Hurricane Ian as it happened: Recovery efforts begin in Florida and the Carolinas

The National Hurricane Center on Saturday issued its final advisory for Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian.

It said no coastal watches or warnings remained in effect, but that heavy rains were expected to continue through North Carolina and Virginia. It also said major river flooding would likely remain in central Florida through next week.

The advisory said Ian is expected to continue to weaken and dissipate over Virginia by Saturday night.

Meanwhile the death toll from Hurricane Ian has continued to rise. 

About 35 deaths were reported in a single Florida county, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Saturday. Officials have attributed additional deaths to Ian, but as investigations unfold no official statewide tally has been released.

Recovery efforts are also underway, with some areas still only accessible by boat. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference on Saturday morning that more than 1,100 people had been rescued so far, as crews continued to search.

As of Saturday evening, about 1 million customers in Florida, 72,000 in South Carolina, and 25,000 in North Carolina remained without power.

After the center of post-tropical Cyclone Ian made landfall in South Carolina on Friday, heavy rains, flash flooding and high winds have been reported in both North and South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center reported Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

"The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the north near 15 mph... Ian is forecast to move farther inland across central North Carolina overnight into Saturday," the NHC said.

As of 8 p.m. Friday, the center of the cyclone is located 45 miles north east of Florence, South Carolina. Maximum sustained winds are now around 60 mph.

"These winds are occurring primarily over water. Ian should continue to weaken overnight and dissipate over central North Carolina or Virginia late tomorrow," the NHC said.

Tropical storm warnings for the south of the South Santee River and storm surge warnings for Cape Fear have been discontinued, as well as the storm surge watch between Cape Fear and Surf City.

However, storm surge warnings are now in effect for the Neuse River and a tropical storm warning is in effect for South Santee River to Duck and Palmico Sound. North of Surf City to Duck and the Pamlico River are under storm surge watch.

Susan Johnson, 68, rode out Hurricane Ian with her husband and some neighbors at the clubhouse in her mobile home community. She watched from the windows as neighbors' homes blew away.

Many of Johnson's neighbors are snowbirds and don't come down until October, she said, but many were now returning after the storm to help their neighbors. 

In the surrounding area, traffic lights were still shot and many stores were still dark. Neighbors had piled debris in their yards and hung up clothes and other items on lines outside their homes. 

"We have so many conveniences we don't realize it can all go away," Johnson said. "Sometimes you have to go back to the basics to appreciate the things we have." 

Read Full Story

Floyd has a pair of boot-foot waders he's used for years to perform baptisms at his local church. 

But on Friday, he would need the outfit — a combination of boots and coveralls — to wade through about a foot of water in order to safely get to his home in Fort Myers, where a Category 4 storm just left a trail of destruction.

On Wednesday, Hurricane Ian tore through Florida's west coast and slammed the state with catastrophic winds and storm surges. Homes were swept away, boats were destroyed, and city infrastructure has been damaged, leaving nearly entire communities without power. The death toll is at least 21 as of Friday, with state officials expecting the number to rise.

In Fort Myers, a 10-foot surge poured into the community, and residents like Floyd were still waiting on Friday for the water to recede so they can start picking up the pieces.

"Everything is going to be all right," said Floyd, who just experienced his sixth hurricane.

Read Full Story

Sunshine Mobile Village poured a 10-foot surge of water into the community. It caked the inside of homes in mud, and a slight smell of sewage lingered in the air on Friday. 

Few people were here Friday, but those who were checked in on each other, pulling over to the side of the road to make sure that everyone had a place to go or a ride if they needed it.

Many were relieved they and their loved ones were alive. The president of Sunset Village, Vickie Kolodzik, told Insider that her husband stayed behind to help others. 

Wednesday night, Kolodzik said, the water rose around her husband and he held onto a couch as his head bobbed up against the ceiling. Kolodzik herself was at a home situated five feet off the ground – but even then, still had some flooding – and a fire broke out. She couldn't reach her husband. 

