The Asheboro ZooKeeper organization, its sponsors and its fans are praying for safety as Tropical Storm Ian makes its way into Florida and the East Coast.

Deadly Hurricane Ian was downgraded to Tropical Storm Ian on Thursday morning but was still dumping record amounts of rain to bring “catastrophic flooding” across Florida while still packing damaging winds across a 415-mile swath of the state.

Rising floodwaters led to home rescues and stranded vehicles across Central Florida and law enforcement in Volusia County reported the area’s first death while the statewide toll has yet to be determined after hurricane’s storm surge devastated the Gulf Coast.

We ask that everyone say a prayer for the protection of life and property as we face this serious threat.