Hurricane Ian: Americans urged to weigh risks of rebuilding in vulnerable areas

Of those dead, 30 were found in Lee county, which includes Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Cape Coral. About 70% of the county is without power. Across the state, about 837,000 businesses and homes remained without power on Sunday.

The Associated Press reported that water was still rising in central Florida, with officials warning that flooding could continue for days, particularly in areas around the St Johns River and its tributaries, which were left swollen by the powerful storm.

The latest natural disaster to hit the US comes after a series of floods, tornadoes, fires and hurricanes, has laid bare the rising costs of devastation associated with a warming climate.

Insurers say they are anticipating between $28bn and $47bn in claims from what could amount to the costliest Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

In Florida, satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show how storm surge demolished structures on the shores of Sanibel Island. In addition the roadway linking the island to the mainland has been severed in several places and could be structurally unsound in others.

The Republican senator predicted that it would take at least a couple of years for the causeway to Sanibel island to be rebuilt.