Read Full Story

—Louis Aguirre (@LOUISAGUIRRE) September 30, 2022

Around midday Friday, a large wave swept people off a sidewalk in Miami Beach. Local officials said the incident resulted in six people — four women and two men — getting hospitalized for minor injuries, reports The Miami Herald.

"This is the combination of an already very high king tide that's another 10 inches higher than predicted, plus swells from Ian," John Morales, a veteran Florida meteorologist, tweeted on Friday.

Courtesy of Rachel Jeter

BONITA SPRINGS, Florida — Rachel Jeter was on vacation with her family, staying at a beach rental, when Hurricane Ian struck. Water filled the house and washed away her car.

"It was terrifying," she told Insider's Kimberly Leonard.Read Full Story

Florida's death toll in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian has climbed to at least 21, a state official said on Friday. 

Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said during a press briefing that only one of those deaths — which happened in Polk County — has been confirmed as a direct result of the powerful storm. 

An additional 12 fatalities have been reported in Florida's Charlotte County and another eight deaths were reported in Collier County, said Guthrie, noting that those deaths are "unconfirmed," meaning that they have not yet been tied directly to the hurricane. 

"People die in disasters that have nothing to do with the disaster," Guthrie explained. "The medical examiner is the one that makes that determination."

Meanwhile, officials are still "processing through the situation" in hard-hit Lee County, Guthrie said. 

In one case, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer saw human remains at a home where flood waters were over the rooftop of the house, said Guthrie. 

"We had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he could identify it appeared to be human remains," Guthrie said. "We do not know exactly how many [bodies]."

Guthrie said authorities have to wait until the water recedes to go back in. 

He added that there have been similar situations like this in the wake of Hurricane Ian. 

Ian brought catastrophic winds, rain, and storm surges when it made landfall over southwestern Florida as a ferocious Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon. 

Officials expect the death toll to rise. 

"It's horrific," Mayor Kevin Anderson of hard-hit Fort Myers told CNN of the destruction caused by the ferocious storm.

Some cement docks weighing "as much as a ton" were ripped off and "thrown away like they were nothing" during the storm, Anderson said while standing at a marina left severely damaged by the hurricane.Read Full Story

Biden issued the declaration Thursday evening, authorizing disaster-relief efforts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

At least 12 people are dead after Hurricane Ian tore through Florida on Wednesday, according to early reports.

Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing storm surges and catastrophic winds, smashing infrastructure, and leaving millions without power. 

Seven deaths were confirmed in Charlotte County, two deaths have been confirmed in Sarasota, one in Volusia, and two more in Sanibel Island, according to local officials, MSNBC reported at 2 a.m. Friday.

The death toll is expected to rise as more reports roll in.

Ian could be "one of the deadliest hurricanes in Florida's history," President Joe Biden said in an address Thursday morning. 

"We absolutely expect to have mortality from this hurricane," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno estimated during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the fatalities in his county were in the hundreds.

"I don't have confirmed numbers. I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds," Marceno said.

More than 700 people have been rescued as Hurricane Ian makes its way past Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference on Thursday.

DeSantis said people from Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and the barrier islands in Charlotte County, among other locations, have been rescued, and the number is likely to increase as search and rescue teams continue to operate.

The governor did not want to confirm a death toll.

During his visit to Charlotte and Lee Counties, DeSantis said at the news conference that he witnessed "indescribable" damage.

"To see a house just sitting in the middle of Estero Bay — literally must have gotten picked up and flown because of the massive wind speed and the storm surge and deposited in a body of water," he said. "There were cars floating in the middle of the water."

Kevin Guthrie, the director of the state's public safety and emergency management division, warned Floridians to be "extremely careful" as people try to assess the damage in their homes and operate chainsaws or generators.

"We're entering that phase of the response where we start to really get into what's referred to as indirect deaths," Guthrie said.

