Hurricane Ian path LIVE: Coast Guard rescues 23 people from 18ft storm surge

Hurricane Ian is barreling its way across Florida, leaving a devastating trail of destruction in its wake as hundreds of people are feared dead, many remain trapped in their flooded homes and two million are left without power.

The formidable hurricane blasted ashore with catastrophic force on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm, packing sustained winds of 150mph and smashing homes with an 18ft wall of water in some areas.  

Biden declared a ‘major disaster’ in Florida early Thursday morning. The clear up cost is set to cost billions. 

Here, follow DailyMail.com’s live blog for the latest developments on Hurricane Ian today: