After the threat of Hurricane Ian, Greg Fix enjoyed surfing and catching some early Sunday morning waves at Wrightsville Beach.

"We were spared some major damage," said Fix, a battalion chief at the Wilmington fire department, while holding his surfboard. "There were some trees down and some powerlines, but that was pretty much it. I think everybody is out here, enjoying the beach again."

The Wrightsville Beach streets were filled with people jogging, children riding bikes, and customers grabbing coffee and treats on a sunny morning day - unlike Friday when gray clouds rolled in.

Hurricane Ian made landfall for a second time in the United States in Georgetown, South Carolina on Friday afternoon. Hours before that time, the storm brought wind, heavy rains, significant storm surge, and closed roads to the Cape Fear region. Brunswick took the brunt of the storm. New Hanover and Pender Counties were also impacted.

According to figures reported on Sunday, the death toll from Hurricane Ian rose to 54 with power remaining out to more than 800,000 homes and businesses across Florida, four days after the Category 4 hurricane hit Florida's Gulf Coast. Confirmed fatalities included 47 in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba, where Ian made its first landfall Tuesday. 

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Hurricane Ian aftermath:Cape Fear region begins to clean up after flooding, wind damage

Before Ian reached the Port City area, Matt Smith and his wife Tania spent time preparing their business, Kohl's Frozen Custard in Wrightsville Beach. Unlike other recent hurricanes, Ian wasn't that scary.

"I boarded up in the past for other hurricanes," Matt Smith said. "For this one, I didn't feel it was necessary. We brought in certain things outside that I assumed would float away in the winds, but we didn't board up."

Kohl's Frozen Custard is no stranger to hurricanes. After purchasing the business in 2018, they had to close for renovations after Hurricane Florence swept through the area.

"The roof ripped open and the water damage was so severe that we had to pull everything out like walls, ceiling, floor," Smith said. "Everything had to go. I'm not unfamiliar with the aftermath of a hurricane. I think we're fortunate with the way it kept tracked left more so."

Like many other businesses, Kohl's Frozen Custard reopened Saturday.

"It was a good day," he said.

Packing a punch:Ian brought flooding, downed trees and power outages to Cape Fear region

PHTOTOS:See Ian's impact on the Wilmington area

According to other local business owners, there was flooding on Lumina Avenue because of a high tide, but the damage was minimal. Water entered the front section of Robert's Grocery, which closed early at 3 p.m. on Friday. It was quickly mopped up and sanitized for business the next day.

Adam Henderson, who lives on Stone Street close to a beach access point, didn't have any damage to home, which was built in the 1930s. His neighbor's shingles were ripped off and were on the street, which was the only damage he saw nearby.

"We're just lucky, we didn't have the problems that Florida had," Henderson said.

Brooke Clowser, manager of Sweetwater Surf Shop, returned to business on Saturday. She was glad to have no major damage.

"We all kind of knew it wasn't going to be too bad," she said about having some concerns at first after hearing reports of storm surges and high tides. "The shop got pretty lucky."

Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.