See Photos of Hurricane Ian's Path as Historic Storm Moves from Florida to South Carolina

An aerial view shows endless damaged homes in Fort Myers, Florida, the morning after the storm, Sept. 29. Gov. Ron DeSantis called the storm a "500-year flood event" as the hurricane made its way across the state. Here is how you can help those who are (or will be) affected; as of Thursday morning, more than 2.5 million people were without power with more bad news to come. At least 21 people were reported dead by Friday morning, with thousands more unaccounted for as the downgraded but still dangerous storm makes landfall in South Carolina.

On Sept. 30, Charleston is pummeled with rain as Ian makes landfall as a category 1 storm.

The rains are blinding in Charleston on Sept. 30.

National Guard trucks drive through flood waters in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sept. 30.

A damaged 7-Eleven sits abandoned on Sept. 30 in Cape Coral, Florida.

In New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on Sept. 30, people wade through the flooded streets.

A beachfront collection of shops is destroyed by rubble and boats in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A home in Orlando stands submerged on Sept. 29.

Members of the Florida National Guard look for stranded residents on Sept. 29.

The Orange County Fire rescue unit works in a flooded neighborhood of Orlando on Sept. 29.

An aerial shot of Fort Myers, Florida, shows washed-up boats and damaged homes on Sept. 29.

A man attempts a bike ride through Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Rows of homes are damaged along Fort Myers Beach on Sept. 29.

In Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29 stand the smoldering remains of a home.

A drone photo shows damage along the shore of Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

The roof of a home is completely gone in Punta Gorda, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A person sits atop a pontoon in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Despite sunny skies on Sept. 29, winds continue to blow across damaged homes in Punta Gorda, Florida.

A power line dangles on Sept. 29 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Tons of downed trees cover a man's belongings in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Cars make their way through flooded roads in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A broken utility pole sits atop a Fort Myers, Florida, home on Sept. 29.

A tree is completely inside a house on Sept. 29 in Valrico, Florida.

Vehicles attempt to drive through the covered roads of Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Downed trees and street signs dot the flooded streets of Punta Gorda, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Firefighters use a boat to help rescue stranded residents in Orange County, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A huge tree is lifted out of the ground by the roots in Bartow, Florida, on Sept. 29.

In Orlando, downed traffic lights block a street on Sept. 29.

A truck attempts to enter the highway in Orlando on Sept. 29.

Abandoned, damaged cars float on the side of I-75 in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A biker looks at the damage in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A damaged, beached boat sits between battered apartment buildings in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Fort Myers, Florida, resident Stedi Scuderi looks over her flooded apartment on Sept. 29.

Palm trees sway as winds continue along the water in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A worker starts cleaning up debris in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Boats along the coast of Fort Myers, Florida, are destroyed following the storm on Sept. 29.

People survey the damage along the coast of Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Broken glass and overturned boats dot Centennial Park in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

A man walks through the destruction on a street in Punta Gorda, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Stefanie Karas takes in the damage in her Fort Myers, Florida, home on Sept. 29.

A boat is crushed into a causeway in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29.

Two cars make their way through the flooded streets of Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29 following the storm.

In the aftermath on Sept. 29, several boats sit atop each other in Fort Myers, Florida.

Wind gusts blow across Sarasota, Florida, on Sept. 28. In some areas of the state, winds hit 150 mph as the storm made landfall.

The streets of Fort Myers, Florida, are covered with debris on Sept. 28.

A sign for the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field is toppled on Sept. 28.

A woman holds tight to her inverted umbrella in Tampa on Sept. 28.

Lew Hendrix collects palm branches blown down by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa on Sept. 28, as rains drench the city.

A street sign is overturned in Punta Gorda, Florida, on Sept. 28.

Cranes help pick up overturned and damaged airplanes at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida, after tornadoes tore through the area on Sept. 28.

A woman gets a hand out of a muddy area in Tampa on Sept. 28.

An apartment complex in Naples, Florida, is battered on Sept. 28.

Hurricane Ian begins to make landfall in Sarasota, Florida, as a category 4 storm on Sept. 28.

A dramatic photo shows the scope of the storm from the NASA livestream, as seen from the International Space Station on Sept. 28.

A news crew sets up for a report in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sept. 28.

The entrance to Disney World's Magic Kingdom stays empty in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sept. 28, as the theme park closes.

Delta Airlines employee Eddie Camejo covers a computer screen with a protective plastic bag at Orlando International Airport in preparation for floods on Sept. 28.

Boats in Miami are lifted out of the water on Sept. 28 ahead of Ian's arrival.

Palm trees sway in the wind in St. Petersburg on Sept. 28, as officials warn of severe wind damage to come along Florida's Gulf Coast.

A portable toilet in Miami is tethered to a light post on Sept. 28.

Boats tip in heavy winds near Venice, Florida, on Sept. 28.

Sarasota, Florida, starts to see signs of the storm on Sept. 28.

People walk through Tampa Bay as water recedes ahead of Hurricane Ian's landfall on Sept. 28.

Trees lean as a police car drives down a rainy road along St. Pete Beach on Sept. 28.

A child looks on as winds gust in Punta Gorda, Florida, on Sept. 28.

A sail boat washes ashore on a beach in Sarasota, Florida, on Sept. 28.

A highway sign informs residents of the mandatory evatuation order in effect for Manatee County and much of the state of Florida on Sept. 28.

People trudge through the mud as the tides recede in Tampa Bay on Sept. 28.

Tree limbs and palm fronds are scattered on the ground in the parking lot of a Cooper City, Florida, shopping center on Sept. 28.

Jacob Woods, a meteorology student at Mississippi State University, measures wind gusts as Hurricane Ian approaches Sarasota on Sept. 28.

A plane is overturned at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida, following high winds in the area on Sept. 28.

Two people fill sandbags in Edgewater, Florida, ahead of Ian's arrival on Sept. 27.

A storefront sign in Tampa reads "Open, Ian Get Out," on Sept. 27.

The glass doors of a store in Tampa are covered with cardboard boxes on Sept. 27.

Another sign in Tampa on Sept. 28 reads, "Ian Bring It On."

The skies are ominous off the coast of St. Pete Beach in Florida on Sept. 27.

People walk through the flooded streets of Batabano, Cuba, on Sept. 27. Ian made landfall there on Sept. 27 as a category 3 storm, knocking out the country's electrical grid.

In Batabano, Cuba, a girl lies on a bed in her flooded home on Sept. 27.

Family members take necessities from their flooded home in Batabano, Cuba, on Sept. 27.

A woman stands in her demolished home in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Sept. 27.

A wide photo shows debris and devastation in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Sept. 27.

People work to patch a roof in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Sept. 27, as palm trees sway.

Giant waves hit the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, on Sept. 28, one day after the storm's devastation.

An individual walks by the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, on Sept. 28 after the storm passes.

A pair of people look at the giant waves off the coast of Havana, Cuba, on Sept. 28, after Ian hit the island.