Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned many of its residents early Wednesday that it was too late to flee the “devastating” outbreak of Hurricane Ian, which is expected to make landfall in hours as a historic Category 5 hurricane.
“It is no longer possible to remove safely,” DeSantis warned residents In a wide area around Charlotte County, where Ian is expected to make landfall north of Fort Myers this afternoon.
“It’s time to get ready and prepare for this storm,” he insisted.
“Do what you have to do to stay safe. If you are where that storm is coming, you are already in a dangerous position. It is going to get very bad very quickly. So please bow down,” he repeated .
With Ian already reaching maximum winds of 155 mph, it’s “knocking on the door of a Category 5 hurricane,” DeSantis said — a terrifying list of 157 mph or more for historic storms. .
“It’s a big, big storm… It’s going to be a bad, bad day,” he said, acknowledging the threat is likely to last at least through late Thursday.
Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, went further, saying that his local directors were all “Preparing” for “and expecting a cat 5.”
“The storm is here. It’s imminent,” he insisted, warning those in its path to stay inside.
State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said the threat was so great it caused the “greatest response ever in the state” as rescue teams backed by 7,000 National Guard troops were ready.
“They’ve been training for this mission their whole lives,” he said, highlighting the scale of the expected disaster.
Here’s everything there is to know about Hurricane Ian:
“As the governor said, hunker down – now is not the time to hit the streets,” he warned residents.
Meanwhile, DeSantis said that “the assets we have are unprecedented in the history of the state and, unfortunately, they will need to be deployed.”
The massive storm appeared to slam into the coast somewhere north of Fort Myers and about 125 miles south of Tampa. The area is popular with retirees and tourists attracted to the pristine white sandy beaches and long barrier islands, which forecasters said could be completely submerged.
Those behind were also warned not to rush to buy supplies or stay outside fortifying properties.
“Time is fast running out for residents to ramp up preparedness as Hurricane #Ian approaches on the southwestern Florida peninsula,” the National Hurricane Center tweeted after 8:30 a.m.
“Tropical-hurricane-force winds are already beginning to affect [the] Coast. The situation will deteriorate rapidly and catastrophic wind damage is expected,” it said.
It also warned that Ian “will be the one”. long term flood risk, highlighted the possibility of extreme rainfall on the second day and the third day. Widespread prolonged major and record river flooding expected in C Florida.”
Florida was not the only state at risk, with “significant flooding spreading across SE Georgia and coastal South Carolina,” the center predicted.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Preemptively declared emergencyOrdering 500 National Guard troops on standby to respond as needed.
On his way to the US, Ian besieged Cuba, ravaging Pinar del Río province, where most of the tobacco used for Cuba’s iconic cigars is grown and where state broadcaster Canal Caribe reported two deaths.
,It was the apocalypse, a real disaster“said Hirochi Robena, the owner of the farm that bears his name and which his grandfather has known internationally.
The extent of the damage was unclear overnight as the entire nation of 11 million was left without power – for the first time in memory, and perhaps ever.
Three areas were restored early Wednesday. But the capital, Havana and other parts of western Cuba remained without any power.
post with wires