Hurricane Ian downgraded to Category 2, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns troubles not over

Hurricane Ian has downgraded to a category 1 hurricane, although it continues to batter the Florida Peninsula with maximum sustained winds around 90 mph, storm surges, and major flooding. 

As of midnight, the hurricane is about 70 miles south of Orlando. 

The Global Empowerment Mission, a disaster relief nonprofit located in Doral, Florida, is sending trucks full of humanitarian supplies to help those impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Two 18-wheelers filled with thousands of family necessity kits (food, toiletries, etc.) and other supplies (tarps, etc.) will be loaded at GEM headquarters Thursday morning and will be delivered directly to the impacted areas in southwest Florida, the nonprofit said.

On Thursday, Global Empowerment Mission founder Michael Capponi will join Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at Mission headquarters at approximately 7 a.m. to thank the volunteers who helped pack the trucks before they depart for SW Florida.

More than 2 million Floridians are without power as the Category 2 Hurricane Ian continues to path across the state.

As of 11 p.m. ET Wednesday, reported outages totaled approximately 2,027,852, according to PowerOutage.us.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previously predicted millions would be affected by the massive storm, which made landfall as a Category 4, with sustained winds of 150 mph. Ian has since weakened to a Category 2, with sustained winds of 55 mph, but continues to batter Florida with catastrophic winds and flooding.

Most outages were reported by the Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Energy, and Tampa Electric.

Governors in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia have all made emergency declarations as Hurricane Ian continues to travel north along the eastern coast.

The Nassau County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit safely rescued two people who were sailing in the Fernandina Harbor. The rescue took place around 8:30 p.m.

"Let this be a reminder not to head out on your boat in these dangerous conditions," the NCSO said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday declared a State of Emergency after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida.

In a statement, Gov. Cooper said the declaration is needed to allow farmers and those preparing for the storm to get ready for heavy rainfall.

“North Carolinians should stay aware, keep a close eye on the forecast and prepare their emergency supplies,” he said.

Heavy rainfall, possible flooding, and tornadoes is expected on Friday and Saturday from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

The State Emergency Response Team will activate on Thursday at the State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh and plans to move to 24-hour operations on Friday morning.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after Hurrian Ian made landfall on Florida’s southwest coast with Category 4 force. The storm is expected to impact portions of Virginia starting on Friday, September 30.

“Hurricane Ian is a large, powerful storm, and current predictions indicate that it may impact parts of Virginia later this week into early next week,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin in a statement. 

“We want to ensure that our communities have the resources needed to respond to and recover from any potential effects from the storm. While we recognize that the storm track is still uncertain, I nevertheless encourage all Virginians and visitors to make a plan, have supplies on hand, and follow official sources for the latest forecast information and guidance. Suzanne and I will be praying for those in Florida in the path of the storm.” 

The governor’s State of Emergency declaration will allow Virginia to mobilize resources and equipment needed for response and recovery efforts. 

The Naples Fire Rescue Department was forced to push a fire truck flooded by Hurricane Ian out of the bay and unload it because it seemed as if it might catch on fire.

Scenes from Placida, Florida as severe conditions caused by Hurricane Ian descends on the small community.

Charlotte County, one of Florida's counties on the Gulf of Mexico, grapples with the extreme conditions caused by Hurricane Ian.

"As Hurricane Ian hits the Florida coast, I join all New Yorkers in praying for the safety and well-being of every individual who will be impacted by this terrifying storm," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

"To assist with relief efforts, I have directed the New York Army National Guard to send two CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters and 11 service members to assist the Florida National Guard and provide airlift support as required. They departed from Army Aviation Support Facility 3 at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport and will arrive in Jacksonville, Florida."

"We are grateful for the heroism of these New Yorkers who are answering the call of duty, as well as for the extraordinary efforts of all first responders currently working to provide aid and support to the people of Florida. New York will always stand up and help our neighbors in a time of need." 

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday provided an update on Hurricane Ian hours after it made landfall in Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm.

Speaking at a press conference, DeSantis said the storm surge has likely peaked but has done a lot of damage and is going to continue moving through Florida.

“You're going to see hurricane force winds in places in central Florida,” he said. “It's clearly a very strong tropical storm all the way until it exits the Florida peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean.”

He predicted that Hurricane Ian would “rank as one of the top five hurricanes to ever hit the Florida peninsula.”

DeSantis said he had sent a letter to the Biden administration for a major disaster declaration for all of Florida’s 67 counties requesting the federal government do a 100% reimbursement up front for 60 days to help the state move forward with its response and recovery phase.

On recovery efforts, DeSantis said Florida has nearly 250 aircraft, more than six hundred high water vehicles and more than 300 boats of all drafts and sizes, including 250 already stationed in the major impacted areas and nearly 50 that are staged and ready at a moment’s notice.  

DeSantis urged people to not let their guard down even after the storm had passed, noting that fatalities in past hurricanes were higher post-storm than before.

“In Hurricane Irma, there were seven fatalities directly because of the storm and there were 77 fatalities that were a result of (the) post-storm,” he said. “A lot of that is standing water, downed power lines, and misuse of generators. So, please take precautions.”  

In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, an apartment on the 27th floor sways due to Hurricane Ian's force in Fort Meyers, Florida.

High winds and rain from Hurricane Ian can be seen battering homes and trees in Naples, Florida.

In Fort Myers, Florida, a boat was stranded off the coast of Florida as Hurricane Ian made landfall.

Hurricane Ian, which slammed Florida’s southwest coast with Category 4 force Wednesday afternoon, is moving a pace of roughly 9 miles per hour.

Officials are concerned that the storm’s relatively slow surge could lead to greater rainfall, which cause serious flooding and delay rescues. 

Per FOX Weather, Hurricane Ian is a "worst-case scenario" for Southwest Florida, and the slow forward progress of the storm will add to the height of the surge.

Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm Wednesday afternoon, is now tied for the state's 4th-strongest landfall on record, per FOX Weather.