A chunk of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea as Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people normally live.

A portion of the Sanibel Causeway Bridge "was damaged/washed out," Lieutenant Gregory S. Bueno with the Public Affairs Division of Florida Highway Patrol told CNN. All lanes of the bridge are currently closed and the severity of the closure is listed as "major," according to Florida 511.

"Sanibel is destruction," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference Thursday afternoon, adding the area was hit with a "biblical storm surge."

"It washed away roads, it washed away structures that were not new and could withstand that," he said, adding that while many people evacuated, some people had been brought off the island safely. Air operations continue, the governor said, since the area is inaccessible by ground.... Read More: WBAL TV