Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now speaking at his latest briefing on the hurricane.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.

Image source, Getty Images

There are fears the "monster of a storm" could cause historic levels of flooding in Orlando, says Cristian Benavides, Miami correspondent for CBS News.

He says the area is vulnerable to flood risk as it is built on swampland, and cites a meterologist from the National Weather Service as saying Ian has brought as much rain as would normally fall over six months.

He says the size and force of the hurricane has created devastating damage.

"Hurricane Charlie back in 2004 went through that exact same area of Florida. The entirety of that hurricane could fit through the eyewalls of Hurricane Ian," he says.

"In Fort Myers, there was 12ft (3.7m) of storm surge. One county official said the surge was powerful enough to push a home off its foundation," he adds.

US President Joe Biden has approved federal disaster funds for nine Florida counties in the wake of Hurricane Ian, the White House has said in a statement, external.

The move allows access to federal grants to help affected residents and business owners secure temporary housing, repair homes, get low-cost loans for uninsured property losses and generally recover from the effects of the disaster, it said.

More areas could be approved later as officials evaluate the damage following the storm.

"Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and additional areas may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed," the statement said.

Biden is due to visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's headquarters in Washington later on Thursday for a briefing on the storm.

Image source, Reuters

Dan Allers is a councillor in Fort Myers Beach, south-west Florida - one of the worst affected areas hit by the storm.

Speaking to the BBC, he says he estimates that the area saw a 12 to 14ft (3.5-4m) storm surge with "excessive" winds.

"To say it's devastation would be a severe understatement. Just watching people's belongings and homes and things float by - it was a very tough scene to witness," he says.

Allers says he is from the Midwest and has experienced several tornados. "If you can imagine multiplying one by 100, and having it sustained for about 12 hours - and adding the water rush in at 14ft, that gives you just a little bit of a glimpse as to what it was like," he says.

"I've just got off the phone with the fire chief for our area. In his words, he said to use the word 'catastrophic' would be a severe understatement. We have lost most of our entertainment district, many, many businesses, many, many homes. They're starting the search-and-rescue efforts as we speak," he adds.

Alexandra Ostasiewicz
Reporting from St Petersburg, Florida

Along the waterfront in St Petersburg, residents are waking up in relief having dodged the worst of Hurricane Ian.

Officials are urging people to continue to shelter, saying the storm still poses a danger.

But as daylight broke some locals were already venturing out for a jog.

Boat owners walked the docks looking for any signs of damage and fire rescue vehicles could be seen driving around.

But for now, there is minimal structural damage in the city once braced for the worst.

Image source, Getty Images

The damages from Hurricane Ian will be catastrophic, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has warned.

The US government body, which protects people from natural disasters and other hazards, says that thousands of people could be displaced in the long-term.

"I don't think that we can quantify it yet," Director Deanne Criswell told CNN when asked about damages from the storm. "But I can tell you that it is going to be catastrophic."

Image source, Getty Images

Ian will see rain settle across parts of Georgia and North Carolina today, with risk of further flooding, BBC Weather's Ben Rich says.

There will also be lots more rain across north-east Florida as the day progresses.

"Although the winds have weakened somewhat, that storm has moved overland, the rain has just kept on coming.

"The impacts from this storm will continue to be felt. The impacts have been widespread, and in some places, catastrophic."

Image source, Reuters

US Vice-President Kamala Harris - who is currently visiting South Korea - says the US government is fully committed to providing all necessary support to those affected by the hurricane:

"Images we are getting back are devastating in terms of the damage and the impact.

"The president and our administration are fully committed to offering and supplying federal support to state officials and doing everything we can to help them both in terms of recovery, but also whatever is necessary to ensure that folks are safe and out of harm's way.

"I would urge anybody who is watching this to please pay attention to and follow the directions and instructions of your local officials including evacuation orders."

We are restarting our coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, as Florida begins to assess the damage from one of the most dangerous storms to hit the US in years.

• The category four hurricane has left 2.4 million homes and businesses in Florida without power and floodwaters surging inland
• It made landfall at around 15:10 local time (19:10 GMT) on Wednesday, smashing into the coast with wind speeds of up to 241km/h (150mph)
• It has been losing power as it moves in land, and has been downgraded to tropical storm
• Wind speeds have dropped to around 65 mph (100kph) as the storm heads north over Florida
• The Weather Prediction Center told residents in the Central Florida Peninsula to expect "widespread life-threatening, catastrophic flash and urban flooding"

• It is forecast to continue moving across central and northern Florida, before moving into the Atlantic Ocean later
• On Friday, it is projected to move northward to Georgia and South Carolina

• The city of Fort Myers and its surrounding county have declared a curfew after reports of looting

• President Joe Biden will receive a briefing on Thursday at the Federal Emergency Management Agency

Image source, Reuters

We're now pausing our coverage of Hurricane Ian, here's what's been happening:

• Hurricane Ian is losing power as it moves inland, packing wind speeds of 90mph (150km/h), which would make it a category one storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale
• It is forecast to continue moving across central and northern Florida, before moving into the Atlantic Ocean later
• On Friday, it is projected to move northward to Georgia and South Carolina
• Power outages in Florida have struck over two million homes and businesses, according to website poweroutage.us
• The city of Fort Myers and its surrounding county have declared a curfew after reports of looting

• President Joe Biden will receive a briefing on Thursday at the Federal Emergency Management Agency

Image source, .