The director cautioned safety when it comes to getting on ladders, using a chainsaw, and knowing the difference between a cable line and a power line.

"We have significantly more indirect deaths from disasters that are 100% avoidable than we do the disaster itself, so please be safe," he said.

Guthrie also warned not to go out further into the streets to assess damages around the area.

"For every car that's going down the street, that's preventing a power line crew from getting in there and working," he said.

Power outages have impacted multiple counties according to Guthrie, including Duval, St. John's, Nassau, and Baker. Local utilities agencies are working to restore power, he said.

However, in places where infrastructure has been wiped out, such as Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Pine Island, Guthrie said it will "take some time."

"The numbers are still unclear, but we're hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life," Biden said at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, DC.Read Full Story

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for the entire coast of South Carolina, after a new forecast projected that Ian would rebuild to hurricane strength as it churns through the Atlantic.

Ian is expected to approach the coast of South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane on Friday, then travel inland across the Carolinas Friday night and Saturday.

Florida National Guard's has placed over 4,500 soldiers and airmen on active duty so they can respond to Hurricane Ian, a US defense official said Wednesday. Another 2,000 Guardsmen in five neighboring states are also on standby to help if needed.

The defense official said Florida National Guard soldiers, airmen, and their equipment are sheltering at bases around the state and will be ready to deploy wherever needed once the storm passes.

Guardsmen will provide security assistance to local first responders and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and can help with search and rescue missions, clearing routes, and flooding control, the defense official said.

Stunning photos show a massive section of the roughly three-mile Sanibel Causeway wiped out and collapsed into the waters below it. 

The span, which is the only bridge to the island that is home to about 6,300, was destroyed by a powerful storm surge, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which reported that the collapsed portion is at the first section of the road, near the mainland.Read Full Story

Officials are still assessing the damage from Hurricane Ian, but one county sheriff fears the number of fatalities is dire.

Lee County Sherriff Carmine Marceno estimated during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the fatalities in his county were in the hundreds. 

"I don't have confirmed numbers. I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds. There are thousands of people that are waiting to be rescued," Marceno, a Republican, said. His county includes Fort Myers. 

The exact number won't be known for several days. Following past hurricanes, officials have overestimated deaths as they undertake rescue missions to search homes one at a time. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN she did not have any confirmed reports yet on fatalities.

"I understand that some of the sheriffs are saying that they expect a large number of fatalities, but that's why we want to get our search and rescue teams out there. That's why they're out there," she said. "We want to save as many lives as possible."

—Parker Branton (@ParkerBranton) September 29, 2022

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis echoed Criswell's comments during a press conference in Tallahassee on Thursday morning, saying it would take a day or more to confirm fatalities. 

"None of that is confirmed," he said of the sheriff's comments about fatalities. "I think what that is, is there were 911 calls for people saying, 'Hey, the water is rising in my home. I'm going to go up in the attic, but I'm really worried.' Of course, those folks are now going to be checked on." 

Two deaths had been reported so far, DeSantis said, though officials were still assessing whether they were storm-related. 

State and local officials advised more than 2.5 million people in the storm's path to evacuate their homes, but some people chose to stay. Others could not leave because of cost, illness, or because they didn't have access to transportation. 

President Joe Biden on Thursday morning approved DeSantis' request for a major disaster declaration. The designation would help people affected by the storm by paying for temporary housing and home repairs, among other recovery programs. 

Florida's congressional delegation, including Democrats, backed DeSantis' request. DeSantis and Biden spoke Thursday morning. The governor said he would be asking for more counties to receive an emergency declaration, given that the storm was still moving and causing damage. 

Central Florida, including Orlando, would face major flooding, he said. 

"This is going to require years of effort to be able to rebuild and to be able to come back," DeSantis said. 

Criswell will be heading to Florida on Friday, the White House said in a read-out about the call between Biden and DeSantis. 

