Charleston: About 27 people have died in the storm Ian that hit Florida. There are reports that the death rate may rise.

US President Joe Biden has stated that he will provide aid to the states devastated by Hurricane Ian.

South Carolina is expected to lose strength over the next two days.

About 25 lakh people in the path of the storm have been instructed by the government to evacuate. More than 100,000 people are currently without power due to broken supply lines.

Houses along the coast were swept into the sea. Many buildings collapsed across the state of Florida.

The storm was downgraded from a powerful Category 4 to a Category 1 storm by Friday night with sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.

The powerful storm, estimated to be one of the costliest hurricanes ever to hit the U.S., has terrorized people for much of the week — pummeling western Cuba and raking across Florida before gathering strength in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean to curve back and strike. South Carolina.

While Ian's center came ashore near Georgetown, South Carolina, on Friday with much weaker winds than when it crossed Florida's Gulf Coast earlier in the week, the storm left many areas of Charleston's downtown peninsula under water. It also washed away parts of four piers along the coast, including two at Myrtle Beach.

Online cameras showed seawater filling neighborhoods in Garden City to calf level. As Ian moved across South Carolina on its way to North Carolina Friday evening, it dropped from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone.

Even though the storm system has long passed over Florida, new issues were still presenting themselves Friday night. A 14-mile (22-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 75 was closed in both directions in the Port Charlotte area because of the amount of water in the Myakka River.

The storm's aftermath poses new dangers. There is a warning to be careful not to hit the medical lines. Traffic signals are broken on the roads.

Officials also say improper use of generators can cause carbon monoxide poisoning due to lack of electricity.

“Hurricane Ian is at our door. Expect drenching rain and sustained heavy winds over most of our state,” Cooper said. "Our message today is simple: Be smart and be safe."

In Washington, President Joe Biden said he was directing "every possible action be taken to save lives and get help to survivors."

"It's going to take months, years to rebuild," Biden said.

"I just want the people of Florida to know, we see what you're going through and we're with you."