Hurricane Ian Live Updates: Over 1 Million Lose Power As Cat 4 Storm Pummels Florida’s Gulf Coast

Breaking Business Hurricane Ian Live Updates: Over 1. 3 Million Lose Power As Cat 4 Storm Pummels Florida’s Gulf Coast Brian Bushard Forbes Staff I cover breaking news for Forbes Joe Walsh Forbes Staff I cover breaking news for Forbes. Sep 28, 2022, 05:04pm EDT | Updated Sep 28, 2022, 06:09pm EDT Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, leaving more than 1 million Floridians without electricity as the Category 4 storm unloads floodwaters, 12-foot storm surges and 140 mph winds.

Hurricane Ian is 60 miles off the coast of Naples, Florida Getty Images Key Facts By 4:35 p. m. , the eye of Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Florida mainland near Punta Gorda, which is roughly 20 miles northwest of Fort Myers and 75 miles south of Tampa, about 90 minutes after Ian initially hit the barrier island of Cayo Costa, the National Hurricane Center said.

Almost 1. 4 million people in Florida lack electricity, according to tracking service Poweroutage. us , including most power customers in coastal Lee County and Charlotte County, which contain the cities of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, respectively.

The NHC says “catastrophic” storm surges, flash flooding and wind are expected across much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has received “some reports of structural damage” in Lee and Charlotte counties. DeSantis said the storm surges had “likely peaked” by Wednesday evening, but the hurricane will still cause damage across the state, including on the Atlantic Coast in northeast Florida.

Ian had maximum sustained wind speeds of 140 mph as of 5 p. m. , just shy of the 157 mph threshold that would make it a Category 5 hurricane, according to the NHC .

NHC Director Jamie Rhome advised residents who ignored evacuation orders not to go outside, as the storm brings a 12-18-foot storm surge around Charlotte Harbor, saying it’s “only going to get worse”—the majority of the Gulf Coast, as well as parts of northeast Florida and the Georgia coast are under a storm surge warning. The storm could “crawl” slowly as it makes its way across Florida, bringing a high risk of heavy rain up to 10-15 inches and flooding, Rhome said. An extreme wind warning is in effect for parts of Lee County, with the National Weather Service advising residents who did not evacuate to treat the storm like an approaching tornado and to “move immediately to an interior room or shelter NOW!” Key Background Hurricane Ian ripped through western Cuba Tuesday, killing at least two and causing widespread flooding and a total blackout across the entire island.

As it approached Florida, DeSantis warned “there’s going to be a lot of fallout in terms of getting people back on their feet. ” More than 2. 5 million residents across four counties—including in Tampa, St.

Petersburg and Fort Myers—have been ordered to evacuate , while schools, hospitals and two major airports in the Tampa Bay area, as well as the Orlando International Airport, announced they would temporarily close. Tangent Some Florida residents who defied evacuation orders and remained in their homes have called 911, but DeSantis says first responders will likely wait until conditions become less dangerous. “By and large, until the storm passes, they are not going to go into a situation for rescue and put their own folks at risk,” the governor said in a Wednesday press conference.

What To Watch For Ian’s path. Forecasters put the storm on a northeasterly path across central Florida and toward the Atlantic, with hurricane warnings in effect for Daytona Beach and Cape Canaveral and evacuation orders in place for some low-lying parts of eastern Florida. Heavy rainfall is expected across the peninsula through Thursday, likely to cause “life-threatening catastrophic flooding,” according to the NHC .

After it crosses Florida, the storm is projected to move north toward the Georgia and South Carolina coastline. Hurricane watches are in place for the Atlantic Coast in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, and tropical storm watches and warnings extend all the way to the southern edge of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Crucial Quote “Please, stay indoors, stay away from windows, get to an interior location of your house,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie warned Floridians in a press conference Wednesday morning, saying he’s expecting Ian to develop into a Category 5 hurricane.

Further Reading ‘Rapidly Intensifying’: Hurricane Ian Could Strengthen To Category 5 Storm As It Approaches Florida (Forbes) Near Cat 5 Hurricane Ian with 155 mph winds to strike Florida today, carve way up to Orlando (Orlando Sentinel) 7 Reasons Hurricane Ian Is Particularly Dangerous (Forbes) In Photos: Hurricane Ian Slams Cuba And Barrels Toward Florida—Here’s A Look At The Damage (Forbes) Brian Bushard Joe Walsh Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.