Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm
“I wish this wasn’t the forecast I had to provide,” said National Weather Service Director Ken Graham on Wednesday, when federal officials released the dire update on Hurricane Ian.
“This is going to be a storm we’ll be talking about for years to come,” he said, adding that much of the state is in Ian’s “crosshairs”, including the interior.
Ian’s winds are strong at 155 mph and extend 35 miles beyond the eye of the storm.
“It’s not just about being in the center, it’s the bigger impact from all of this,” Graham said.
Graham says millions of people are at risk because it takes Ian about 24 hours to travel across the state after the eye of the storm hits land. Powerful winds and rain can affect some locations with only slow movement plus storm surges up to 18 feet and rain up to 2 feet.
Even the east coast of Florida is expected to see some storm surge and high winds, and tornadoes will continue to be a threat, primarily in the right front quadrant of the storm.
American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern said nearly 500 Red Cross responders are ready and shelter supplies for 60,000 people are ready. rice field. By the end of the weekend, she expects more than 2,500 Red Cross responders to be deployed.
“To everyone in the path of the storm: Please, please, please follow evacuation orders from elected officials and local officials,” McGovern said. “For many of you, recovery from Hurricane Ian is probably a very long road, and we know the American Red Cross is there.”
FEMA prepared 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water before landing. 300 ambulances (the same ones used to help the state during the COVID-19 pandemic) are ready to help.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live-updates/hurricane-ian-florida-forecast-path-landfall-2022-09-28/ Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm