WASHINGTON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – 2.4 million businesses and homes in Florida are without power as a result of one of the most severe storms to batter the US in years, and floodwaters are rushing inland.
On Wednesday at 15:10 local time (19:10 GMT), Hurricane Ian made landfall along the coast with winds of 241 km/h (150mph).
Dramatic sights included a hospital roof being blown off, trees being uprooted and cars being submerged.Â
From a category four hurricane to a category one storm, Ian has finally been downgraded.
Florida residents have been advised that the next 24 hours will be the most dangerous, and the mayor of Tampa has advised residents to remain indoors through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
During a briefing on Wednesday evening, Jane Castor stated that they were going to get the majority of the rain and the heavier winds starting about 20:00 and they were going to linger throughout the night.
Police didn’t respond to claims of looting at a gas station in Lee County, the south-western region where Ian made landfall, due to storm damage.
A curfew has been imposed as a result and will last “until further notice”.
The community of Fort Myers has been – to some extent – destroyed, said Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais. Some neighbourhoods have been left to resemble lakes, the news agency AFP reported.
Ron DeSantis, the state’s governor, referred to Hurricane Ian as the “biggest flood event” ever seen in south-west Florida and declared that 7,000 National Guard soldiers are prepared to spearhead rescue operations in flood zones.
Thursday will see a briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for President Joe Biden.
Currently, Hurricane Ian is making its way through Florida on its way north. North-east Florida’s Jacksonville International Airport has cancelled all flights set to fly on Thursday.
Ian, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC), is moving at a speed of about eight miles per hour and is expected to make landfall in the Atlantic by Thursday morning.
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) predicted that it will still be at hurricane length when it makes landfall in Georgia and South Carolina on Friday.
Virginia has proclaimed a state of emergency, joining Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida in doing so.
Hurricane Ian hit Cuba’s western coast on Tuesday. After the island went completely dark, power has recently been restored in some regions. Over 20 Cuban migrants are thought to be missing at sea, while two people are reported to have died in Cuba.