Hurricane Ian has weakened to a Category 1 storm after making landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center said that, as of 11 p.m. ET, the maximum sustained wind speed recorded on Ian was 90 mph. This means Ian has been reduced from a Category 2 storm to a Category 1 storm, around seven hours after it hit the mainland at about 4:35 p.m. ET with winds of 145 mph.

—WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 29, 2022

The National Hurricane Center said that tropical storm conditions continue to rage over "a wide swath of the Florida peninsula" and warned of a "catastrophic storm surge" and flooding. 

The Jacksonville International Airport has announced the cancellation of all its Thursday flights. 

In a tweet posted at 11:42 p.m. on Wednesday, the airport said its terminal would also be closed. "Contact your airline for rebooking options," the post read.

The airport's closure comes as Hurricane Ian continues to batter a large portion of Florida. Since making landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm at about 4:35 p.m on Wednesday, Hurricane Ian has weakened to a Category 1 storm.

—JAXairport (@JAXairport) September 29, 2022

Hurricane Ian weakened to a Category 2 storm more than two hours after it made landfall in southwest Florida, continuing to devastate the area with 105 mph winds.

Around 4 p.m. local time, Ian made landfall on the island of Cayo Costa, Florida, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Then it hit the mainland at about 4:35 p.m. ET, with winds of 145 mph.

The storm at 10 p.m. ET was 40 miles northeast of Punta Gorda, Florida, and 85 miles southwest of Orlando. The next update is at 11 p.m. ET.

"Catastrophic" winds and storm surge preceded the storm's eye, and it's casting hurricane-force winds up to 50 miles from its center. Ian is menacing nearly all of Florida with tornado risks and heavy rains of up to 30 inches, which could bring flash flooding and river flooding.

The NHC has issued a hurricane warning for a large stretch of Florida's southwest coast, from Chokoloskee to the Anclote River — as well as a stretch of the state's eastern coast, from Sebastian Inlet to the line between Flagler and Volusia counties.

A storm surge warning — indicating life-threatening danger — is in effect for most of Florida's southwest coast, from the Suwannee River to Flamingo, and for northeast Florida from the Flager-Volusia county line up to the mouth of the South Santee River in South Carolina, as well as inland along the St. Johns River.

The center of Ian is forecast to pass over central Florida Wednesday night and Thursday morning. It will likely weaken as it moves inland, but could be near hurricane strength again as it reaches Florida's eastern coast. Then Ian is expected to travel north to Georgia and South Carolina on Friday.

A mandatory evacuation order is in effect in 13 counties in Florida, per the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Ian already battered western Cuba on Tuesday, then rapidly intensified as it traveled over the Gulf of Mexico. Before moving over Florida, its winds had whipped up to nearly Category 5 speeds.

Climate change is making tropical storms and hurricanes stronger, slower, wetter, and ultimately, more damaging and deadly. 

Because cyclones feed on warm air and water, rising global temperatures help them build strength rapidly, as Hurricane Ian has done. Warm air also holds more moisture, which means storms bring more rainfall than they would otherwise.

More than 1.9 million homes in southwest Florida are experiencing blackouts, according to PowerOutage.us, as Hurricane Ian pummels the area.

Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, with 150 mph winds and destructive flooding.

An official from Lee County, Florida, told USA Today reporter Kate Cimini that the community "has been, in some respects, decimated" in the wake of the storm, with 80% of the Florida Power and Light customers impacted by outages. The county faced the largest impact out of the 26 Florida counties without power.

The Biden administration is prepared to "help Florida in every way possible," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Wednesday's press briefing. On Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and told him the state would have "the full force of the federal government," she said. 

DeSantis briefed the press earlier in the day and stressed the gravity of the situation. "It will be one of the storms people always remember when they think about Southwest Florida," he said, similar to how Homestead was affected by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

—Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022

Weather Channel camera footage shared on Twitter shows powerful ocean waters surging into Fort Myers Beach, Florida. It's just the beginning. Forecasts project up to 18 feet of water above ground in that area as the storm moves through.

