Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida. The storm is carrying sustained winds of up to 150-miles-per-hour as it slams into the area just west of Fort Myers.
Ian is an “extremely dangerous category four hurricane” and officials are warning of potential damage to well built structures. The storm is expected to remain intact as it travels across the Peninsula and hurricane warnings have been issued to Florida’s east coast. Storm surge is expected and flooding of up to 18 feet is projected in some areas.
The state’s top emergency officials say some areas of Florida are no longer possible to safely evacuate. State Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie told residents earlier this morning that if they can, now is the time to find shelter. Governor Ron DeSantis says Hurricane Ian will produce catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surges on the Florida Gulf Coast. The highest risk areas are ranging from Collier County up to Sarasota County. There are five FEMA teams from out-of-state to help out neighborhoods in devastated areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians are without power as a result of Hurricane Ian. Florida Power and Light says they have 19-thousand crew members from 30 states ready to respond. Flooding and tornadoes are expected to cause extensive damage to the electrical infrastructure and restoration won’t be instant.
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