The extent of deaths and injuries remain uncertain as rescue workers are only starting to respond to calls as treacherous conditions abate
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‘Historic storm’: Floods strand Florida residents as Ian heads to South Carolina
Emergency crews on boats and helicopters were racing to reach stranded residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast after Ian, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the US mainland, left behind deadly floodwaters, downed power lines and widespread damage.
Ian flooded Gulf Coast communities before plowing across the peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean, where it was expected to recoup some of its depleted power before making a second landfall in South Carolina on Friday.
The extent of deaths and injuries remained uncertain, as rescue workers were only starting to respond to calls after not being able to go out sooner during the treacherous conditions.
President Joe Biden, speaking earlier at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, said Ian could prove to be the deadliest in Florida history. “The numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life,” Biden said.
Officials locally were more cautious. Chris Constance, commissioner of Charlotte county, said he knew of six confirmed fatalities, but was unaware of the circumstances. In Lee county, sheriff Carmine Marceno said he was aware of “roughly five”.
Key events
While it is difficult to define the impact of the climate crisis on any specific storm or extreme weather event, scientists agree that global heating makes storms like Ian more common – and dangerous.
As sea levels rise, flooding from storms is projected to get worse. In the case of Hurricane Ian, data from NOAA suggest that had the same storm occurred in the 1960s, its impact might have been at least slightly diminished. Sea levels in Fort Myers have risen about half a foot since then.
Warmer conditions – and a warmer planet – also drives more flooding, research has shown. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor – and a study found that in 2017, record high temperatures driven in part by global heating increase the amount of rain that Hurricane Harvey poured down.
And finally, warmer water can increase the speed and intensity of a hurricane – fueling how fast it spins. Studies suggests that hurricanes in the Atlantic are more likely to gain power more quickly as the earth warms.
Search and rescue teams are wading through hard-hit areas, looking for survivors. Many fatalities tend to occur after the worst of the storm passes – due to downed power lines, generator issues and damaged infrastructure.
In many neighborhoods, streets have transformed into rivers – and both first responders and residents are using boats and canoes to make their way through.
Flights have been cancelled across multiple cities in Florida amid the storm.
Orlando International Airport announced that all flight operations have ceased.
Similarly, Southwest Florida International Airport said that the airport remains closed as of Thursday.
“We are working to assess damage to RSW’s facilities and property. All flights are cancelled today,” it said.
Jacksonville International Airport has also cancelled all flights for today and its terminal remains closed.
“The airport will reopen as soon as the airfield and terminal are deemed safe for flight ops,” the airport said in a statement.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the tropical storm will continue to produce life-threatening flooding across the Atlantic coast and expects Ian to become a hurricane again by this evening.
In its advisory released this afternoon, the NHC wrote, “Ian forecast to produce life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds across portions of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.”
It added that Ian, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm, is moving toward the north-northeast near 9mph or 15km/h, and predicts that it will become a hurricane later tonight.
“Ian is expected to become a hurricane again by this evening and make landfall as a hurricane on Friday, with rapid weakening forecast after landfall,” it added.
Evacuation orders have been lifted from the counties of Pinellas and Hillsborough.
“As the path of Hurricane Ian takes it and its hazardous conditions away from Hillsborough County, and following initial safety assessments, County Administrator Bonnie M. Wise has rescinded existing Orders of Evacuation for Hillsborough County,” the county said in a statement online.
“After sheltering over 8,000 evacuees in 47 general population, pet-friendly, and special-needs shelters, Hillsborough County is preparing to conclude sheltering operations or transitioning shelter availability for evacuees who continue to need assistance.”
It encouraged residents whose homes have been damaged to find a safe place to stay, be it with family, friends or nearby hotels.
Similarly, Pinellas county announced that mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted for all evacuation zones, mobile home communities and residential health care facilities as of 9am.
“County crews and first responders are proactively conducting damage assessments and response as needed,” it added.
Aerial footage shows destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Ian – video
Today so far
The “catastrophic” scale of damage and danger wreaked by Hurricane Ian’s 150mph deadly rampage across Florida is still unfolding, as emergency crews continue to battle to rescue residents from flooded homes, and authorities warn of the probability of numerous fatalities. We’ll continue to bring you developments as they emerge.
Here’s where things stand:
US president Joe Biden warned a short time ago, of the storm’s effects: “It is still moving across the state today. This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history. The numbers are still unclear but we are hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.” The death toll so far is not known.
The National Hurricane Center said that, after making landfall in south-west Florida, the monster storm is expected to take: “A turn toward the north-northeast … later today, followed by a turn toward the north and north-northwest with an increase in forward speed Friday and Friday night.” The center of the hurricane is expected to move off the east-central coast of Florida and will make its way to the coast of South Carolina on Friday.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said this morning that: “We’ve never seen a flood event like this. We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude.”
Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration. The move by the president sends federal money to help state, tribal and local recovery efforts, including debris removal, emergency protective measures and hazard mitigation. Crucially, it also makes federal funds available to individuals in specific counties.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis is holding a press conference now and describing how some coastal areas near Fort Myers took “a huge, huge wallop” from the hurricane.
He described Sanibel Island there as, simply, “destruction” to “a beautiful place, really neat community.”
“They got hit with biblical storm surge, it’s washed away roads, washed away structures,” he said, also mentioning, as earlier reported, the collapse of a chunk of the road bridge connecting the island to the mainland near Fort Myers Beach.
“Let’s work on Sanibel and let’s bring it back as soon as we can,” he said.
Over 70 medical responders and supplies from the National Disaster Medical System have been deployed to Florida to assist with post-hurricane rescue and recovery efforts.
“We’re monitoring the situation and we’re prepared to provide additional support as needed,” said Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for Preparedness and Response at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
We’ve deployed more than 70 medical responders and supplies from the National Disaster Medical System to help support Floridians affected by #HurricaneIan. We’re monitoring the situation and we’re prepared to provide additional support as needed.
— Dawn O'Connell (@HHS_ASPR) September 29, 2022
Biden: early reports show ‘what may be substantial loss of life’
There are reports of “what may be substantial loss of life,” president Joe Biden said while speaking at the FEMA headquarters in Washington DC this afternoon.
Speaking about Hurricane Ian, Biden said, “It is still moving across the state today. This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history. The numbers are still unclear but we are hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.”
The president continued, “My message to the people of Florida and to the country: At times like this, America comes together. We’re going to pull together as one team, as one America.”
“However long it takes, we’re going to get there,” Biden said, adding, “That’s my commitment to you.”
Charlotte county officials said on Thursday morning that they are cautiously optimistic that the worst-case scenarios they anticipated as a result of Hurricane Ian did not come true.
Speaking at a press conference, Charlotte county’s emergency management director Patrick Fuller said, “We’re cautiously optimistic that the worst-case scenario that was forecast did not come true.”
Nevertheless, he added that “there is damage throughout the county that we are continuing to assess.”
“The integrity of the homes is far better than we anticipated, but we have rescue crews and federal and state assets whose main priority is to ensure that they gain access to those islands,” he added.
The county is currently going through one of the most widespread power outages across the state, with nearly 90% of tracked customers reporting outages, according to PowerOutages.us.
“If you decided to evacuate, now is not the time to return regardless of where you live in Charlotte County. The roads are extremely dangerous with many unknown hazards,” the county said in a Facebook post.
The electricity services company Florida Power and Light has restored service to over 500,000 customers that have been hit by Hurricane Ian.
Nevertheless, it “anticipates some customers will face prolonged outages because portions of the electric system in Southwest Florida will need to be rebuilt rather than repaired,” the company said in a statement, Reuters reports.
According to FPL, it increased its restoration workforce from 13,000 prior to the storm to over 20,000, including assistance from utilities and others in 30 states.
Florida Power & Light is currently the utility with the most outages across Florida.
A man has died overnight in Volusia county during the storm, local authorities announced.
In a statement released on Thursday morning, the Volusia sheriff’s department said that a 72-year-old Deltona man died overnight after he went outside during the storm to drain his pool.
“Deputies responded to a home on Poinciana Lane near Lake Bethel around 1 a.m. after the victim’s wife reported he disappeared after heading outside. While searching for him, deputies found his flashlight, then spotted the victim unresponsive in a canal behind the home.
Several deputies pulled the victim from the water and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but the victim could not be revived. He was later pronounced deceased at the hospital,” the statement said.
According to initial investigation findings, the man was attempting to use a hose to drain the pool down a hill and into a 30-foot-wide canal, “where a steep decline into the water was extremely soft and slippery due to the heavy rain.”
The county’s curfew which was in place last night has been extended until 7am Friday morning, said Volusia county manager George Recktenwald.
Video has emerged of a shopping center sign collapsing in Jacksonville, Florida just as a reporter was about to go on air.
The First Coast News reporter can be see darting back in shock as the structure collapsed.
“Please tell me you were recording…oh my gosh!” she said.
Meanwhile, another reporter has gone viral after she appeared to use a condom to keep her microphone dry while reporting in the storm.
NBC2 reporter Kyla Galer confirmed her unconventional protective equipment, saying, “It helps protect the gear, we can’t get these mics wet. There’s a lot of wind, there’s a lot of rain so we gotta do what we gotta do.”
