People Trapped, 2.5M Without Power As Ian Drenches Florida

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King Point resident Maria Esturilho is escorted by her son Tony Esturilho as they leave behind the damage from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

St. Petersburg, Fla. (Ap) — Hurricane Ian Left A Path Of Destruction In Southwest Florida, Trapping People In Flooded Homes, Cutting Off The Only Bridge To A Barrier Island, Damaging The Roof Of A Hospital Intensive Care Unit And Knocking Out Power To 2.5 Million People As It Dumped Rain Across The Peninsula On Thursday.

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One Of The Strongest Hurricanes To Ever Hit The United States Threatened Catastrophic Flooding Around The State. Ian’s Tropical-storm-force Winds Extended Outward Up To 415 Miles (665 Km), Drenching Much Of Florida And The Southeastern Atlantic Coast.

Emergency Crews Sawed Through Toppled Trees To Reach People In Flooded Homes, But With No Electricity And Virtually No Cell Service, It Was Impossible For Many People To Call For Help From The Hardest Hit Coastal Areas Where The Surge Came In.

“Portable Towers Are On The Way For Cell Service. Chances Are Your Loved Ones Do Not Have Ability To Contact You,” Said The Sheriff’s Office In Collier County, Which Includes Naples. “We Can Tell You As Daylight Reveals The Aftermath, It’s Going To Be A Hard Day.”

In Lee County, Which Includes Fort Myers, Just South Of Where Hurricane Ian Made Landfall, The Sheriff’s Office Posted A Phone Number Family And Friends Can Call For Welfare Checks, And Said “If The Line Is Busy, Keep Trying.”

The National Hurricane Center Said Ian Became A Tropical Storm Over Land Early Thursday And Was Expected To Regain Near-hurricane Strength After Emerging Over Atlantic Waters Near The Kennedy Space Center Later In The Day, With South Carolina In Its Sights For A Second U.s. Landfall.

A Stretch Of The Gulf Coast Remained Inundated By Ocean Water, Pushed Ashore By The Massive Storm. “Severe And Life-threatening Storm Surge Inundation Of 8 To 10 Feet Above Ground Level Along With Destructive Waves Is Ongoing Along The Southwest Florida Coastline From Englewood To Bonita Beach, Including Charlotte Harbor,” The Miami-based Hurricane Center Said.

A Chunk Of The Sanibel Causeway Fell Into The Sea, Cutting Off Access To The Barrier Island Where 6,300 People Normally Live. How Many Heeded Mandatory Evacuation Orders Was Impossible To Know In The Storm’s Immediate Aftermath.

In Port Charlotte, The Storm Surge Flooded A Hospital’s Emergency Room Even As Fierce Winds Ripped Away Part Of The Roof From Its Intensive Care Unit, According To A Doctor Who Works There.

Water Gushed Down Onto The Icu, Forcing Them To Evacuate Their Sickest Patients — Some On Ventilators — To Other Floors, Said Dr. Birgit Bodine Of Hca Florida Fawcett Hospital. Staff Members Used Towels And Plastic Bins To Try To Mop Up The Sodden Mess.

The Medium-sized Hospital Spans Four Floors, But Patients Crowded Into Two Because Of The Damage, And More Were Expected With People Injured From The Storm Needing Help.

“As Long As Our Patients Do Ok And Nobody Ends Up Dying Or Having A Bad Outcome, That’s What Matters,” Bodine Said.

Law Enforcement Officials In Nearby Fort Myers Received Calls From People Trapped In Flooded Homes Or From Worried Relatives. Pleas Were Also Posted On Social Media Sites, Some With Video Showing Debris-covered Water Sloshing Toward The Eaves Of Their Homes.

Brittany Hailer, A Journalist In Pittsburgh, Contacted Rescuers About Her Mother In North Fort Myers, Whose Home Was Swamped By 5 Feet (1.5 Meters) Of Water.

“We Don’t Know When The Water’s Going To Go Down. We Don’t Know How They’re Going To Leave, Their Cars Are Totaled,” Hailer Said. “Her Only Way Out Is On A Boat.”

Hurricane Ian Turned Streets Into Rivers And Blew Down Trees As It Slammed Into Southwest Florida On Wednesday With 150 Mph (241 Kph) Winds, Pushing A Wall Of Storm Surge. Ian’s Strength At Landfall Was Category 4, Tying It For The Fifth-strongest Hurricane, When Measured By Wind Speed, Ever To Strike The U.s.

Ian’s Center Came Ashore More Than 100 Miles (160 Kilometers) South Of Tampa And St. Petersburg, Sparing The Densely Populated Tampa Bay Area From Its First Direct Hit By A Major Hurricane Since 1921.

Ian Dropped To A Tropical Storm Early Thursday Over Land, But Was Expected To Intensify Again Once Its Center Moves Over The Atlantic Ocean And Menace The South Carolina Coast Friday At Near-hurricane Strength Before Moving Inland.

At 5 A.m. Thursday, The Storm Was About 40 Miles (70 Km) Southeast Of Orlando And 35 Miles (55 Kilometers) Southwest Of Cape Canaveral, Carrying Maximum Sustained Winds Of 65 Mph (100 Kph) And Moving Toward The Cape At 8 Mph (13 Kmh), The Center Said.

