Hurricane Ian, live: Minute-by-minute of impact and track in Florida

Ian, one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the United States, crossed the Florida peninsula last night, threatening to cause catastrophic flooding inland, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned. It is now expected to enter the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near Kennedy Space Center, the company added.

Heavy rain continued to lead to flooding across the state, and part of the Gulf of Mexico coast was inundated by seawater pushed ashore by the storm.

In Port Charlotte on Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast, storm surge flooded a hospital emergency room on the ground floor of a building, while winds tore off part of the roof of an ICU on the fourth floor. The center’s sickest patients, some on ventilators, had to be evacuated to other sites, said Dr. Birgit Bodin of HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital.

More than two million Florida homes and businesses were without power, the website said PowerOutage.us. Nearly every home and business in the three districts is experiencing blackouts.

They warn from the US Weather Service “Severe and life-threatening flooding” 8 to 10 feet above the ground by storm surge. There is also a warning “Destructive Waves” Continue to Hit Southwest Florida’s CoastEnglewood to Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor.

Ian weakened a A tropical storm with winds of 104 kilometers per hour And more explosions, according to the last update of 5 US National Hurricane Center.

The tropical storm is still expected to produce high winds, heavy rain and storm surge over Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas over the next three days.

Thousands of people in Florida prisons were relocated or evacuated due to Hurricane Ian’s impact, state and local officials said. CNN.

The Florida Department of Corrections said Wednesday that about 2,500 inmates had been moved to facilities “specially equipped to withstand the effects of the storm.” Nearly two dozen facilities were evacuated, he said.

Meanwhile, other jurisdictions say they have restricted operations or moved inland due to Hurricane Ian.

Property damage was not clear as of Wednesday night, according to The Washington Post. High winds prevented rescuers from carrying out rescue operations in heavily flooded communities.

Secondly, No casualties have been reported so far.

Governor Ron DeSantis thought the storm’s intensity may have peaked. However, he stated thatThe entire state will be affected.

As Ian continues to weaken, it is moving toward the Atlantic coast northeast of Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. The company warned that it was capable of causing more “Disastrous Storm Surge, Wind and Flooding.”

In fact, officials’ warnings remain in effect for parts of Florida’s east coast until early Friday morning due to Ian’s strength.

The states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency as a precaution against the passage of Hurricane Ian.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, while gubernatorial candidates from three other states joined the move on Wednesday.

Emergency declarations allow states to deploy resources for possible contingencies and prepare for possible adverse weather in the coming days.

The Jacksonville International Airport terminal will be closed Thursday and all inbound and outbound flights will be canceled. This was confirmed by the airport operator in a statement.

Faced with cancellations, the terminal asked passengers to contact their airlines to rebook in a social media announcement on Wednesday night.

Earlier, airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration said the airport would remain open until conditions were deemed safe to fly.

Across the country, almost About 2,000 flights to or from the US were canceled on Wednesday Many airports affected by Hurricane Ian were canceled.

According to information released by the site, more than 2 million users were in the dark on Wednesday night. PowerOutage.us .

The most affected area of ​​Florida is the Southwest. Ten districts reported that more than 50% of the surveyed customers were without electricity.

Meanwhile, eight other counties in southwest, central and northeast Florida reported more than 10,000 customers without power.

Lee County Police Chief Carmine Marcelo said A man tried to rob a service stationIn the midst of Hurricane Ian’s impact on Florida.

Marceno issued a strong warning against the possibility of a repeat of this type of event. “The only thing I have to say is this is a very clear message to anyone who thinks they’re going to go out and rob or take advantage of people during this horrific event: You better think twice.”

He added: “When I say zero tolerance, zero tolerance means we’ll hunt you down, we’ll find you, if you’re lucky, you’ll go to jail.”

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Ian has weakened to a Category 1 event as it moves through central Florida. A report cited by CNN indicates that the storm’s sustained winds have dropped to 90 mph.

Ian is now centered about 70 miles south of Orlando. East-central Florida, including Orlando, is also under a hurricane watch.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told Fox News that Ian was a hurricane.It is clear that this is a major flood.” That the southwestern part of the state saw.

“Of course, that presents many dangers when it happens. We’re telling people: Be careful when the storm passes.”DeSantis said.

About 96 percent of Fort Myers is without power, local government confirmed CNN. Thousands of people have already occupied the city’s shelters and even some residents are yet to vacate their homes.

Mayor Kevin Anderson noted that downtown streets were under 4 feet of water, adding, “The floodwaters are so high, you can see the fire hydrants closing.” The local ruler added that all businesses in the city center were affected.

Members of East Naples, Florida completed 30 rescues on Wednesday. This was reportedCollier County Sheriff’s Office.

However, officials indicated that operations will continue while Ian is in the western part of the state.

“Our participants in East Naples carried out 30 rescues today. We are still collecting numbers from other regions. We are still rescuing people”, said a statement.

The sheriff’s office said many residents had no power, internet or cable. Officials will have a good idea of ​​the “extent of damage”.