Hurricane Ian brings devastating flooding and wind to southwest Florida

Hurricane Ian made landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane National Hurricane Center,

According to the Associated Press, the storm brought on energy outages in Florida for at the least 1.8 million individuals.

The National Hurricane Center downgraded the storm to a Category 3 hurricane, with most sustained winds of 115 mph at 8 p.m. Its heart was positioned about 95 miles southwest of Orlando, Orange County.

“We have asked all of our residents to begin the shelter-in-place process,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings instructed a information convention. “You shouldn’t go on the roadways at this time telling the community.”

Orlando was beneath hurricane warning and National Weather Service said Things have been anticipated to “get worse tonight”. Hurricane pressure winds are anticipated from TS. The danger of serious catastrophic flooding is anticipated to develop tonight, the company mentioned.

“There is no doubt that we are now feeling the effects of this storm, and we have yet to see the worst of it,” Demings mentioned.

“Extensive, life-threatening catastrophic flash and urban flooding, along with major record flooding along rivers, is expected to continue in central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center mentioned in an replace.

The heart mentioned on Twitter that the storm initially hit close to Cayo Costa, Florida, with most sustained winds of 150 mph. It struck Punta Gorda close to Pirate Harbor, only a few hours later.

Hurricane Ian intensified early Wednesday morning, with gusts of 155 mph and approaching the Most Dangerous Category 5 classification. Hurricane pressure winds have been 35 miles from the middle and tropical storm pressure winds have been 150 miles from the middle, in keeping with National Weather Service,

“It’s going to be a bad, bad day, two days,” Governor Ron DeSantis mentioned at a information convention early Wednesday. Officials in Florida and nationally are intently monitoring hurricane actions.

More than 2.5 million individuals in Florida have been topic to necessary evacuation orders, however legally, no resident could be compelled to go away their houses. DeSantis mentioned the highest-risk areas within the state vary from Collier County to Sarasota County, and it’s not secure for residents of these counties to evacuate.

“Do what you have to do to be safe. If you’re where that storm is coming, you’re already in dangerous situations. It’s going to get worse very quickly. So please bow down,” he mentioned.

According to the National Hurricane Center, rain close to the hurricane’s landfall website can exceed 18 inches, and storms can push as much as 18 toes of water practically 100 miles. The National Weather Service has additionally issued highest doable wind warnings for a number of areas of Florida in anticipation of maximum wind injury from the storm. But meteorologists have been most involved concerning the floods.

“Water. We have to talk about water,” warned National Weather Service director Ken Graham. “90% of deaths in these tropical systems are from water. It’s a hurricane wave, it’s rain.”

Much of Florida’s west coast is already experiencing important storm surges, as excessive winds and toes of water have coated the streets of cities similar to Fort Myers. metropolis wrote on twitter That it’s experiencing gusts of wind as much as 77 mph and requested residents to “please stay indoors”. It warned that the scenario would stay like this all through the day.

For residents who can nonetheless evacuate, American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern encourages them to comply with evacuation directions from their elected officers and convey different gadgets like mandatory drugs, paperwork and glasses with them.

“Check your neighbors and please don’t wait for the storm if you’re being asked to evacuate – it’s dangerous,” she mentioned in Wednesday’s press briefing.

Gov. DeSantis mentioned the state has 42,000 linemen, 7,000 National Guard troops from Florida and elsewhere, and concrete search and rescue groups are prepared to assist when the storm is over.

According to the report, the storm left Cuba with out energy after crushing the island on Tuesday. NBC News, As of Wednesday, at the least two deaths from the storm had been reported in Cuba.

As the storm continues to hit the Florida coast, the National Hurricane Center New watches and warnings released For elements of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Hurricane Ian can be seen from the International Space Station, with onboard cameras capturing footage of the storm because it looms over Florida.

Even as soon as the storm is over, DeSantis mentioned it is probably not utterly secure to go exterior. He inspired residents to watch out for downed energy strains, standing water and fallen bushes.

President Joe Biden instructed Florida residents on Wednesday that he would assist them by “the storm every step of the way.”

“We will be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida move forward again,” he mentioned.

East Orlando resident Candy Powell has lived in Florida since 2016 and has seen hurricanes like Irma, Dorian, and Matthew hit the state. She mentioned she thought there was little time to arrange for Hurricane Ian, however she is making an attempt to remain calm for the sake of her neighbors.

“I think a lot of people who just moved to Florida were really, really stressed out,” she instructed CNBC. “I’m trying to be like the calming factor. Even going to the store yesterday, I actually almost had to get regular groceries. The shelves were empty. There was hardly any canned goods left. ”

Powell can inform {that a} storm is coming, and she or he says she’s already seeing robust winds and heavy rain.

Flannery Dzidzik, who lives in Naples, mentioned she has additionally seen lifting winds in her space. She mentioned her energy was going out and in, and a chunk of particles hit her window whereas she was on the telephone with CNBC.

The storm appears greater and extra intense than the storms earlier than, she mentioned, however because it’s six miles off the coast, she feels “quite safe.”

“I think Floridians are really resilient,” she mentioned.

NBC News contributed to this report

This story is in growth, please examine again for updates.