LIVE – Hurricane Ian: Florida hit by ‘catastrophic flooding’, 2 ​​million homes without power

Location in Southwest Florida

Axel Monnier, LCI reporter in Tampa, southwest Florida, said the situation is particularly difficult in a large number of Florida counties. Until then, emergency services are unwilling to intervene due to the sites’ inaccessibility and risk. But many fire trucks now take over the city’s streets.

More than 300 ambulances will be sent by the central government, along with medical teams, providing food and water, while more than 5,000 National Guardsmen have been sent as reinforcements. Cyclone may weaken, effects may be stronger. Residents in the area are being advised to stay indoors for the next few hours.

Cold sweat

An engineer from the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and his team flew to the center of Hurricane Ian to study it. Taking to his Twitter account, Nick Underwood shared a video showing the device shaking as it was shaken by several turbulences.

“When I say it was the hardest flight of my career, I mean it. I’ve never seen bunks like this. There was coffee everywhere. I’ve never felt such lateral movement,” he wrote. “Be safe” people.

“I’ve been flying in storms for the past six years. This flight with Hurricane Ian aboard Kermit was the worst I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never seen so many flashes in my eye,” he asserted in an earlier message. , captioned a photo of the eye of the hurricane glowing, in broad daylight. The photo was actually taken at night, so it’s lit by lightning.

Pictures

Here’s some of the footage collected by CNN during or after the passage of Hurricane Ian. Two million homes in Florida are now without power.

IAN becomes a Category 3 hurricane

Ian, previously classified as a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is now a Category 3, but remains destructive, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Fort Myers is in the heart of the hurricane

A reporter from The Weather Channel filmed Hurricane Ian as it made landfall in downtown Fort Myers. More than 1.5 million households are without electricity.

3 meters of flooding in Fort Myers

According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the floodwaters could exceed 3 meters at times. In Fort Myers, the flooding was so severe that some neighborhoods looked like lakes.

High winds in Punta Gorda

Captured by this amateur meteorologist, you can see the force of the wind blowing through the streets of a Florida city. Peaks of 241 kmph have been recorded.

Fort Myers floods

According to this special reporter from the Weather Channel, the images we see in the video are images from a camera placed 1.80m above the street in Fort Myers and images of submersion.

One million homes without electricity

More than a million homes are already without power in Florida as Hurricane Ian reaches Category 4.

A very powerful hurricane

With sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (241 km/h), Hurricane Ian is already the 5th most powerful hurricane to ever hit US coasts.

flood

The MSNBC television channel broadcasts these images of already flooded streets in the Naples (Florida) area, where cars are on the verge of being completely submerged.

Report

TF1’s special correspondent was in Fort Myers just hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall in this part of Southwest Florida.

Record water levels

Ian is producing record water levels, already surpassing Hurricane Irma, which caused more than $100 billion in damage in Florida in 2017.

On Charlie’s Trail

Hurricane Ian looks set to follow the same path as its predecessor Charlie in 2004, but looks more powerful, analyzes Etienne Kapikian, forecaster of Météo France. Charlie was directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of 29 people in Florida.

In the eye of the hurricane

Seconds above the eye of Hurricane Ian as it makes landfall in Florida.

Ian reached Florida

The National Hurricane Center has announced Ian’s landfall in Florida, which is classified as a category 4 and considered extremely dangerous. The hurricane, with sustained winds of 230 km/h, reached the US coast at the level of Cayo Costa.

Miami

The French Consulate in Florida, located in Miami, is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Ian.

In Cuba

Before reaching Florida, the hurricane had already passed through Cuba, causing significant damage in the west and power outages across the island.

“Catastrophic” floods

Hurricane Ian caused “catastrophic” flooding as it approached Florida, where the Coast Guard began operations to find 23 migrants missing at sea.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated in its latest newsletter that the hurricane, which has sustained winds of 250 km/h and is carrying an even more “strong” storm surge, will “cause sea inundation, wind and catastrophic flooding on the Florida peninsula.”

Sarasota, first damage

The first AFP photos from the coastal city of Sarasota are category 4 as Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida.

Discharges

Hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, thousands of residents in the most threatened areas were evacuated.

The migrants were lost at sea

The US Coast Guard has launched a search for 23 missing migrants as Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida.

“Four Cuban migrants swam ashore after their boat capsized due to bad weather. Coast Guard Southeast Division engaged in search and rescue of 23 persons,” the tweet read. Walter Schlosser, Chief of the Miami Sector Border Patrol.

“Historic” storm

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin that Hurricane Ian is already causing “catastrophic sea inundation, wind and flooding” in Florida.

A Category 4 hurricane is imminent on the west coast of the Florida peninsula, and the National Weather Service has warned that the storm could be historic.