As Hurricane Ian creeps toward the Florida coast, more than 300,000 Floridians have lost electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. The storm remained just short of the Category 5 hurricane threshold.

Meanwhile, Cuba is beginning to restore electricity to regions on Wednesday after an island-wide power outage, Reuters reported.

—Tropical Nick Underwood (@TheAstroNick) September 28, 2022

Hurricane Ian's strong upward winds jostled a hurricane hunter aircraft 700 feet vertically when it flew into the eye of the storm to get data.

"Absolutely wild," Nick Underwood, a meteorologist onboard the plane, wrote on Twitter, comparing the storm to 2018's Hurricane Michael. "A high end Cat 4 storm. Nearly Cat 5. All of this at 8,000 feet above the ocean. I'm glad we only did one pass," Underwood said.

"This flight to Hurricane Ian on Kermit was the worst I've ever been on," he added.

—Chris Vagasky (@COweatherman) September 28, 2022

Almost 1,000 lightning events were detected within an hour by the National Lightning Detection Network on Wednesday.

"I've never seen so much lightning in an eye," Nick Underwood, a hurricane hunter who flew into Hurricane Ian's eyewall Wednesday, wrote on Twitter.

National Hurricane Center

Storm surge happens when hurricanes reach shallow coastal waters, disrupting the deep-sea circulation they've been driving. Unable to go down, the water pushes out onto land.

These water levels can rise rapidly — a few feet in just one minute — to wash out roads and carry away people and property.Read Full Story

—Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) September 28, 2022

Storm chaser Mike Theiss shared footage of water levels dropping at the mouth of the Peace River, where Ian is forecast to push up to 18 feet of water inland. As the hurricane approaches from the south it might first draw water away, but it will soon push the ocean onto the land.

Meteorologist Jordan Steele shared footage of water levels lowering in Tampa Bay as well on Wednesday morning.

As Hurricane Ian approaches, before it's even made landfall, hundreds of thousands of Floridians are losing electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.

Florida officials are preparing for Hurricane Ian to grow into a Category 5 storm — the strongest-level hurricane classification, which has made landfall in the US only twice in the last three decades. 

The hurricane as of 7 a.m. ET was 80 miles south of Charlotte County, an area on Florida's west coast between Venice and Fort Meyers. Ian was moving north at 10 mph and winds reached 155 mph.

The wind speeds only need to reach 157 mph or higher to attain Category 5 status. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Tallahassee that the storm was "knocking on the door of a Category 5 storm" and that it "could make landfall as a Category 5." 

Read Full Story

Amazon has temporarily shut some warehouses in Florida as Hurricane Ian approaches the state, according to a CNBC report Tuesday.

The e-commerce giant has temporarily closed warehouse sites near Tampa on the Gulf Coast and Orlando in central Florida, according to CNBC, citing notices sent to employees. The warehouses are expected to stay shut until Friday, per the news outlet.

"We're closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Ian and making adjustments to our operations in order to keep our employees and those delivering for us safe," Richard Rocha, an Amazon spokesperson, told CNBC. "We're in regular contact with our employees and delivery partners to ensure everyone is aware of any site closures or unsafe conditions and will continue to make adjustments as needed."

The CNBC report did not specify how many warehouses are closed or how many workers are affected.

Read Full Story

Stark satellite footage of Hurricane Ian as it tears over the Gulf of Mexico shows its sheer scale — and the lightning crackling near the eye of the storm.

Footage of the hurricane was picked up by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-16 satellite on Tuesday.

A clip that tracked the hurricane's progress from 9:25 to 11:12 a.m. ET showed it swirling over the Gulf of Mexico. The satellite also picked up numerous bolts of lightning — represented in the clip with purple flashes — around the storm's clear eye.

Read Full Story

State officials stressed Tuesday night that "the time is now" for people who evacuate their homes if they live in unsafe areas of the state.

