Photos and Video: Category 4 hurricane Ian devastates southwest Florida

Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwest Florida just north of Naples and Fort Myers.

At landfall Ian was a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center.

It swamped streets with water and smashed trees along the coast while moving at a snail’s pace that threatened horrific flooding across a wide area, according to the Associated Press.

On Thursday, Ian’s path in southwest Florida trapped people in flooded homes, destroyed the only bridge to Sanibel Island, damaged the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people as it dumped rain across the peninsula, according to the Associated Press.

This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 2:49 PM.