ORLANDO, Fla. — After battering Florida's southwest coast, Hurricane Ian continued on its path of destruction, bringing flooding and winds to central Florida.
The city of Orlando experienced historic flooding with more than 14 inches of water in some places.
Orlando Police were continuing to urge residents to stay off flooded streets on Thursday evening.
The Orlo Vista neighborhood was particularly hard-hit. The Orange County Sheriff's Office used a high-water rescue vehicle to get to people there who needed help.
Pictures posted by the department showed officers wading through chest-deep water to rescue people and pets trapped in their homes and vehicles.
A task force of local fire crews was also out in boats helping people who were trapped by floodwater. They rescued more than 100 people from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, according to the city.
The Orange County Fire Rescue department also evacuated 200 people from an assisted living facility by carrying them through the flood waters on stretchers.
The devastation inflicted on Florida began to come into focus a day after Ian struck as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane and one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S.
It flooded homes on both the state's coasts, cut off the only bridge to a barrier island, destroyed a historic waterfront pier and knocked out electricity to 2.67 million Florida homes and businesses — nearly a quarter of utility customers.
PHOTOS: Aftermath of Hurricane Ian shows disastrous damage in southwest Florida
After leaving Florida as a tropical storm Thursday and entering the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Canaveral, Ian spun up into a hurricane again with winds of 75 mph. The hurricane center predicted it would continue to strengthen before hitting South Carolina on Friday, but still remain a Category 1 storm.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.