One of the most severe storms to strike the United States in recent years has rendered 2.4 million Florida homes and businesses without electricity and sent floodwaters racing inland.
Wednesday at approximately 15:10 local time (19:10 GMT), Hurricane Ian made landfall, crashing into the coast with winds of up to 241 km/h (150mph).
A hospital roof was torn off, automobiles were inundated, and trees were ripped from the ground in dramatic images.
Later, the hurricane of category four was downgraded to a tropical storm.
However, Floridians were warned that the next 24 hours would be the most dangerous, and the mayor of Tampa asked residents to remain indoors from Wednesday night until Thursday morning.
During a briefing on Wednesday evening, Jane Castor predicted that most of the precipitation and the strongest winds would begin about 20:00 and continue throughout the night.
In a Facebook message, the Weather Prediction Center warned residents of the Central Florida Peninsula to anticipate “widespread life-threatening, catastrophic flash and urban floods” continuing into Friday morning, with up to 76cm (30ins) of rain possible locally.
The residents were ordered to evacuate, but many have chosen to stay and seek safety indoors.
Mark Pritchett, a resident of Venice, approximately 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Tampa, described the “terrifying” moment he stepped outside of his home as the hurricane crossed the Gulf of Mexico.
“Rain spraying like needles. My avenue is a river “He stated in a text message to the news agency Associated Press.
In Lee County, the southwestern region where Hurricane Ian made landfall, police were unable to respond to reports of looting at a gas station due to storm damage.
Due to this, a curfew has been imposed “until further notice.”
Roger Desjarlais, manager of Lee County, stated that the Fort Myers neighborhood had been “in part devastated.” According to the news agency AFP, certain neighborhoods in the 80,000-person city resembled lakes.
Governor Ron DeSantis referred to Tropical Storm Ian as the “largest flood event” in the history of southwest Florida, and he declared that 7,000 National Guard personnel are prepared to spearhead rescue operations in flood zones.
Thursday will bring a briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Vice President Joe Biden.
Ian is currently traveling north through Florida. Jacksonville International Airport, which is located in northeast Florida, canceled all Thursday flights.
It is expected that the storm will emerge into the Atlantic by Thursday morning.
On Friday, it is predicted to reach Georgia and South Carolina. Virginia has declared a state of emergency, joining Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.
Tuesday, Hurricane Ian slammed onto Cuba’s western shore. After the island was plunged into a total blackout, power has been restored in several places. It is thought that two persons were slain in Cuba and that more than twenty Cuban migrants are missing at sea.
