Though almost everyone knows that hurricanes are extremely destructive, it can be tough to imagine what it’s like to experience one firsthand unless you’ve been unfortunate enough to actually see it.

That said, modern technology like webcam footage can go a long way toward making the rest of us feel as if we’re actually there.

Storm surges are mainly caused by high winds pushing water toward the coast while low pressure within the storm pulls the water up at the same time. This created abnormally high water levels in Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian, and caused massive damage to people, sea defenses, and property.

This timelapse footage captured by Wood TV reporter Brennan Prill shows a bit of the devastation in Fort Meyers.

I've been capturing video from this webcam in Fort Myers all day and I've put it into a Timelapse. Check out the storm surge rushing in! Crazy. #Ian #flwx pic.twitter.com/lj7a1wThga

— Brennan Prill (@WxBrenn) September 28, 2022

Hurricane Ian. Surge Cam 9 in Fort Myers, FL Beach. pic.twitter.com/kB5GMzvD3l

— p.s (@p_a_e_s) September 29, 2022

Just caught this after watching the video again. This street light couldn’t hold on any longer. pic.twitter.com/aRCevQB9l4

— Brennan Prill (@WxBrenn) September 29, 2022

And this live camera, which shows us how quickly things can change and one reason the storm surge is so dangerous.

Pink Shell webcam at Fort Myers’s shows the pool area being completely engulfed by #HurricanIan’s storm surge. pic.twitter.com/Mop05fv2WR

— EMPIRE News 🗞 (@TheEMPIRENewsx) September 28, 2022

Florida governor Ron DeSantis called it a “500-year flood event” as he gave a press conference on the rising water levels and ensuing devastation.

“The impacts of this storm are historic and the damage that was done has been historic and this is just off initial assessments. There’s going to be a lot more assessing that goes on in the days ahead. But I think we’ve never seen a flood event like this. We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude and it hit an area where there’s a lot of people in a lot of those low-lying areas and it’s going to end up doing extensive damage to a lot of people’s homes.”

JUST IN: “The amount of water that’s been rising…is basically a 500-year flood event.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warns that there is a potential for major flooding “hundreds of miles” from where Hurricane Ian made landfall. https://t.co/23eIyeHVo4 pic.twitter.com/sjKifjqrty

— ABC News (@ABC) September 29, 2022

The White House issued a statement on the situation as well, noting how bad things are for people on the ground.

“The President spoke this morning with Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida to discuss the steps the Biden-Harris administration is taking to support Florida in response to Hurricane Ian, including the issuance of a Disaster Declaration this morning. The President told the Governor he is sending his FEMA Administrator to Florida tomorrow to check in on response efforts and see where additional support is needed. The President and Governor committed to continued close coordination.”

I hope help was underway soon enough, because those videos verify that the storm surge was as bad – or worse – than predicted.