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Hurricane Ian could hit South Carolina around high tide Friday, worsening the flood danger, forecasts say
From CNN's Taylor Ward
Hurricane Ian is intensifying as it moves toward the coast of South Carolina and, according to NOAA Tides and Currents, it could hit the state around high tide on Friday.
In Charleston, a city that is especially vulnerable to coastal flooding, the high tide is at 11:41 a.m. ET. In Myrtle Beach, high tide is at 11:18 a.m. ET.
Hurricane Ian is expected to move onshore near or just after these high tide times, according to forecasts.
Why this is important: Tidal ranges along the Eastern Seaboard are much larger than they are in the Gulf of Mexico. Ian initially made landfall in Cuba before hitting the southwestern coast of Florida on Wednesday.
In Charleston and Myrtle Beach, the difference in water levels from high to low tide is around 6 feet. This could be critical because a storm surge of 4-7 feet on top of high tide will exacerbate the flooding in low-lying areas.
Read more about the danger of storm surge:
Orlando International now among other Florida airports set to reopen Friday
From CNN's Pete Muntean
Orlando International Airport will reopen at noon ET on Friday, according to a tweet from the airport.
Earlier Thursday, CNN reported that airport officials did not yet have a reopening timeline.
Jacksonville International Airport also said in a tweet that it will reopen Friday, along with several other of the state's 11 airports.
The Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, which was hard hit by Hurricane Ian, will remain closed except to emergency personnel and humanitarian flights, according to a statement.
In photos: Florida communities survey the damage after Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian carved a devastating path across Florida on Wednesday. Here are some photos showing the scale of the destruction a day later.
Matlacha, a tiny island off Southwest Florida, is cut off after a road collapse, resident says
From CNN's Amanda Musa
Matlacha, a tiny island between Pine Island and the Florida mainland, is completely cut off after Hurricane Ian, according to resident Chip Farrar.
“There's a big misconception that the Matlacha Bridge is out, and I just want to clarify that the bridge is not out, but the road that leads to the bridge has 50 feet missing that was just washed away,” Farrar told CNN on Thursday.
As a result, Farrar said people on the island cannot drive to the mainland. A bridge located nearby has also collapsed, Farrar said.
Farrar has lived in Florida for more than 20 years and had never seen a storm as bad as Hurricane Ian.
“We were as prepared as we could be,” Farrar said. “I've been here since 2000. And I've never seen anything remotely close to this, including Charley.”
Charley struck Florida in 2004 as a Category 4 hurricane.
Power outages declining — but still more than 2.3 million customers without power
From CNN's Virginia Langmaid
More than 2.3 million Florida customers are without power, as outages are slowly fixed, according to PowerOutage.us.
Earlier on Thursday, 2.6 million customers were reported to be in the dark.
Some of the counties with the highest percentage of customers without power are still Hardee, Charlotte, Lee and Highlands counties.
In addition, 10 more counties are reporting more than 10,000 customers without power.
"Some of it was just concrete slabs." DeSantis describes Ian's aftermath in Fort Myers Beach
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Following a tour of storm-ravaged parts of the state Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said some of the damage he saw was “indescribable.”
At a news conference Thursday night, the governor said the worst damage was on Fort Myers Beach.
“Some of the homes were wiped out. Some of it was just concrete slabs,” he said.
DeSantis said he is still not prepared to discuss a statewide death toll from Ian, but said they "absolutely expect to have mortality from this hurricane." A CNN tally of reports from local officials indicates that at least 17 people died in Florida due to the storm.
The governor said rescue crews are still responding to people on Sanibel Island, where the only bridge providing access to the island is now impassible, but most people they've encountered want to stay in their homes.
US Coast Guard conducted 68 rescues Thursday, including several people on Sanibel Island
From CNN’s Amanda Musa
The US Coast Guard conducted 68 rescue operations in Florida on Thursday, according to Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, Commander of the US Coast Guard’s 7th District.
McPherson told CNN that count was included in the 700 state-wide rescues that Gov. Ron DeSantis reported Thursday night.
“Very early in the morning, we had eight helicopters that were blanketing the area of Southwest Florida," McPherson said.
Several rescues were on Sanibel Island, which has been cut off after a major bridge to the mainland collapsed, he said.
“We actually conducted some rescues, as the governor said, we also saw people that were safe and sound. Now whether they're going to be able to stay there many more days without the services that they need. I'm a little bit doubtful about that," McPherson said, adding that crews will continue to search for and rescue people on Sanibel Island.
“We're certainly going to redouble our efforts tomorrow to make sure that we haven't missed anybody,” McPherson said.
Some background: Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza reported two fatalities on Sanibel Island. CNN is currently reporting there are five deaths in Lee County.
At least 2 people died on Sanibel Island, local official says
From CNN’s Amy Simonson
Residents who didn't evacuate Sanibel Island are stranded after Hurricane Ian’s wrath caused significant breaches to the causeway that links them to the Florida mainland.
About 200 households did not evacuate prior to the storm, Mayor Holly Smith said.
Due to the damage to the causeway, first responders are only able to get to the island by boat to make assessments.
Approximately 40 people were taken off the island Thursday, 12 of whom had sustained injuries, Holly said.
Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza reported two fatalities on Sanibel Island. CNN is currently reporting there are five deaths across Lee County.
According to Souza, officials will return to the island Friday and resume their assessments. Emergency responders will search most of the properties on the island and make sure no one is left, he said.
“We can’t invite residents back to the island now, and I know that this is hard, and you want to get back, and you want to see your homes,” Souza said. “It’s still too dangerous until we can complete this assessment.”
There is limited equipment on the island to remove debris because it was evacuated prior to the storm.
“The island is in rough shape, Sanibel Police Chief William Dalton said. "The power infrastructure is severely damaged. I would be surprised that there's a single structure on the island that hasn't been impacted by the storm.”
Chainsaws, generators, power lines: Emergency management official warns of hazards after the storm
Florida Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie is urging people to be aware of potentially dangerous hazards in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian as residents start to clean up — including generators, chainsaws and fallen power lines.
He said at a news conference Thursday that there are “significantly more” indirect deaths from disasters that are "100% avoidable" than deaths from a disaster itself.
Guthrie told Floridians to watch for power lines that are mixed inside fallen trees and warned against getting on ladders and roofs.
“If you do not know how to use a chainsaw, if you do not know how to climb a ladder, if you do not know the difference between a cable line and a power line, you should not be doing that. Leave that to the professionals," Guthrie said.
“People need to be extremely careful," he added.