Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast with catastrophic force on Wednesday, unleashing howling winds, torrential rains, and a treacherous surge of ocean surf, making it one of the strongest U.S. storms in recent memory.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Ian made landfall at 3:05 p.m. EDT (1905 GMT) near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of Fort Myers, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour (241 kilometers per hour).
On the Saffir-Simpson scale, the storm just missed a Category 5 designation, the most severe classification for storms with maximum sustained winds of at least 157 mph.
About 90 minutes later, the NHC reported that Ian had made landfall just south of the harborside community of Punta Gorda, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.
In some areas, up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) of life-threatening storm surges – waves of wind-driven seawater flooding the coast – were generated by Hurricane Ian.
As the storm moved further inland, forecasters also warned of intense thunderstorms and possible tornadoes, with up to 2 feet of rain expected in parts of central Florida.
Director of the National Weather Service Ken Graham stated, “This is a storm that will be talked about for many years to come, a historic event.”
Popular with retirees and vacationers, the region around the landfall features miles of sandy beaches, dozens of resort hotels, and numerous mobile home parks.
However, the storm quickly transformed idyllic coastal communities into disaster areas.
SCENES OF DEVASTATION
An hour after the storm made landfall, footage posted on social media and broadcast on local television stations showed water fueled by the storm surge rushing through several communities and nearly reaching the rooftops.
Fort Myers Beach was nearly submerged by floodwaters, and the wreckage of homes and vehicles were visible floating downriver.
On Sanibel Island, Florida, the ocean broke through a seawall and flooded a hotel’s swimming pool, as seen in a tweet.
Other footage from the island showed roads inundated by the storm surge up to the tops of street signs, palm trees bent sideways in a torrent of nearly blinding rain and wind, and waves crashing onto a road from a beach.
Before making landfall, Ian’s sustained wind speeds peaked at 155 mph, making it one of the most powerful hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland in recent years.
In 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall in the panhandle of Florida with sustained winds of 155 mph, while Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana with sustained winds of 150 mph.
The Weather Channel reported that Ian made landfall in the same location on Cayo Costa as Hurricane Charley in 2004.
Both hurricanes brought 150 mph winds when they made landfall.
So far, Ian has knocked out power to at least 1,1 million homes and businesses, according to local utilities.
The majority of Cuba’s 11 million residents were still in the dark a day after Hurricane Ian struck the island, despite efforts to restore electricity.
The National Hurricane Center predicted that hurricane-force winds would extend up to 45 miles (75 km) from Ian’s center, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 175 miles (280 km) (280 km).
TO STAY OR GO
Even as Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida’s Gulf Coast with ferocious winds and drenching rains in the final hours before it made landfall, authorities warned residents that it was too late to evacuate safely.
Authorities ordered more than 2.5 million residents to evacuate earlier this week.
Doug Coe of Venice was among those who chose to disregard warnings and remain put.
Coe admitted that he had never experienced a storm of this magnitude as he walked through the rain on Wednesday morning, but he appeared unfazed by the impending danger.
“Be vigilant because you never know what will occur,” he advised.
“I’m maintaining vigilance while attempting not to fret.”
The region is dotted with abandoned mobile home parks, with the majority of residents taking refuge in local schools and other emergency shelters.
Numerous assisted-living facilities in the region were also largely evacuated.
The exception was Heartis Venice, an assisted living community located north of Venice.
The general manager, Michelle Barger, stated that 98 of the 107 residents opted to remain with staff and some family members.
Barger stated that the facility, which opened two years ago, had been stocked in advance with food, water, medication, and other supplies and was constructed to withstand a Category 5 storm.
“Our community is secured. We are protected and prepared for this, “She stated,
Climate change makes hurricanes more intense, windier, and wetter. There is also evidence that it causes storms to move more slowly, allowing them to deposit more water in a single location, according to scientists.
“Hurricane Ian’s rapid intensification may be another example of how a warming planet is altering hurricanes,” said Kait Parker, a meteorologist and climate scientist with IBM’s weather.com. According to research, this phenomenon is occurring much more frequently than it did decades ago.
