Residents of Florida are now bracing for Hurricane Ian, which has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane after slamming into Cuba. It is moving north/northwest:
n a 5 a.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said that the center of Hurricane Ian was located about 125 kilometers west-southwest of Naples, Florida.Hurricane hunters found that the storm had strengthened into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 140 miles per hour, with higher gusts.The agency warned that it was expected to cause life-threatening storm surge and catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida peninsula.Ian was moving toward the north-northeast near 10 mph, with a reduction in speed forecast on Wednesday before turning north on Thursday.The center of the hurricane is projected to approach the western coast of the Sunshine State and move onshore later in the day.On Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, the center will move over central Florida, before it emerges over the western Atlantic by late Thursday.Some fluctuations in intensity are possible, the center noted, before Ian reaches the coast and weakening is expected after landfall.
In Ian’s potential path, evacuation orders have been given for over two million people.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said the time to seek shelter is now.“You don’t get a mulligan when your personal safety is at risk,” he said at a briefing. “And so we know this thing is going to be hitting the state directly sometime tomorrow evening.”Even if Tampa avoids a direct hit, water from the Gulf of Mexico will be pushed up Tampa Bay, leading to potentially widespread flooding, state officials warned.
Some Floridians are choosing to ignore those orders.
Many have decided to stay in their homes despite the warning, which means if they do get into any issues then the emergency services will not be able to assist them.One woman posted on TikTok: ‘I have no evacuation plan except for thugging it out. I’m going to post updates until I drown or survive.’Others appeared to joke that they only had one bottle of water to last them for the entire storm, after being woken up by an evacuation siren.They said: ‘I have one propel, I’m not good at swimming, I got a shark rod so I can f***ing catch fish if I need to eat and I got a couple of granola bars. Lock in boys.’
Biden spoke with DeSantis about how the federal government could help the state prepare for Hurricane Ian.
“President Biden spoke this evening with Governor DeSantis of Florida to discuss the steps the Federal government is taking to help Florida prepare for Hurricane Ian,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter, adding the two “committed to continued close coordination.”
Many are watching how the media will cover the storm as it slams into Florida, anticipating it will be used as an opportunity to target the popular governor.
Here’s hoping our Florida friends “thug it out” in safety!
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