpose of alleviating hardship and suffering caused by the emergency in the local population, and provide adequate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or prevent the threat of catastrophe in the 100 counties of North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
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37 mins ago
Hurricane Ian wipes out hotels on Sanibel Island
Many beach huts lining the shores of Sanibel Island were washed away by storm surge from Hurricane Ian, new NOAA aerial images show.
Most of the houses on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are still standing, but appear to have sustained some type of roof damage, in addition to some damage from storm surge and flooding.
Near Casa Ybel Beach Resort, there are big scars in the sand: the waves eroded much of the beach and dunes.
1 hour ago
More than 640 patients were evacuated from 6 medical centers due to Ian
By Melissa Alonso
More than 640 patients were evacuated from six health care facilities in Charlotte, Lee, Sarasota, Orange and Volusia counties, according to an update from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
AHCA teams have completed screenings at all health care facilities in Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties, and "expect to have all screenings in DeSoto, Hendry, Highlands and Hardy counties complete by Friday night." "said Friday's update.
Power has been restored to 230 health care facilities since the storm made landfall, the AHCA said.
It's unclear how many facilities lost power.
Hurricane Ian