Florida

Ian Batters Florida With Life-Threatening Storm Surge, Winds, Flooding

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians had been given mandatory evacuation orders in anticipation of powerful storm surge, high winds and flooding rains from Ian.

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NBC 6 Hurricane Specialist John Morales has the latest on Hurricane Ian.

Hurricane Ian continued to batter Florida after it made landfall as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday, bringing "catastrophic" storm surge, winds and flooding as one of the strongest recorded storms to ever hit the state.

With maximum sustained winds at 150 mph, just 7 mph short of a Category 5 hurricane, Ian made landfall around 3:05 p.m. in Cayo Costa, near a portion of the state's heavily populated Gulf Coast near Fort Myers, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The storm was about 70 miles south of Orlando and was moving north-northeast at a speed of 8 mph, moving inland with winds decreasing to 90 mph, according to the latest update from the NHC.

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians had been given mandatory evacuation orders in anticipation of powerful storm surge, high winds and flooding rains from Ian. More than 1.1 million power outages were reported throughout the state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Forecasters had said the area where Ian made landfall could be inundated by a storm surge of up to 18 feet.

"A storm of this magnitude will produce catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge on the Gulf Coast of Florida," DeSantis said during a Wednesday news conference. "This is a major, major storm."

Off the coast on Sanibel Island near Fort Myers, swirling water-covered residential streets and was halfway up mailbox posts by mid-morning. Seawater rushed out of Tampa Bay, leaving parts of the muddy bottom exposed, and waves crashed over the end of a wooden pier at Naples.

Many rushed to board up their homes and move precious belonging up to higher floors before fleeing.

“You can’t do anything about natural disasters,” said Vinod Nair, who drove inland from the Tampa area Tuesday with his wife, son, dog and two kittens seeking a hotel in the tourist district of Orlando. “We live in a high risk zone, so we thought it best to evacuate.”

Ian had already made landfall as a Category 3 storm Tuesday in Cuba just southwest of the town of La Coloma in the Pinar Del Rio province, bringing down the electricity grid and leaving the entire island without power.

Ian’s slowed over the Gulf, enabling the hurricane to grow wider and stronger. Winds exceeding tropical-storm strength of 39 mph had already reached Florida by 3 a.m. Wednesday and hurricane-force winds were in Florida well in advance of the storm's eyewall moving inland, the Miami-based NHC center said.

NBC 6's Chris Hush is in Naples ahead of the Category 4 storm's landfall.

DeSantis said more power outages were expected, and he urged people to prepare for extended outages. He said Florida will receive assistance from several states, including Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and New York.

The National Hurricane Center's hurricane warning was in effect for Chokoloskee to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, and the Sebastian Inlet to the Flagler/Volusia County line. A hurricane watch was in effect for the Flagler/Volusia County Line to the South Santee River.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Indian Pass to the Anclote River, all of the Florida Keys, Flamingo to South Santee River, Flamingo to Sebastian Inlet, Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A boat pushes against a Fort Myers apartment after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on Sept. 29, 2022, Florida. Brenda Brennan, pictured, said the boat floated in around 7pm.
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Boats are left stranded on the shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on Sept. 29, 2022. Hurricane Ian left much of coastal southwest Florida in darkness early on Thursday, bringing “catastrophic” flooding that left officials readying a huge emergency response to a storm of rare intensity.
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Cars make their way through a flooded street in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
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Lew Hendrix collects palm branches blown down by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian in Tampa, Florida, Sept. 28, 2022.
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Carol Nies, left, and Heidi Smith survey damage left by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, Sept. 29, 2022.
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Streets signs are down in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Punta Gorda, Florida on Sept. 29, 2022.
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Boats are pushed up on a causeway after Hurricane Ian passed through the area, Sept. 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
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A lit portrait of Che Guevara is seen in Revolution Square during a blackout in Havana, Sept. 29, 2022. Cuba has been left in the dark since September 27 due to a widespread blackout caused by damage to its power grid following Hurricane Ian.
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A woman holds an umbrella inverted by the wind in Tampa, Florida, on Sept. 28, 2022.
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An airplane is overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 28, 2022, at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph, just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
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An uprooted tree, toppled by strong winds from the outer bands of Hurricane Ian, in a parking lot of a shopping center, Sept. 28, 2022, in Cooper City, Florida.
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A sign limits the sale of water in Tampa, Florida, Sept. 27, 2022, ahead of Hurricane Ian’s arrival.
Ramon Espinosa/AP
Utility poles tilted by Hurricane Ian in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Sept. 27, 2022.
Ramon Espinosa/AP
People play dominoes by flashlight during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, Sept. 28, 2022. Cuba remained in the dark early Wednesday after Hurricane Ian knocked out its power grid and devastated some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when it hit the island’s western tip as a major storm.
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A man on a street in Havana during a blackout, Sept. 27, 2022. Cuba was left in the dark right after Hurricane Ian swept through the western part of the island, causing damage to the power grid and knocking out power for the entire island.
Ismael Francisco/AP
A blackout triggered by Hurricane Ian in Havana, Cuba, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian knocked out electricity to the entire island when it hit the island’s western tip as a major storm.
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A family surveys their flooded home in Batabano, Cuba, Sept. 27, 2022, after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the island Tuesday.
Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images
People walk through a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba, Sept. 27, 2022, after Hurricane Ian swept through the area.
NASA
Hurricane Ian pictured from the International Space Station just south of Cuba, Sept. 26, 2022.
Matias Delacroix/AP
Passenger try to reschedule their flights after many were cancelled or delayed due to Hurricane Ian, at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Sept. 27, 2022. Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane and left one million people without electricity, before it churned on a collision course with Florida over warm Gulf waters.
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People walk the beach at sunset in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Ian on Sept. 27, 2022, in Treasure Island, Florida.
Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images
A damaged house is seen in San Juan y Martinez, Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba after Hurricane Ian swept through the island on Sept. 27, 2022.
A sign reading “Ian Not Welcome Here” is seen in Pinellas County where Hurricane Ian is projected to impact the Florida Gulf Coast in Largo, Florida, Sept. 26, 2022.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
A house is boarded up ahead of Hurricane Ian’s arrival in Indian Shores, 25 miles west of Tampa, Florida, Sept. 26, 2022.
Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images
A shopper attempts to find water amid emptied shelves in Kissimmee, Florida, Sept. 26, 2022. Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 on Tuesday, and is expected to strengthen further before making landfall along Florida’s west coast later in the week.
Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images
A Cuban family transport personal belongings to a safe place in Havana, Cuba, Sept. 26, 2022, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ian. Cuba declared an emergency alert in its six most western provinces as fast-approaching Hurricane Ian was moving northwest towards Cuba and the Cayman Islands with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour.
Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images
A man carries a sack of food in Batabano, Cuba, Sept. 26, 2022, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ian.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
Barbara Schueler fills sandbags in a vacant lot in preparation for Hurricane Ian in St. Pete Beach, Florida, Sept. 26, 2022.
Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images
Shoppers wait in line outside a retail warehouse as people rush to prepare for Tropical Storm Ian, in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sept. 25, 2022.
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People pull small boats out of Havana Bay in Havana, Sept. 26, 2022, as Cuba is expected to bear the brunt of Hurricane Ian.

A storm surge warning was in effect for the Lower Florida Keys from Big Pine Key westward to Key West, Suwannee River southward to Flamingo, Tampa Bay, the Flagler/Volusia Line to the mouth of the St. Mary's River, and the St. Johns River.

More than 2.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders, in Hillsborough, Lee and other counties.

Lee County - where Fort Myers is on Florida’s southwest Gulf Coast - had issued mandatory evacuations early Tuesday for low-lying areas including Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Bonita Beach, where about 250,000 people live, after forecasters expanded the hurricane warning area.

NBC's Sam Brock reports from Tampa as residents evacuate the city.

“If you are in any of those counties it is no longer possible to safely evacuate. It’s time to hunker down and prepare for the storm," DeSantis said Wednesday. “Do what you need to do to stay safe. If you are where that storm is approaching, you’re already in hazardous conditions. It’s going to get a lot worse very quickly. So please hunker down."

DeSantis activated the state's National Guard ahead of the storm's expected impact this week. The governor's declaration frees up emergency protective funding to address potential damage from storm surge, flooding, dangerous winds and other weather conditions throughout the state.

DeSantis expanded the declaration of a state of emergency Saturday to include the entire state.

Florida's west coast is bracing for impact from what's being called a "life-threatening storm" as Hurricane Ian strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 hurricane

Tampa International Airport suspended all operations Tuesday afternoon due to the hurricane. Travelers were advised to contact their airline for information. American Airlines, meanwhile, reduced fares for flights out of 20 airports in the region that may be impacted by the storm. The airline was also waving fees for checked baggage and carry-on pets to help those in the area to evacuate.

Florida Power & Light was preparing more than 13,000 workers to assist with their response to Hurricane Ian, company officials said. The power company said they were pre-positioning workers and supplies to respond to any outages from the hurricane.

Although South Florida won't take a direct hit from Hurricane Ian, severe weather and flooding were expected throughout the area over the next couple days.

In Broward, volatile storms passing through Tuesday night spawned a tornado that flipped small planes and a second unconfirmed tornado that ripped through a neighborhood uprooting trees.

A flood watch was issued for most of South Florida and remained in effect until Wednesday night.

The City of Miami opened its Emergency Operations Center at 9 a.m. Tuesday to deal with expected flooding from Ian.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez reassured residents that all permanent water pumps are working, and seven additional portable pumps will be installed, as needed.

Schools in Miami-Dade and Broward were announcing closures this week due to Ian. All schools and offices in the Monroe County School District were closed Tuesday and would remain closed Wednesday due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the county is expecting between three and eight inches of rainfall by Thursday with a risk of two to four feet of storm surge in the southern parts of the county

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Monday night that the football team was relocating football operations to the Miami area in preparation for next weekend’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Florida Gators and UCF Knights moved their games to Sunday while the USF Bulls will now play their game Saturday in Boca Raton.

NBC 6 and AP
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