HUNDREDS of people have reportedly died in Florida after Hurricane Ian battered the state with 150mph winds.

The storm has wreaked havoc across the Sunshine State after making landfall on Wednesday afternoon.

President Biden has since declared a major disaster for Florida.

Carmine Marceno, the Sheriff of Lee County, revealed the heartbreaking toll on [object Window] jueves.

Él dijo: “While I don’t have confirmed numbers, I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds.

“Thousands of people are waiting to be rescued, I cannot give a true assessment until we are on scene assessing each scene and we can’t access people that is the problem.”

Marceno described Hurricane Ian as “a life-changing event” for everyone as he said the storm was “unpredictable”.

He revealed that crews “cannot access many of the people in need”, adding that there are thousands waiting to be rescued.

Cops in Lee County urged Americans to only call 911 for emergencies.

Lee County includes the city of Fort Myers which has seen widespread flooding.

FOX Weather reporter Robert Ray branded Ian as “complejo, destructive and violent” as he shared footage of widespread flooding from Fort Myers.

Dramatic videos of the rising floodwaters were shared on social media.

Fort Myers saw a record high storm surge of 7.66 meters, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed.

Y, a shark was seen thrashing around in the rising flood waters.

More than two million Floridians are without power after transformers exploded and power lines were downed by the winds.

Forecasters have warned that between 12-18 inches of rain could fall across central and northeastern Florida as the storm passes over the Sunshine State.

Hasta 30 inches of rain could be seen in some areas, según los meteorólogos

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis prevenido: “This is going to be a nasty, desagradable, two days.”

He predicted that Ian would be among the top five hurricanes ever to hit Florida.