Florida residents are bracing for impact as Hurricane Ian approaches landfall in the Sunshine State. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns that the storm is expected to produce life-threatening winds and flooding across the peninsula as watchers suggest it has risen to a category 4 hurricane. At least two and a half million residents have evacuated their homes in anticipation of the storm reaching land, which is expected later in the day.
The center of Hurricane Ian was about 65 miles west-southwest of Naples and about 80 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda, according to a 6:35 a.m. update from the NHC. The Tampa Bay Times reports that “the latest forecast track has the Category 4 storm coming ashore between Fort Myers and Sarasota County early this afternoon. Tampa Bay remains under threat of hurricane force winds and heavy rain likely to cause flash flooding and power outages.” Hillsborough County, Pinellas, and Pasco have all ordered mandatory evacuations.
DeSantis Prepares
(Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has pulled back entirely on electioneering to deal with the impending impact. Earlier in the week, he declared a state of emergency, mobilized the national guard, and readied the Emergency Operations Center.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, he said, “My view on all this is like you’ve got people’s lives at stake, you’ve got their property at stake, and we don’t have time for pettiness… We’ve gotta work together to make sure we’re doing the best job for them.” His gubernatorial opponent Charlie Crist has temporarily pulled his advertising campaign and returned to his home in Pinellas County.
It is being reported that President Biden and DeSantis spoke on Tuesday to coordinate operations.
Hurricane Ian is the first Category 4 or above storm to hit Florida since 2018 with Hurricane Michael that was listed as a Category 5 storm when it made landfall. In 2017, Hurricane Irma was also Category 4. Ian’s winds have been estimated to be aroujd 150 miles per hour; any winds over 75 MPH are capable of dealing damage to even well-built homes.