The full extent of Hurricane "Ian" shows a recording published by the space agency Nasa.

The picture comes from Monday and shows the huge hurricane that orbits 400 kilometers of the earth's surface over the Caribbean.

The photo was taken by a crew member of the international space station.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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So in Florida they were warned.

When the Category Four hurricane made landfall in Florida on Wednesday afternoon, it covered a wide stretch of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico, beginning south of Naples and extending north of Tampa.

It covered a distance of almost 400 kilometers.

The storm is massive: With wind speeds of 240 kilometers per hour, "Ian" was just below the threshold for the highest hurricane category.

The center of the cyclone was the offshore island of Cayo Costa near the city of Cape Coral, as the meteorologists said.

"Ian" had previously gained strength over the Gulf of Mexico.

Although the storm weakened on land, it cut a wide swath and crossed the state to the Atlantic coast.

Some of the storm surges reached a height of 3.5 meters, said Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, on Wednesday evening.

Meteorologists reported that the storm had temporarily only moved at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour in a northeasterly direction.

In view of the strong winds and rainfall, it caused major damage: it was too early to assess the damage.

However, television stations showed snapped palm trees, uprooted trees, house roofs flying around, and cars and flatbed trucks that were washed away by the storm surge.

Debris flew through the air.

DeSantis said "Ian" should make the list of the five deadliest hurricanes in Florida.

1.8 million households were without electricity.

Hazard from debris and overhead power lines

Meteorologists warned that the hurricane could still have destructive hurricane strength on Thursday when it arrived on the east coast of the state.

Citizens in the affected areas have been warned not to leave their homes.

Even if the hurricane pulls away, there is still danger from debris and power lines lying on the ground.

Evacuation instructions applied to 2.5 million citizens in the region.

Despite this, some chose to remain in their homes.

DeSantis said authorities are standing by for salvage and repairs as soon as weather permits.

The Republican, who is up for re-election in November, wrote on Twitter that around 7,000 National Guard soldiers and 179 planes or helicopters could be deployed.

In addition, more than 40,000 utility technicians were on hand to repair power lines.

As a precaution, DeSantis had declared a state of emergency for all 67 counties and asked the population to stock up on emergency supplies.

It's going to be "very, very bad," he warned.

President Joe Biden called on Florida citizens to follow all official instructions.

The danger is real.

The American hurricane center said it could take months for the damage to be repaired.

Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, said it would likely take 24 hours for the hurricane to sweep through Florida.

That means 24 hours of heavy rain.

Deanne Criswell, who heads Disaster Management Agency Fema, said the region expected to be affected by the storm has not experienced such a hurricane for around 100 years.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called "Ian" "another example of dramatic climate action we are seeing around the world with increasing frequency and increasing devastation."