ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm caused catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding over the Florida peninsula as it made landfall, the National Hurricane Center said.
The center of Ian moved over central Florida through Thursday before emerging over the Atlantic. It is now headed toward the South Carolina coast.
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We will have live updates throughout the day on Friday, Sept. 30.
10:56 p.m. Orlando Health's healthcare system is admitting nearly 30 patients from Lee Health in Lee County. Around half of the patients being transferred to Orlando Health facilities, including Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, require ICU-level care.
9:08 p.m. The Florida Department of Transportation announced Friday night that a section of Interstate 75 is closed because of rising river water.
The Myakka River under I-75 has risen and impacted the interstate, no longer making it safe for drivers, FDOT explains. Because of this, both directions of I-73 are closed from mile marker 179 to mile marker 191.
8:04 p.m. First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the first $1 million distributed through Florida Disaster Fund.
7:16 p.m. Real-time damage estimated performed by Manatee County staff shows more than $37 million in storm damage so far.
6:40 p.m. Port Tampa Bay reopens and returns to normal operations.
6:32 p.m. Publix plans to donate water and ice to the community at 11 a.m. on Saturday at a church in Fort Myers as part of hurricane relief efforts.
5:59 p.m. Allegiant donates $100,000 to the American Red Criss as part of relief funds for people impacted by Hurricane Ian.
5:46 p.m. Hillsborough Department of Health to reopen all offices and clinics on Monday, Oct. 3.
5:23 p.m. Hillsborough County Water Resources urged residents to minimize water use if homes or neighborhoods have lost power. Water that goes down the drain collects in neighborhood pump stations and will overflow without power impact pump stations.
5:22 p.m. The Florida Department of Transportation and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise has resumed full operations at all eight service plazas located along Florida Turnpike/State Road.
5:20 p.m. Tampa Water Department announced the temporary switch to its water disinfection process to chlorine starting Monday, Oct. 3 through Monday, Oct. 24. This routine preventative measure had been previously delayed by Hurricane Ian.
4:50 p.m. TECO reports power has been restored to more than 144,000 customers or about 49 percent of those affected as of late Friday afternoon.
4:45 p.m. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay reopened to the public again and is ready to help shelters that have been affected by flooding and storm damage. The animal shelter said it already picked up six dogs and 14 kittens from a shelter in Hardee County that suffered flooding.
4:20 p.m. Hillsborough County Public Schools reports dozens of schools had damage and debris following Hurricane Ian. Staff will be on-site throughout the weekend to clean and repair items for when school starts back up on Monday.
4:01 p.m. Sen. Rick Scott visited the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center where he joined local officials to assess the damage caused by Ian.
4 p.m. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office plans on deploying deputies to southwest Florida to help in recovery and disaster relief following Hurricane Ian.
2:40 p.m. Tampa Electric expects to restore power to the vast majority of customers by Sunday night, a news release from the utility company said. Some portions of Polk County and eastern Hillsborough County should have power restored by Monday night. Those who were hit harder by Hurricane Ian can expect a longer wait, Tampa Electric said.
2:27 p.m. The City of Tampa says solid waste crews will begin picking up residential debris starting Monday, Oct 3. Residents are asking to leave debris on the curbside until it's collected, collections may not happen on regular collection days.
1:50 p.m. Pasco County Schools announced that schools will reopen on Monday morning.
1:15 p.m. St. Pete Parks and Rec said all recreation facilities will reopen on Monday. They also said all rental permits and recreation programs are canceled through Sunday, Oct. 2.
1 p.m. Polk County schools said it's still unclear if students will return to the classroom on Monday, Oct. 3, due to power outage, storm cleanup and staffing concerns. Find more information here.
12:30 p.m. Manatee County schools will be closed Monday, Oct. 3, due to ongoing recovery efforts related to Hurricane Ian impacts, county administrator Dr. Scott Hopes said. He said this was due in part because school buses cannot operate unless all roads are clear, and standing water and flooding are still major concerns for the county.
11 a.m. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office confirms that two people died due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Officer said both incidents involved people who relied on oxygen machines.
10:50 a.m. The Lightning Foundation and Vinik Family Foundation are donating $2 million toward Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
10:43 a.m. Golf Course Road in Manatee County will be closed from Gamble Creek due to rising water. Drivers are asked to seek alternate routes.
10:25 a.m. The Florida Turnpike Enterprise has resumed operation at SunPass Customer Service Calls and Walk-In Centers.
10:00 a.m. Tampa International Airport has fully reopened. Flights resumed at 10 a.m.
9:50 a.m. Sarasota County schools will remain closed until further notice due to damage from Hurricane Ian, the school district said in a press release.
9:30 a.m.: At least one person has died as a direct result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, according to Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.
The state is working to confirm if the storm was responsible for the deaths of 20 other people, he added. Medical examiners would need to make those confirmations.
9:15 a.m. Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference Friday morning on the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. DeSantis said 1.9 million Floridians do not have power as of Friday morning. Counties including Hardee, Lee, Charlotte, and DeSoto still largely are without power.
DeSantis said crews will be running barges to the islands to bring equipment to aid recovery.
He also reminded Floridians if they are missing a loved one due to the storm to go to missing.fl.gov for help. People living in the hardest hit areas can also fill out the information to provide updates on their well-being.
9:10 a.m. Regular trash pickup and recycling services for St. Petersburg resumes today and will continue into the weekend to catch up on missed routes. Those with Thursday recycling pickup will have their pickup on Saturday.
8:09 a.m. Sarasota County is helping the community after Hurricane Ian. According to the county's Facebook page, crews are responding to calls, providing EMS coverage at evacuation centers, coordinating resources, and evaluating response needs.
8:00 a.m. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is flying areal surveillance over some of the hardest hit areas of Hurricane Ian. The imagery can be seen on Hurricane IAN Imagery (noaa.gov). Visitors on the website can zoom in on the map to see the damage done by the storm.
Below is imagery from the damage on the Sanibel Causeway.
6:30 a.m. Project DYNAMO — the Tampa-based nonprofit comprised of military veterans that has rescued thousands of people in Afghanistan and Ukraine — says it is helping with rescue and recovery in southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian's impact. CEO James Judge said in a release they have been focused on getting people who are trapped off the islands.
6:00 a.m. Haines City Police Department will be giving out free bags of ice at the downtown Lake Eva Complex. The department says supplies are limited and you will need to be a city resident — and show proof of residence — to receive ice.
5:30 a.m. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) says it will reopen to the public Friday, Sept. 30. It urges people to check directly with their airline to get accurate flight information.
4:15 a.m. Two people, a 37-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, died Thursday in Putnam County after their car hydroplaned onto a grass shoulder, flipped over and became submerged in a water-filled ditch, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
According to FHP, the accident happened on Cracker Swamp Road, where there was standing water due to Hurricane Ian, which impacted the Putnam County area as a tropical storm.
Putnam County is located in northeast Florida.
RELATED: FHP: 2 dead in Putnam County after car flips over, submerges in floodwater during Hurricane Ian
4 a.m. Duke Energy said Thursday evening that its estimated time of power restoration for customers in Pasco and Pinellas counties is no later than 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
"The estimated time of restoration indicates when we expect to have the majority of customers restored in that community – for customers that can receive power," including those that do not have extensive damage, the utility said in a statement.
An estimated restoration time for other counties will be provided by 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
Highlands, Polk and Volusia counties will get an estimated restoration time no later than 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
"Strong winds and heavy rainfall continue to impede the company’s ability to restore power, complete damage assessment and provide estimated times of restoration in some areas," Duke Energy said.