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall near Sarasota on Wednesday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Tallahassee.

While the movement of the storm could change, experts predict it'll meander through the state and exit on the east coast on Friday morning, and then head up toward Georgia and South Carolina. 

Ian could become a Category 4 storm before it hits Florida, which would mean that it would have winds north of 130 mph and have the ability to cause catastrophic damage. 

DeSantis urged people to listen to local officials when they said to evacuate. 

"You still have some time but that time is rapidly running out," DeSantis said. 

The storm is 250 miles south of Sarasota and moving north at 10 mph. Rear Admiral McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, warned it would be a "very dangerous, life-threatening storm." Officials were poised to offer search and rescue services, and dispatched 30 aircraft to the region, he said. 

But there will be a time when certain parts of Florida will have to put rescue missions on hold. 

Kevin Guthrie, Florida's emergency management director, warned during the Tallahassee press conference that once people were in the middle of the storm then first responders would not be able to help. 

"There will be a time when they cannot reply to a cry for help," he said, "and you will be left to fend for yourself." 

He stressed that "the time is now" to evacuate and that "there will be a point in time when you will not be safe to travel the roads." Officials have also emphasized that people should help neighbors who might not be able to leave because of illness or because they are unfamiliar with hurricane guidelines. 

People urged to evacuate their homes don't necessarily have to drive to another state but should try to get to higher ground, state officials said. They've encouraged people to go to Miami-Dade or Broward Counties. 

MIAMI, Florida — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he would be receptive to a phone call from President Joe Biden about Hurricane Ian as it closes in on his state. 

The White House confirmed earlier in the day that Biden hadn't called, but repeatedly dodged questions about why. 

"I'm happy to brief the president if he's interested in hearing what we are doing in Florida," DeSantis said Tuesday at a press conference in Tallahassee.

Read Full Story

This swift change is called rapid intensification — a process in which a tropical cyclone's maximum sustained winds increase by 35 mph in just 24 hours. It's usually fueled by warm water.Read Full Story

The Orlando International Airport canceled all of its commercial flights starting on Wednesday. The airport said that the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority activated the airport's Emergency Operations Center and that travelers should contact airlines directly for any updates for their specific flights. 

The Florida Department of Transportation announced on Monday that Tampa Bay International Airport and the St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport were also suspending operations due to the storm.

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack postponed its upcoming hearing in light of Hurricane Ian's growing danger.

Chairman Bennie G. Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney released a Tuesday statement announcing that the panel's next public hearing, which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, will be postponed.

"In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow's proceedings," the lawmakers said. "We're praying for the safety of all those in the storm's path. The Select Committee's investigation goes forward and we will soon announce a date for the postponed proceedings."

READ FULL STORY

President Joe Biden hasn't spoken with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida about the state's forthcoming hurricane. 

The White House confirmed the information Tuesday during the daily press briefing.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, did speak over the phone to DeSantis on Friday about Hurricane Ian. 

"The president directed me to contact the governor early on before we even did the declaration. I did that," she said, adding that FEMA's regional administrator, Gracia Szczech, was currently meeting with DeSantis and traveling to various parts of Florida. 

Biden has called other Florida elected officials. He spoke over the phone with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor Tampa and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welsh — both Democrats — and with Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, a centrist Republican. The storm is set to hit all three cities. 

Read Full Story

Cubans have been left without power in the wake of Hurricane Ian after the storm wiped out the island's power grid.

The Category 3 storm made landfall in Cuba on Tuesday on its trajectory toward south Florida, overwhelming the decades-old power system and leaving residents in the dark.

"The system was already operating under complex conditions with the passage of Hurricane Ian," Lazaro Guerra, technical director of Cuba's Electricity Union, told Reuters. "There is no electricity service in any part of the country right now."

Orlando International Airport (MCO) will stop all operations beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the airport announced Tuesday afternoon. 