Hurricane Warnings Were Lowered To Tropical Storm Warnings Across The Florida Peninsula, With Widespread, Catastrophic Flooding Remaining Likely, The Hurricane Center Said. Storm Surges As High As 6 Feet (2 Meters) Were Still Forecast For Both Coasts.

“It Doesn’t Matter What The Intensity Of The Storm Is. We’re Still Expecting Quite A Bit Of Rainfall,” Robbie Berg, Senior Hurricane Specialist With The National Hurricane Center, Said In An Interview With The Associated Press.

Up To A Foot (30 Centimeters) Of Rain Forecast For Parts Of Northeast Florida, Coastal Georgia And The Lowcountry Of South Carolina. As Much As 6 Inches (15 Centimeters) Could Fall In Southern Virginia As The Storm Moves Inland Over The Carolinas, And The Center Said Landslides Were Possible In The Southern Appalachian Mountains.

No Deaths Were Reported In The United States From Ian By Late Wednesday. But A Boat Carrying Cuban Migrants Sank Wednesday In Stormy Weather East Of Key West.

The U.s. Coast Guard Initiated A Search And Rescue Mission For 23 People And Managed To Find Three Survivors About Two Miles (Three Kilometers) South Of The Florida Keys, Officials Said. Four Other Cubans Swam To Stock Island, Just East Of Key West, The U.s. Border Patrol Said. Air Crews Continued To Search For Possibly 20 Remaining Migrants.

The Storm Previously Tore Into Cuba, Killing Two People And Bringing Down The Country’s Electrical Grid.

The Hurricane’s Eye Made Landfall Near Cayo Costa, A Barrier Island Just West Of Heavily Populated Fort Myers. As It Approached, Water Drained From Tampa Bay.

More Than 2.5 Million Florida Homes And Businesses Were Left Without Electricity, According To The Poweroutage.us Site. Most Of The Homes And Businesses In 12 Counties Were Without Power.

Sheriff Bull Prummell Of Charlotte County, Just North Of Fort Myers, Announced A Curfew Between 9 P.m. And 6 A.m. “For Life-saving Purposes,” Saying Violators May Face Second-degree Misdemeanor Charges.

“I Am Enacting This Curfew As A Means Of Protecting The People And Property Of Charlotte County,” Prummell Said.

Life-threatening Storm Surges And Hurricane Conditions Were Possible On Thursday And Friday Along The Coasts Of Northeast Florida, Georgia, And South Carolina, Where Ian Was Expected To Move Inland, Dumping More Rain Well In From The Coast, The Hurricane Center Said.

The Governors Of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia And Virginia All Preemptively Declared States Of Emergency.

Ivan Mendoza begins to repair damage at his mobile home in Davie, Fla., early Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified off Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her mobile home in Davie, Fla., early Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified off Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
City of Hollywood employee Martin Lisi carries a snapped-off stop sign to his truck in Hollywood, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified off Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
Gary and Sharon Adams clear their yard of debris in Hollywood, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, where residents say a tornado touched down overnight. Hurricane Ian has strengthened with maximum winds at 155 mph and is now expected to make landfall on the Southwest coast of Florida near Sarasota. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
An airplane overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian is shown, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
An uprooted tree, toppled by strong winds from the outer bands of Hurricane Ian, rests in a parking lot of a shopping center, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Cooper City, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
A traveler rests on a couch at the Orlando Airport prior to the facility being closed ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Travelers will be sent to a shelter as the airport will be closed. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Electronic screens are seen at the Orlando International Airport as the facility starts to cease operations ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in , Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Heather Danenhower, with Duke Energy, walks around utility trucks that are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
People walk on the Ballast Point Pier ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian’s most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida’s southwest coast as the storm approaches landfall. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Waves crash along the Ballast Point Pier ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian’s most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida’s southwest coast as the storm approaches landfall. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Cars damaged from a tornado spawned from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
A King Point resident looks through her broken window as a man boards up another broken window from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
King Point resident Maria Esturilho is escorted by her son Tony Esturilho as they leave behind the damage from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
David Dellinger with the National Weather Service, surveys the damage from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
King Point residents leave with their belongings after an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
Utility trucks are staged ahead of Hurricane Ian, near the Florida Turnpike, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Wildwood, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This image provided by the Naples Fire Rescue Department shows a firefighter carrying gear in water from the storm surge from Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 in Naples, Fla. Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm. (Naples Fire Department via AP)
This satellite image taken at 3:06 p.m. EDT and provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Ian making landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, as a catastrophic Category 4 storm. (NOAA via AP)
People in raincoats walk along International Drive in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, as the first effects of Hurricane Ian are felt in central Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
A truck pulls a man on a kayak on a low-lying road after flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, in Key West, Fla., Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Martin)
Curious sightseers walk in the receding waters of Tampa Bay due to the low tide and tremendous winds from Hurricane Ian in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Brianna Renas, 17, inspects a fallen palm tree outside her home in Cape Coral after riding out Hurricane Ian with her family on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Cape Coral. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
In this photo provided by Dr. Birgit Bodine, a staff member stands in a flooded hallway at HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian swamped the Florida hospital from both above and below, the storm surge flooding its lower level emergency room while fierce winds tore part of its fourth floor roof from its intensive care unit, according to Bodine, who works there. (Dr. Birgit Bodine via AP)

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Don't bark at my ark
Don't bark at my ark
1 year ago

An Absolutely Capital Posting.