Hurricane Ian time-lapse video shows a storm surge completely inundating Fort Myers

A webcam aimed at the streets of Fort Myers on the Florida coast captured how the city’s streets were submerged several feet under water Wednesday night as Hurricane Ian swept across the state as a Category 4 storm.

In the time-lapse video that can be seen here, the water begins to flow into a street before finally taking over the entire neighborhood. The Lee County area where Fort Myers is located was one of the hardest hit by the storm in Florida, with over 420,000 people still without power as of Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.

Across the state, over 2 million people are still affected by power outages, according to the website.

Fort Myers was among the residential areas hardest hit by the strong winds, rainfall and storm surge caused by the storm, which caused damage to buildings and property, severed power lines and downed trees.

According to city officials, parts of the city were under three to four feet of water. The city of Fort Myers called for a citywide curfew for the next 48 hours beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, the Lee County government warned residents to stay indoors as it “is no longer safe to be on the streets.”

The Tampa Bay-area branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) recommended that those sheltering inside stay away from windows and “put as many walls as possible between you and the outside world.”

Videos shared on Fort Myers’ social media show catastrophic scenes of flooding and destruction as residents expressed concern and sadness at the damage it will do to the community.

Several people, including a 91-year-old man, reportedly found themselves in their homes and vehicles in Fort Myers and other areas across Florida, including Cape Coral.

So far, no deaths related to the storm have been reported. The total damage caused by the storm is still unknown as emergency response was hampered by weather conditions overnight.

Hurricane Ian, the first hurricane to hit the country this year, is now being described as one of the strongest storms to ever hit the United States.

Although Hurricane Ian has weakened to a Category 1 storm, the National Hurricane Center issued Thursday and Friday warnings of life-threatening flooding and storm surges along the coasts of northeast Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.