Hurricane Ian: Waves flood roads in Key West as storm strengthens to category 4
After spending most of Thursday as a tropical storm, Ian was upgraded to a hurricane again as it takes aim at the South Carolina coastline.
The National Hurricane Center stated in its 5pm ET update that Hurricane Ian was “taking aim at the Carolinas and Georgia with life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds.”
The hurricane is now moving north-northwest at around 10 mph with maximum sustained winds increasing to 75 mph with strong gusts.
“Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall tomorrow, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” the advisory said.
Dozens of rescue operations have been taking place across Florida after unprecedented flooding from one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the United States.
Thousands of people are stranded across the state as coastguard helicopters were seen plucking people from roofs after several feet of water surged into neighorboods. Some 2.5million people were currently without power.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the hurricane as a “500-year flood event” and said that major infrastructure had been badly damaged including the Sanibel Causeway in southwest Florida and the bridge to Pine Island, near Fort Myers.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Florida following the catastrophic impacts. “This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” he said later during a briefing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters.
Donald Trump avoids fraud lawsuit deposition by staying in Florida as Hurricane Ian strikes
The former president had been due to be deposed in a civil class action lawsuit first filed in 2018.
Trump avoids fraud deposition by staying in Florida as Hurricane Ian hits
‘I expressed some surprise – but they indicated they were flying down anyway’
Graeme Massie30 September 2022 01:03
More than 500 people rescued so far in Lee and Charlotte counties
“Search & Rescue Update: As of 2:00 PM (EST), more than 500 individuals have been rescued in Charlotte & Lee Counties since operations began this morning. Search & Rescue efforts are ongoing in impacted areas,” the state’s department of emergency management tweeted on Thursday.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150mph, while Charlotte County is to its north.
Graeme Massie30 September 2022 00:01
Climate change increased Ian rainfall by 10%, say scientists
The analysis by researchers Kevin Reed of Stony Brook University and Michael Wehner of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has not yet been peer-reviewed, but they say they used the same methodology for their study of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which has been.
Graeme Massie29 September 2022 23:46
Disney World guests hunkering down as Hurricane Ian brings fierce winds and rain
The resort’s four theme parks closed on Wednesday, but in the 32 hotels that sit on the 27,000 acre theme park near Orlando, Disney staff went to every effort to keep the magic alive.
Disney World guests hunkering down as Hurricane Ian brings fierce winds and rain
‘It’s so awful what’s going on elsewhere, I feel terrible’
Graeme Massie29 September 2022 23:26
Ian re-strengthens into hurricane as it nears South Carolina
The storm is forecast to make landfall again on Friday.
Ian re-strengthens into hurricane as it nears South Carolina
The storm is forecast to make landfall again on Friday
Graeme Massie29 September 2022 23:10
Sanibel mayor pens emotional letter after Ian: ‘Our lives and our island have been forever changed’
Sanibel Island is cut off after the only bridge that connects it and Captiva to the mainland bore the brunt of the historic hurricane and had sections ripped out.