As Hurricane Ian nears landfall at close to Category 5 speed, FEMA Director Deanna Criswell warned Floridians of the dangers ahead, including those after the storm passes.
Watch the full briefing in the player above.
LIVE MAP: Track the path of Hurricane Ian
The hurricane appeared on track to slam ashore somewhere north of Fort Myers and some 125 miles (201 kilometers) south of Tampa, sparing the bay area from a rare direct hit from a hurricane.
The area is popular with retirees and tourists drawn to pristine white sandy beaches and long barrier islands, which forecasters said could be completely inundated.
Catastrophic storm surges could push as much as 12 to 18 feet (3.7 to 5.5 meters) of water over a nearly 100-mile (160-kilometer) stretch of coastline, from Bonita Beach north through Fort Myers and Charlotte Harbor to Englewood, the hurricane center warned. Rainfall near the area of landfall could top 18 inches (46 centimeters).
"This is a devastating storm for parts of Florida, not just on the southwest coast, but also inland associated with some of these impacts. This is going to be a storm we talk about for many years to come. It's a historic event," said National Weather Service Director Ken Graham.
Overnight, Hurricane Ian went through a natural cycle when it lost its old eye and formed a new eye. The timing was bad for the Florida coast, because the storm got stronger and larger only hours before landfall. Ian went from 120 mph (193 kph) to 155 mph (250 kph) in three hours, the second round of rapid intensification in the storm's life cycle.
There were 250,000 people in the Fort Myers and Lee County mandatory evacuation zones, and authorities worried ahead of the storm that only 10 percent or so would leave.
"For those people who didn't evacuate and are now being asked to stay in place, they need to make sure that they're getting to high ground," Criswell said. "And that they are putting themselves and their families in a position that is going to keep them safe. For those that are still being asked to evacuate, take them seriously, evacuate and get out of harm's way."
Parts of Florida's east coast faced a storm surge threat as well, and isolated tornadoes were spinning off the storm well ahead of landfall. One tornado damaged small planes and a hangar at the North Perry Airport, west of Hollywood along the Atlantic coast.
Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian's path to brace for days without electricity. As a precaution, hundreds of residents were being evacuated from several nursing homes in the Tampa area, where hospitals also were moving some patients.
Criswell also warned of dangers after the storm.
"Once the storm passes and individuals go out into this water, the water is still dangerous … It's still going to be moving rapidly. It's still going to have debris in it. It's still going to have downed power lines in it. So there's so many different dangers after the storm passes that also contribute to some of the indirect fatalities that we see after a storm," she said.
Parts of Georgia and South Carolina also could see flooding rains and some coastal surge into Saturday. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp preemptively declared an emergency, ordering 500 National Guard troops onto standby to respond as needed.