"The Orlando International Airport is prepared for the arrival and impact of Hurricane Ian. After conferring with the National Weather Service, airlines, and federal partners it has been decided that commercial operations at Orlando International Airport will cease at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, 9/28/22," a statement from the airport posted to Twitter said. 

Read Full Story

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predict that a "life-threatening" storm surge from Hurricane Ian is "increasingly likely" along Florida's west coast. The highest risk is from Fort Meyers to the Tampa Bay region, NHC said. 

According to the latest forecast, Ian is expected to push between 5 to 8 feet of water from the ocean into Tampa Bay and 8 to 12 feet into Charlotte Harbor. Both areas are under evacuation orders. 

Storm surge is often more deadly and damaging than a hurricane's winds.

Hurricane Ian is now a major hurricane. The hurricane was strengthened to a category three, with winds reaching up to 115 mph before making landfall on Cuba, the National Weather Service said in an update at 2:30 AM ET on Tuesday.

Wind speed is the primary way meteorologists measure a storm's intensity — it's what determines the categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Anything Category 3 and above is considered a major hurricane. 

As Hurricane Ian intensifies and heads toward the Florida Gulf Coast, forecasters are sounding the alarm for what could be a Category 3 storm with 111-mph winds.

The last time a Category 3 storm that strong hit Tampa Bay was a century ago, in a storm that knocked out the region's power and killed eight people. But that was when the population was only about 200,000, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Bay, which includes the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, is now home to about 3.2 million people, according to the 2020 US Census. 

As a storm pushes water towards Tampa Bay, the region can expect a 26-foot flood, according to Vox.

In the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's catastrophic plan, which lays out this exact worst-case scenario through a simulation called Hurricane Phoenix, the flooding would turn various parts of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, into islands.

Read Full Story

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Tampa International airport will suspend all operations. The St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport will do the same on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET.

The decision comes as evacuations are expected to pick up in the coming days.

National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Ian is churning toward Cuba, and forecasters expect it to rapidly gain strength in the warm Gulf waters as it approaches the western Florida coast.

Ian is expected to pass over western Cuba on Monday night or early Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a hurricane warning for the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Rio, and Artemisa, as well as Dry Tortugas National Park.

On Monday at 5 p.m. ET, NHC said the storm was located about 155 miles southeast of Cuba's western tip, traveling northwest at 13 mph.

Ian has strengthened to a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds. It's expected to churn itself up to 111 mph, a Category 3 storm, overnight or early Tuesday.

A hurricane warning is in effect across half of the Florida Gulf Coast, from Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, where NHC expects the heaviest storm surge — up to 10 feet of water. A hurricane watch is in place from Bonita Beach to Englewood, and north of the Anclote River to the Suwannee River.

Heavy rainfall is expected to bring flooding across Florida, including all the way east to Orlando.

"This is traditional rainfall flooding that will come and make movement difficult. So this is why you can't be waiting until the last minute to move around and make your preparations," Jamie Rhome, acting director of NHC, said in a livestream update Monday morning. In the Tampa Bay area, he added, preparations should be complete by Tuesday night.

Hurricane Ian is expected to hit portions of western Cuba this evening, continuing into Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

Officials have ordered 50,000 people to evacuate the Pinar del Rio province on Cuba's western tip.

"The supplies Floridians usually get to prepare for a storm are unavailable to most Cubans," the Miami Herald reported. "That long list includes shutters, water bottles, sandbags, rechargeable lamps, batteries, and even candles. Food shortages add another layer of complexity to storm preparedness efforts on the island." 

The island country is bracing for a Category 2 storm — meaning wind speeds between 96 to 110 mph — as well as mudslides and flash floods. The winds reached 100 mph at 8 p.m. ET on Monday and the National Hurricane Center is predicting 14 feet of storm surge. 

"Conditions in western Cuba beginning to deteriorate with significant wind and storm surge impacts expected overnight," the National Hurricane Center tweeted Monday evening. 

Ian is expected to hit Florida's Gulf Coast as early as Wednesday. 

