Biden says Hurricane Ian "could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history"

President Biden addressed Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, Florida and the nation after receiving a briefing from FEMA officials Thursday, as Ian, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm but is expected to become a hurricane again, continues to thrash Florida. 

"This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history," a somber president said at FEMA headquarters. "The numbers are still unclear, but we're hearing early reports of what could be substantial loss of life." Sheriff Carmine Marceno, of Lee County, which was struck hard by Ian, said Thursday he believed the death toll would be "in the hundreds." However, Gov. Ron DeSantis later said that number had not been confirmed.

"My message to the people of Florida and to the country is, it's at times like this America comes together," the president added. "We're gonna pull together as one team, as one America."