CNN
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As Hurricane Ian continues to pummel Florida, trapping residents of their houses and leaving hundreds of thousands with out power in what’s already being referred to as a “life-changing event,” authorities are fielding rescue calls from throughout the state and 911 name facilities are being inundated.
Ian slammed into southwestern Florida close to Cayo Costa Wednesday afternoon as one in every of the strongest storms to make landfall on the state’s west coast, sending rising ocean water onshore and lashing the state with catastrophic 150 mph winds as it moved deeper inland.
The monster storm flooded roads and houses, uprooted bushes, despatched automobiles floating in the streets and left practically 2.5 million houses and companies with out power as of early Thursday, in keeping with PowerOutage.us.
By early Thursday morning, authorities had been reporting heavy rain and flooding in the Orlando metro space, the place eight to 12 inches of rain had already fallen and as much as four extra inches of rain was anticipated.
The storm has since weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and is crawling throughout central Florida as it heads towards the east coast, dumping heavy rains on low-lying areas.
Here are the newest developments:
- Sustained winds of 75 mph: The middle of the storm is about 55 miles south-southeast of Orlando, packing highly effective winds whereas it makes its means throughout the state. Hurricane Ian is tied with 2004’s Hurricane Charley as the strongest storm to make landfall on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula, each with 150 mph winds at landfall.
- Record-high storm surges: The storm surge from Hurricane Ian hit as much as 12 ft in some locations, whereas a number of areas, together with Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Naples, had been going through record-high storm surge of 12 to 16 ft. By Wednesday evening, the storm surge alongside the west coast of Florida was believed to have peaked and was starting to recede, whereas officers in Tampa warned residents to remain on guard.
- More than a foot of rainfall: Up to 20 inches of rain was anticipated in some areas, together with Lehigh Acres, which acquired 14.42 inches of rain and Warm Mineral Springs which received 11.05 inches.
- Hurricane warnings and twister watches proceed: The storm is transferring northeast at 9 mph, prompting hurricane warnings for a stretch of Florida’s west coast north of Bonita Beach to the Anclote River, and on the east coast from Sebastian Inlet to the Flagler-Volusia County line.
- Other states brace for Ian’s destruction: The storm is predicted to exit Florida and transfer into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, the place governors in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have already declared a state of emergency
With Hurricane Ian persevering with to chop a path of destruction through Florida, the state is planning a “three-pronged” search and rescue response, with crews able to fan out and assist residents from the air, floor and sea as soon as it is protected to do, officers mentioned.
Calls for assist had been coming into a number of counties Wednesday.
In Fort Myers – the place about 96% of the metropolis was with out power – Fire Chief Tracy McMillion informed residents to remain inside, and to remain hopeful. “We’re coming for you, be encouraged,” he informed residents.
The metropolis’s downtown streets had been flooded with virtually 4 ft of water Wednesday, Mayor Kevin Anderson informed CNN.
Crews surveying injury in the metropolis early Thursday reported particles in the roadways, flooding, electrical strains down, power poles in the roads, site visitors lights out, disabled automobiles and collapsed buildings.
Fort Myers resident Thomas Podgorny informed CNN he was trapped in his two-story dwelling with three others, watching automobiles float away outdoors and worrying for his neighbors who didn’t evacuate.
“I’ve lost my house. I have water and gas flowing through my bottom floor,” Podgorny mentioned. “My neighbors have very little breathing room in their one-story house.”
A pair in Fort Myers mentioned they had been trapped of their dwelling when the ceiling caved in, sending water inside.
“Something is dripping on me,” Belinda Collins recalled her accomplice saying. “He got up, and the ceiling – the family room ceiling – caved in.’”
The couple mentioned they referred to as 911 and had been ready for a name again about when it can be protected to depart.
In Port Charlotte, the roof above an ICU at a hospital was torn off by the storm whereas there have been about 160 sufferers inside, Dr. Birgit Bodine, an inside medication specialist at the facility, informed CNN.
The employees moved sufferers to a protected place, however they couldn’t evacuate but due to the circumstances outdoors, the physician mentioned Wednesday evening, including, “It’s actually pretty terrible.”
People in close by Collier County had been additionally with out power and trapped of their houses, calling for assist.
“Some are reporting life threatening medical emergencies in deep water. We will get to them first. Some are reporting water coming into their house but not life threatening. They will have to wait. Possibly until the water recedes,” a Collier County Sheriff’s Office statement mentioned.
Complicating issues additional, neighboring Lee County’s 911 system was down and calls had been being rerouted to Collier County, Chief Stephanie Spell informed CNN. “At this point the majority of our 911 calls are water rescues,” Spell added.
Elsewhere, circumstances had been too extreme for first responders to be out.
Emergency crews in Charlotte County weren’t ready to answer 911 calls Wednesday attributable to harmful storm circumstances, county Emergency Management Director Patrick Fuller informed CNN.
And in Sarasota, authorities determined Wednesday to withdraw all cops from the road attributable to wind speeds and hazardous circumstances, Mayor Eric Arroyo informed CNN.
While different areas started rescue efforts Wednesday night, authorities in Tampa and Orange County warned residents that the worst of Hurricane Ian had “yet to come” Wednesday evening.
Curfews had been in impact for residents in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties whereas extreme circumstances continued.
Even earlier than the hurricane made landfall, officers knew the injury can be extreme, and there will probably be a protracted highway to restoration.
“Ian is going to be a life-changing event. This is a very powerful, catastrophic storm that is going to do significant damage,” President and CEO of Florida Power & Light Eric Silagy, mentioned.
There will probably be sections of infrastructure that crews received’t be capable of restore and must be rebuilt, which may take weeks, Silagy mentioned.
Jennifer Dexter, a spokesperson for the city of Fort Myers Beach, informed CNN backup water pumps are down.
“When the backup water pump system goes down, that shows you how serious it is,” Dexter mentioned.
Lee County Utilities issued a system-wide boil water discover for all prospects efficient instantly attributable to the impacts of the hurricane, in keeping with county officers. Residents in components of Pasco County had been additionally requested to boil their faucet water as the water distribution system in the space misplaced stress and a water most important ruptured.
Punta Gorda’s water system is empty and boil water notices are in impact, in keeping with an replace from the metropolis in a single day.
In Manatee County, residents had been asked to restrict flushing, showering, doing dishes and laundry attributable to power outages impacting the system.
In Cape Coral, authorities had been getting experiences of serious structural injury throughout the metropolis, Ryan Lamb, the metropolis’s hearth chief and emergency administration director, informed CNN.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested President Joe Biden approve a significant catastrophe declaration for all 67 counties in the state, his workplace mentioned in a information launch. DeSantis can be requesting Biden grant FEMA the authority to offer 100% federal price share for particles elimination and emergency protecting measures for the first 60 days from Ian’s landfall.
After walloping Cuba and making landfall in Florida, Hurricane Ian is predicted to slowly transfer throughout the central portion of the state earlier than exiting into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday afternoon, the place it might strengthen once more and have an effect on one other a part of the US.
The governors of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency in preparation for the storm’s potential impression.
There is a hazard of “life-threatening” storm surge on Thursday and Friday alongside the coasts of northeast Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, in keeping with the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane circumstances are additionally potential in these areas.
The storm is predicted to drop as much as 20 inches of rain throughout central and northeast Florida, with some remoted areas receiving 30 inches, the hurricane middle mentioned.
Near the hurricane’s core, highly effective wind gusts will proceed to unfold throughout central Florida and alongside the east-central coast in a single day.