A hurricane hunter who flew into the eye of Ian hours before it hit Florida's coastline has described the storm as the worst of his career.

Nick Underwood was on a reconnaissance mission with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States.

"I will always remember Ian, at least until the next time I find a storm that I say is the worst one.

In that video, you know, I'm trying to hold it up to show the the flight level data... it just seems to kind of go on forever."

He added that at points he thought that they may have been in a "bad spot" but the expertise of his team got them through.

Watch the video of the flight below.

Hurricane Ian is now heading through central areas of Florida, raising concerns for theme parks around Orlando such as Disney World.

Jason Allen is a CBS correspondent reporting from Tampa, on the western side of the state.

He told the BBC that things were much calmer and drier where he is, but plenty of flash flood warnings were still in place.

He added that residents in eastern areas such as Daytona Beach were now braced for the storm and those trapped in flooded buildings further south, where the storm first hit, are still awaiting rescue.

Hurricanes are among the most violent storms on Earth and there’s evidence they’re getting more powerful.

So how do they form and what impact, if any, is climate change having?

Jacksonville International Airport, in north-east Florida, cancelled all of its flights scheduled for Thursday.

In a tweet, external, the airport said its terminal will be closed and passengers should contact their airline for rebooking options.

On Wednesday alone, some 1,961 flights within, into and out of the United States were cancelled, according to the website Flightaware, external.

Meteorologist Mike Seidel, who works for the US-based Weather Channel, has posted dramatic video from storm-battered Fort Myers.

The ferocious winds can clearly be heard as they whip the Florida coastline.

He tweeted: "I haven't experienced anything close to this in over 30 years."

Nasa is watching what's happening with Hurricane Ian very carefully - because it has delayed a launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Crew-5 mission with Nasa and SpaceX is taking a four-person crew to the ISS, and was originally meant to launch from the Kennedy Space Centre on Florida's east coast on Monday.

Nasa says it will now launch no earlier than 4 October.

“Mission teams will continue to monitor the impacts of Ian on the Space Coast and Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and could adjust the launch date again, as necessary,” the American space agency said in a blog post.

Image source, SpaceX

Florida was braced for a storm surge - yet in the hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall, a rare phenomenon exposed the sea bed as the waters receded.

Heres why.

Image source, Getty Images

As a state on the Atlantic coast, Florida is no stranger to hurricanes. But some have been more intense than others.

Here is a list of the most notable in recent history:

Hurricane Andrew (1992)

• Andrew hit the Florida city of Homestead as a Category 5 storm in August 1992, with maximum wind speeds of 165 mph (265 kmh)
• It is the most destructive hurricane to hit the state, and at the time caused unprecedented damage amounting to $25bn (£23.22bn)
• 250,000 people were left homeless, 15 people were killed directly by the hurricane and dozens of others died from related causes
• A BBC team caught up with residents of Homestead 20 years later, who remember Hurricane Andrew as a life-changing event that altered preparedness and construction standards

Hurricane Charley (2004)

• Charley hit Cayo Costa, an island on Florida’s Gulf Coast, as a Category 4 hurricane in August 2004. Nine people were killed directly by the storm, and the state suffered $6.8bn (£6.3bn) in damages.
• Its peak winds hit 150 mph (240 kmh), making it the strongest to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Irma (2017)

• Irma hit Florida’s southern coast on Marco Island as a Category 4 hurricane. It was known for its large size and slow movement, which made its destruction worse. Seven people died directly from the storm, and around 65,000 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed
• Irma cost the state $50bn (£46.43bn), making it the most expensive hurricane to hit Florida

Hurricane Michael (2018)

• Michael made an unprecedented fall in the Florida Panhandle region as a Category 5 storm in October 2018, with maximum wind speed of 161 mph (259 kmh). Its damage, particularly from Panama City Bach to Cape San Blas, was catastrophic. Eight people died directly from the hurricane - seven in Florida and one in Georgia. Another 43 indirect deaths were related to the storm.

Many people evacuated the southern state before Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday, but others are remaining and seeking shelter indoors.

Mark Pritchett told AP News he was terrified as he stepped outside his home in Venice around the same time the storm made its way across the Gulf of Mexico.

He said rain was "shooting like needles".

Although Hurricane Ian dropped to category one as the storm moved inland, officials have repeatedly urged Floridians to be careful.

Adding that once the storm has gone past, it can present many hazards at the backend.

This map on the website poweroutage.us, external shows large swathes of southern Florida is still without power.

Officials have warned that blackouts will continue until recovery operations can begin, after the storm passes.

Image source, poweroutage.us