Hurricane Ian is rapidly intensifying off Florida, gaining top winds of 155 mph, just shy of a Category 5.
The National Hurricane Center says only two category 5 hurricanes have hit the U.S. in the past 30 years.
Fort Myers is at the highest risk. That's where Peyton Powell, who has ties to Pittsburgh, moved four months ago.
She tells The Big K Morning Show, her and her family are 30 minutes south to avoid the storm surge that could reach up to 16 feet, it's still dangerous where she is.
“Just to the right of the eye but in the red, that was pretty scary and we’re close to a river too so we were in the surge still. So that’s why we decided to leave.”
At least 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.
Florida has staged 30,000 linemen, urban search and rescue teams and 7,000 National Guard troops ready to help once the weather clears.
“The size of the storm is 180 miles, to give Pittsburghers a prospective of that, it’s like driving in hurricane type winds from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Ohio. That’s how big the radius of this storm is.” Pittsburgh native Elliot Falcione, Executive Director of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, gives an update on where things stand.
He also says fuel is very hard to come by, and the grocery store chain, Publix, closed at 6 p.m. last night.
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