Cuba last faced a major hurricane in 2017 with Irma, a Category 5 storm that killed 10 people.

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the 30-story-high, $50 million rocket that NASA has spent 17 years building in order to carry out its new lunar missions, a program called Artemis.

SLS was scheduled to launch for the first time on Tuesday, but NASA has decided the weather will be too risky. It's preparing to roll the giant rocket 4 miles to shelter Monday night.Read Full Story

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing what's projected to be his first major hurricane as governor just six weeks before Election Day. 

The governor has held two press conferences in Florida so far, with more expected Monday evening. DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida on Saturday and activated 2,500 members of the Florida National Guard. 

Campaign-related events were also affected.

President Joe Biden had been scheduled to appear at a Democratic National Committee event in Orlando on Tuesday with Democrat Charlie Crist, a former congressman and gubernatorial candidate who's running to unseat DeSantis in November. The DNC postponed the event given the impending storm. 

Crist also canceled a rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the multicultural organization Faith in Florida on Monday evening when he'd been scheduled to appear alongside Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who is running for the US Senate. Demings had not planned on campaigning with Biden in Orlando even though it's in her district, NBC News reported. 

Sen. Marco Rubio, who is Demings' GOP opponent in the Senate race, postponed a campaign event that was set to occur this week in rural Homestead, Florida, because of the impending hurricane.Read Full Story

The current NHC forecast shows the right side of Hurricane Ian covering the entire Tampa Bay area, maximizing onshore winds that push water inland, CNN reported. That increases the chances of a storm surge on the upper end of the forecast — 10 feet of water rushing into communities along the bay.

"This is a near worst-case approach angle coming in from the south and west and stalling," Jamie Rhome, the National Hurricane Center acting director, told CNN. "With it slowing down, this would be a near-worst case approach angle."

The forecast also projects the storm will move along at a slow speed of just 5 mph as it passes Tampa, allowing it to linger longer and deal more damage. Research shows that hurricanes are moving more slowly as temperatures rise in oceans and the atmosphere.

If you're in the Tampa area, "it's time to stop looking on the internet and hoping that it'll go away. It's time to start acting," Rhome said.

"We tell people even if they're lifelong Floridians like myself, this is something that we haven't seen in our lifetime," Rick Davis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Tampa office, told CNN. "So we definitely need to take it seriously."Read Full Story

On Monday afternoon, Cathie Perkins, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, announced that certain parts of the county would be issuing a mandatory evacuation. 

The county encompasses Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Depending on the zone people live in, some have been asked to evacuate beginning 6 p.m. ET Monday while others will be asked to evacuate on Tuesday morning. 

The state determines evacuation zones based on flooding risk.

"Our entire county is going to feel some type of impact," Perkins said at a press conference Monday in Largo, Florida, with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

The county was expecting between 10 to 15 feet surges, she said, and "widespread flooding," as well as a risk of tornadoes.

Officials said people didn't necessarily need to travel to another state, given that shelters were being made available in the county, but needed to get out of harm's way. Mobile homes are part of the evacuation order. 

Pinellas had already closed schools by Monday morning. 

"You need to have your preparations finished by Tuesday morning, Tuesday noon at the latest," Rhome said.

Officials issued evacuation orders for parts of Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located, and Manatee County on Monday morning.

More evacuation orders are expected throughout Monday and Tuesday, in other areas where life-threatening storm surge is forecast. That influx of water is often more damaging and deadly than a cyclone's powerful winds.

Evacuation orders can be found on the website of the Florida Division of Emergency management, along with a map of evacuation zones.

"If emergency managers order you to leave, then you need to do so without question and without delay," Rhome said.

National Hurricane Center

Other areas of Florida are expected to get 2 to 8 feet of storm surge. That influx of water is often more damaging and deadly than a cyclone's powerful winds.

Tampa city officials are handing out sand bags, and the county has put evacuation orders into effect.