Evacuations, flooded streets, downed power poles, two million residents without electricity – Florida is experiencing one of the worst hurricanes. “Ian” is losing strength, but the danger will continue on Thursday.
A flooded street in Fort Myers after Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida on Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon local time is the Hurricane Ian made landfall on the west coast of Florida with wind speeds of 250 kilometers per hour. 2.5 million residents of the vulnerable region received evacuation orders, but not all complied. For example, residents of trailer parks, which are even more at risk than superstructures, refused to leave their caravans. Residents who were unable to leave the building in time were asked to go to the highest rooms or to the roofs.
Damages in the billions predicted
According to experts, “Ian” is an extremely dangerous hurricane and one of the most violent in decades. Hurricanes are relatively common in Florida, but the Southwest region, home to more than three million people, is being hit directly by a major hurricane for the first time since 1921. In addition, the damage to buildings is likely to be greater than in the past, because in recent decades people have built ever closer to the water.
Photos and videos showed heavy, sometimes meter-high flooding around the cities of Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral and Naples. Damage in the billions to infrastructure and communication lines is expected. As of late Wednesday evening local time, over 2 million Florida residents were already without power, according to the website power outage showed.
shipwrecked in the hurricane
The hurricane reached Cuba on Tuesday and caused great destruction there. According to the government, two people died when their houses collapsed in the province of Pinar del Río, which was particularly hard hit. The power went out across the country with its eleven million inhabitants.
Over the Gulf of Mexico, “Ian” then gained significant momentum on its way towards Florida and, with its immense wind speed, was just below the threshold for the highest hurricane category 5 when it reached the coastal city of Cape Coral.
A boat carrying migrants from Cuba sank off the coast of Florida on Tuesday evening. The coast guard was looking for 23 shipwrecked people on Wednesday, as announced on Twitter. Four of the migrants swam from the boat to American Stock Island off Key West.
Even the fire department is a victim of flooding
In western Florida, schools are closed and flights canceled. The Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando has also suspended operations for the time being. Some television and radio stations had to interrupt their service. The fire brigade, for example in Naples, is partially unable to act because the garages were flooded with the vehicles. The hotels in the city are apparently hopelessly overcrowded. There is talk of thousands who, fleeing the storm, are looking for a place to stay and have to sleep outdoors. Naples is in Collier County, which was the first to declare a state of emergency.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a live broadcast Wednesday afternoon that rescue operations would have to be postponed because of the high risks. The storm is expected to slow down through Thursday and may be downgraded to Category 1. However, the authorities also advised Florida residents not to use the car for Thursday.
On Thursday, around 2 p.m. local time, “Ian” should reach the east coast of Florida. However, flooding is also expected in the neighboring state of Georgia and strong winds in South Carolina.
National Guard deployed
Even in the capital, Washington DC, the effects of the hurricane were felt: The public hearing of the committee of inquiry into the storming of the Capitol, scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed because of “Ian”.
Governor DeSantis has asked President Joe Biden for help. The Department of Defense said thousands of Florida National Guard members were activated and standing by. They could assist local forces in search and rescue operations.