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The death toll from Tropical Storm Ian remained unclear early Thursday after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said it brought “historic” damage to the state, hours after President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Florida amid what the National Hurricane Center described as “catastrophic flooding” over east and central parts of the state.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
“We’ve never seen a flood event like this,” DeSantis said.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sept. 30
A man walks through floodwaters in Orlando following Hurricane Ian.
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Sept. 30
A submerged Corvette sits in flood waters in Orlando.
Gary Bogdon/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Gary Bogdon/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Sept. 30
Drivers line up to buy gasoline in Port Charlotte.
Win McNamee
Win McNamee
Sept. 30
A couple arrive at their business office in Cape Coral to check for damage.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Marco Bello/Reuters
Sept. 30
Volunteers with the Metropolitan Ministries World Central kitchen prepare sandwiches that will go to Hurricane Ian survivors, in Tampa.
Chris O'meara/AP
Chris O'meara/AP
Sept. 30
A home flooded by Hurricane Ian in Naples.
Courtesy of Heather Donlan
Courtesy of Heather Donlan
Sept. 30
A family gathers in a flooded parking lot outside their neighborhood in New Smyrna Beach.
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 30
An aerial view of flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Ft Myers.
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Sept. 29
The pavement near the causeway to Sanibel, Fla., is damaged by a storm surge from Ian.
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Sept. 29
A section of the causeway leading to Sanibel was knocked out by Ian.
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Sept. 29
A spiral staircase lies in the brush next to a white pickup near the Sanibel Causeway.
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Sept. 29
Storm-damaged businesses in downtown Fort Myers, Fla.
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Tampa Bay Times/AP
Sept. 29
Water levels recede toward normal in Tampa.
Ted Richardson/For The Washington Post
Ted Richardson/For The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Vehicles make their way through a flooded area of Fort Myers after Ian passed through the area.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Sept. 29
Boats are pushed up on a causeway in Fort Myers after Ian passed through.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Sept. 29
Flooding and storm damage in Fort Myers.
Thomas Simonetti/For The Washington Post
Thomas Simonetti/For The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Firefighters in Florida's Orange County help people stranded by the storm.
Orange County Fire Rescue's Public Information Office/AP
Orange County Fire Rescue's Public Information Office/AP
Sept. 29
Authorities transport a person out of the Avante nursing home, in Orlando.
John Raoux/AP
John Raoux/AP
Sept. 29
People embrace as they survey property damage from Hurricane Ian in Bonita Springs, Fla.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sept. 29
Stedi Scuderi looks over her flood-damaged Fort Myers apartment.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Sept. 29
Damage is seen in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers.
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Sept. 29
Streets signs are down in the aftermath of Ian in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 29
A man walks through debris on a street in Punta Gorda.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 29
A stoplight pole blown down by storm winds rests on Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando.
Willie J. Allen Jr./AP
Willie J. Allen Jr./AP
Sept. 29
A partly submerged vehicle in a flooded downtown Orlando.
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Sept. 29
An Orange County Fire and Rescue first responder makes her way through floodwaters in Orlando looking for local residents in need of help.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Sept. 29
People look at property damage along a beach in Bonita Springs.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sept. 29
A partially collapsed section of the Sanibel Causeway in Fort Myers.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Sept. 29
Damage is seen in Fort Myers.
Thomas Simonetti/For The Washington Post
Thomas Simonetti/For The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Jake Moses, 19, left, and Heather Jones, 18, walk through a section of destroyed businesses in Fort Myers Beach.
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/AP
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/AP
Sept. 29
Damaged homes and debris in Fort Myers Beach.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sept. 29
Heavily damaged manufactured homes in North Port, Fla.
Octavio Jones for The Washington Post
Octavio Jones for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
A damaged mobile home in Venice, Fla.
Octavio Jones for The Washington Post
Octavio Jones for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Smoldering Fort Myers homes in the aftermath of Ian.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sept. 29
A Lee County home ablaze and inundated after Ian tore through the area with howling winds, torrential rains and raging surf, causing massive power outages.
