- April 18, 2024
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With sustained winds of 155 mph, just 1 mile under a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Ian is a "very dangerous storm," said Jim Judge, interim director of Volusia County Emergency Management, during Volusia County's news briefing on Wednesday, Sept. 28.
"Think of Charley," Judge said. "This is following almost the exact same track, coming down around Cape Coral up to Punta Gorda."
Per the latest update, Volusia County — which is under hurricane and tornado warnings — will likely face winds of 55-65 mph and tornado gusts between 80 and 90 mph. Residents can expect anywhere from 12-18 inches of rain, though they could be as high as 24 inches in low-lying areas, Judge said.
Winds are anticipated to last as long as six to 12 hours, and the county expects them to be at their worst between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday. Judge said conditions are anticipated to improve by Friday morning.
With anticipated wave heights at 8 to 12 feet during the storm, the county is asking residents to stay out of the water and the beach.
"Don't put our rescue personnel in danger," Beach Safety Director Andrew Ethridge said. "With the high waves and currents, we're going to see extremely dangerous rip currents as well."
All bridges will close to vehicular traffic when sustained wind speeds reach 39 mph.
The Main Street and Highbridge drawbridges will remain open to vehicular traffic until sustained wind speeds reach 39 mph, but they will not open for marine traffic after 5 p.m. Wednesday until the storm passes.
Residents were also urged by county officials to finish preparations if they hadn't yet done so. This includes taking a final walkthrough around your property and bringing in patio furniture, flower pots, wind chimes or anything that could because airborne.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, there were 159 people utilizing the county shelters. They have a total capacity of 1,119 people.
"Everyone should be wherever they plan to ride out the storm," said Kevin Captain, Volusia County Community Information director. "With the impacts of Ian coming very soon, this isn't the time to be out on the roads."
General population shelters are:
Special needs shelters are:
Residents planning to ride out the storm in a county shelter should get to their shelter of choice as soon as possible.
A countywide curfew is in place due to the hurricane. The curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, through 7 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, and 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 through 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
The purpose of the curfew is to keep the roads free from unnecessary traffic, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
"This is a deadly situation," he said. "We are asking folks for your own safety to adhere to the curfew. You can't go food shopping — Publix is closed, Walmart's closed, restaurants are close.d Ride out the storm in your location. The worst is yet to come."
