The Latest on Hurricane Ian:

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Thursday that “our entire country hurts” along with the people of Florida after Hurricane Ian flooded communities across the state, knocked out electrical power and forced people into shelters.

Biden said he would visit Florida and meet with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis when “conditions allow.” The president said he would also visit Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory that was slammed by Hurricane Fiona.

“We know many families are hurting,” Biden said at the Washington headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he was briefed on federal response efforts. “Our entire country hurts with them."

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

— Many trapped in Florida as Ian heads toward South Carolina

— Florida hospitals evacuate hundreds of patients

— Search on for migrants after boat sinks off Florida Keys

— Cuba begins to turn on lights

— Find more AP coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, is asking his city to shut down Friday as storm Ian approaches.

“There will be water tomorrow in this city,” Mayor John Tecklenburg said.

No evacuations have been ordered in South Carolina, with Ian forecast to make landfall a second time Friday along the state’s coast as a minimal hurricane.

Forecasters warn several feet of ocean water could surge into low areas along the coast, like Charleston.

The flooding could rival or even slightly exceed recent hurricanes.

“Take this storm seriously,” Tecklenburg said. “Tomorrow, stay home and stay out of harm’s way.”

Charleston has bought new equipment to deal with flooding, including two high-water vehicles that will patrol the city all day Friday.

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Police in historic St. Augustine, Florida, say water is rising in many areas of the city and are advising residents to stay inside until after Hurricane Ian passes.

The storm’s center moved off the coast earlier Thursday, but the old city continued to see rain and wind. High tide was at 11:30 a.m., around the height of the storm.

Police in the tourist city, noted for its Spanish-style architecture and stone fortress, made their warnings in a Facebook post that included images of flooded roads.

Ian is nearing hurricane strength again over the Atlantic Ocean. The coast of South Carolina is now under a hurricane warning.

Its top sustained winds grew to nearly 70 mph (110 kph) at midday Thursday, just shy of hurricane force, with higher gusts.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Storm Ian is nearing hurricane strength again over the Atlantic Ocean after swirling past Cape Canaveral, where NASA moved its moon rocket back into its Kennedy Space Center hangar as a precaution.

A NASA spokesperson said Thursday that teams were out starting to assess any damage. The space center remained closed and off limits to almost all of its 12,000 employees.

A storm surge of 2 feet (0.6 meters) was forecast for the surrounding area, and top sustained winds grew to nearly 70 mph (110 kph) with higher gusts at midday.

Besides bumping the lunar-orbiting test flight likely into November, the weather has delayed SpaceX’s next astronaut launch to the International Space Station until at least Oct. 5, two days later than scheduled.

Ian’s top sustained winds grew to nearly 70 mph (110 kph) with higher gusts at midday Thursday.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Some people who say they are stranded or are unable to get information after Hurricane Ian are turning to social media.

One Twitter user tagged accounts for Orange County rescue crews in central Florida with the message: “Can you guys come pick us up? We called the non emergency line and were told to wait till someone shows up. Family of 3, dog, and pregnant mom with twins.”

On the Fort Myers Police Department Facebook page, people posted addresses and asked about flooding severity. Some people who live out of state but own property in the area asked if they could travel to check on their homes.

“Does anyone know the status of Wyldewood Lakes Court area?? Trying to find out how my Aunt is doing. We lost contact,” someone posted.

The office of Gov. Ron DeSantis said search and rescue operations had been underway since 1 a.m. Thursday. The Coast Guard made dozens of rescues overnight, and there are more than 800 Urban Search and Rescue team members working, the office said.

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(The above item has been updated to correct the governor's first name to Ron, instead of Fred.)

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s main nursing home organization said Thursday that initial reports are that facilities have weathered Hurricane Ian “as good as can be.”

Kristen Knapp, spokesperson for the Florida Health Care Association, said 43 nursing homes moved about 3,400 residents as of Thursday morning, mostly in hard-hit southwest Florida.

As many as 20 homes had reported electricity outages, but Knapp said generators are powering those buildings. Water was shut off at some facilities, too.

Natural disasters can be especially harmful to older and disabled people, and past hurricanes have produced devastating episodes.

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NAPLES, Fla. — Mud, snapped trees and toppled utility poles littered the landscape of southwest Florida on Thursday after it took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian.

Several feet of seawater swept through the luxury Le Jarden condominium tower on the Naples bayfront, destroying several cars and inundating the lobby, then receding overnight and leaving behind a thick, foul-smelling slurry of sand and seawater.

No one in the building was hurt, said resident Gregory Young, a retired real estate broker, but his Land Rover was destroyed.

“That’s OK, it’s just a car,” he said.

The Fort Myers RV Resort remained underwater, many of the mobile homes and RVs on the property badly damaged and in some cases gone, with nothing left but the concrete slabs on which they once sat.

Debris from the park collected along U.S. 41, including the seat of a golf cart and the twisted bits of a window screen. Utility poles were knocked down, the wires splaying into the road and along the front of the property.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — A hurricane warning was issued Thursday for the entire coast of South Carolina as storm Ian’s center drifted off the coast of Florida and back to sea.

The National Weather Service’s latest forecast showed that Ian’s winds were at 70 mph, just shy of hurricane force. The warm Atlantic waters are expected to help it gather strength as it curves back toward the U.S. coast.

In Charleston, South Carolina, officials opened parking garages so residents could get their cars above the imminent flooding.

Forecasters predicted the seventh highest water level Friday afternoon in more than 120 years of records, at 8.7 feet (2.7 meters) above the average low tide at the downtown harbor.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster joined his counterparts in Georgia and North Carolina in declaring a state of emergency so officials could access resources and receive federal emergency money.

Schools planned to go to online learning to keep buses off the road.