Handout/Reuters
Handout/Reuters
Sept. 29
The storm surge flung a boat atop a vehicle in Fort Myers Beach.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Derek and Ciara Deshane seek water, food and shelter while walking with their daughters Spirit, 6, and Callie, 2, and dog, Angel, in Fort Myers Beach.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Kathy Cook, right, and her family survey the damage to, and collect items from, her RV that was toppled in the storm at the Creek Side RV Resort in Punta Gorda.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Ryker Fous, 11, hauls tree limbs off his family’s lawn in Fort Myers.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Livestock navigate a flooded field on Sanibel Island.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sept. 29
Motorists drive along a flooded street in Fort Myers.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Marta Lavandier/AP
Sept. 29
Washed-up boats and destruction at Fort Myers Beach.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 29
Damaged airplanes and hangars at the Punta Gorda Airport.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Gerald Herbert/AP
Sept. 29
A downed and damaged McDonald's sign in Venice.
Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg
Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg
Sept. 29
Robert Leisure surveys the wreckage of his business, Getaway Marina, in Fort Myers Beach.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Sept. 29
Debris is piled up at the end of a cove in Barefoot Beach.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Marta Lavandier/AP
Sept. 29
People kayak on floodwaters in Fort Myers Beach.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Sept. 28
A view of the Davis Island Yacht Club overlooking Tampa Bay.
Octavio Jones for The Washington Post
Octavio Jones for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
High surf hits the beaches before dawn at the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier.
USA Today Network/Reuters
USA Today Network/Reuters
Sept. 28
Lew Hendrix collects palm branches blown down by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
A TV crew broadcasts from the beach in Fort Myers ahead of Hurricane Ian.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Marco Bello/Reuters
Sept. 28
A man walks away from the beach ahead of Ian in Fort Myers.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Marco Bello/Reuters
Sept. 28
Traffic lights in Fort Myers are swayed by strong gusts of wind ahead of Hurricane Ian.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Marco Bello/Reuters
Sept. 28
Wind blows palm trees ahead of Hurricane Ian in Charlotte Harbor, Fla.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 28
“My mom wants me home at 1 o’clock,” said 17-year-old Alston Barrow, who took advantage of an unusually low tide on the Hillsborough River to fish as Hurricane Ian approached in Tampa.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
People play in the surf through the rain on Cocoa Beach.
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 28
Scott Houston and Dana Sardinas brave the wind and rain as Hurricane Ian approaches Tampa.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
Crystal Carithers tries to stay dry beneath a shelter at DeSoto Park in Tampa.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
Peter Currin documents the weather at Sarasota Bay as a gust of wind blows leaves and debris around.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sept. 28
Wind gusts blow debris across the John Ringling Causeway in Sarasota.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Sept. 28
This satellite image, courtesy of the U.S. Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch, shows Ian's eye making landfall near Cayo Costa.
Agustin Paullier/RAMMB/AFP/Getty Images
Agustin Paullier/RAMMB/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 28
A boat rocks on the waves of the Gulf of Mexico in Dunedin.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 28
A Naples firefighter carries gear in water from the storm surge.
Naples Fire Department/AP
Naples Fire Department/AP
Sept. 28
People use a flashlight while walking through a hallway during a power outage in Fort Myers as the storm makes landfall.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Marco Bello/Reuters
Sept. 28
Brent Shaynore runs to a sheltered spot through the wind and rain in Sarasota.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Sept. 28
Wind and rain pick up in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa.
AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 28
A sign was blown down as the eye of storm passed by Punta Gorda.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 28
Fallen trees and debris lie across a parking lot in Fort Myers.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Marco Bello/Reuters
Sept. 28
Downed palm branches litter a road in downtown Tampa.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
FROM LEFT: Hilton employees Louie Fonseca, Frankie Monica, Bryan Kinbacher and Jaime Miranda use rope to secure the front door at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Myers, Fla.
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/AP
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/AP
Sept. 28
An uprooted tree, toppled by strong winds from the outer bands of Hurricane Ian, rests in the parking lot of a shopping center in Cooper City, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sept. 28
Bill Bravato’s dog Ryder gets tangled in her rain jacket while Bravato hurries a walk with Ryder and Togo as the outer bands of Hurricane Ian arrive in Tampa.
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Ted Richardson for The Washington Post
Sept. 28
Pets take shelter in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Ian at Erwin Technical College, a pet-friendly shelter for people with special needs, in Tampa.
Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
Sept. 28
An airplane overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Sept. 28
City employee Martin Lisi carries a snapped-off stop sign to his truck in Hollywood, Fla.
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Sept. 28
Gary and Sharon Adams clear their yard of debris in Hollywood, Fla.
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Sept. 28
Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her mobile home in Davie, Fla.
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Sept. 28
Ivan Mendoza begins to repair damage to his mobile home in Davie, Fla.
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP
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Photo editing and production by Troy Witcher and Stephen Cook