Human Interest Hurricane Ian Knocks Out Power for More Than 2.5 Million People in Florida Ian, which made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida on Wednesday has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm by the National Hurricane Center By Phil Boucher Phil Boucher Phil Boucher is an editor at PEOPLE and based in London. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 29, 2022 07:59AM EDT Hurricane Ian. Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock More than 2.5 million people in Florida are without power Thursday morning as a result of the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a catastrophic category 4 storm on Sept. 28, with its 150 mph winds snapping apart trees, ripping homes to shreds and tearing down power lines across the coastline. Storm surges reached nearly 7 ft. high in areas like Fort Myers, while 12 ft. water levels were recorded in Naples. Photos and videos from the storm shared on social media showed streets that looked like oceans. "This is by far the worst storm I have ever witnessed," Ft. Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson said during a call into the Today show on Thursday, noting he'd been in the area since the 1970s. "Watching the water rise from my condo in the heart of downtown, watching it rise and flood out all the stores on the first floor, it was heartbreaking." See Photos of Hurricane Ian's Path as Historic Storm Hits Florida President Joe Biden on Thursday officially declared the state of Florida a major disaster zone, sending federal aid to residents in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. Urgent rescue methods are now taking place to help those stranded by the massive flooding. No deaths have been reported yet. "It's going to be a long recovery but we're going to recover because Floridians are very resilient," Anderson added. Hurricane Ian. Wilfredo Lee/AP/Shutterstock Though downgraded to a Tropical Storm by the National Hurricane Center on Thursday with a sustained wind of 65 mph, Ian is still considered "life-threatening" according to a release by the organization. It's continuing to forge a path of destruction as it moves towards the east-central coast of Florida, pummeling Orlando with torrential downpours as of Thursday morning. Hurricane Ian: How to Help with Disaster Relief Efforts as Catastrophic Storm Makes Landfall According to the NHC, it is currently forecast to return over the Atlantic before traveling northward to Georgia and the Carolinas through Friday "There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge today through Friday along the coasts of northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina," the NHC said at 5:00 a.m. Thursday. "Residents in these areas should follow any advice given by local officials." "Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic flooding, with major to record river flooding, will continue today across portions of central Florida with considerable flooding in northern Florida, southeastern Georgia and eastern South Carolina expected today through the end of the week," the NHC added. Wilfredo Lee/AP/Shutterstock Hurricane Ian made landfall as an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane" shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to the NHC. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned on Wednesday that it was "going to be one of those historic storms," ranking as "one of the Top. 5 hurricanes to ever hit the Florida peninsula." "It's going to really shape the communities in southwest Florida and have a profound impact on our state," he remarked as Ian approached. "We just ask people for their thoughts and their prayers." Hurricane Ian Strengthens as Evacuations Begin and Tampa Prepares for First Direct Hit in a Century National Weather Service director Ken Graham also warned of Ian's potential impacts at a FEMA press conference on Wednesday. "This is a storm we are going to talk about for many years to come," Graham said.