Hurricane Ian, LIVE: Impact in Florida, minute by minute track

Hurricane Ian inundated a Florida hospital on several fronts: The storm engulfed the ground-floor emergency room, and strong winds tore part of the roof of the fourth floor, where the intensive care unit is, according to a doctor at the center.

Dr. Birgit Bowden spent the night at HCA Florida Fawcett in Port Charlotte anticipating the storm could cause major problems. “But we didn’t expect the rooftop to explode on the fourth floor,” he said.

Water leaked from above into the intensive care unit on Wednesday, forcing staff to evacuate the center’s sickest patients, some on ventilators, to other floors. Workers distributed towels and plastic bowls in an attempt to contain the sudden chaos. The hospital has four floors, but patients had to focus on only two floors due to the damage.

Ian, one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the United States, crossed the Florida peninsula last night and threatens to cause catastrophic floods Inside, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned. It is now expected to exit into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near the Kennedy Space Center later today, the agency added.

Heavy rains that could lead to flooding continued across the state, and part of the Gulf of Mexico coast remained submerged in seawater that the storm had pushed ashore.

In Port Charlotte, on the Florida coast of the Gulf of Mexico, storms swamped the emergency room of a hospital, located on the ground floor of the building, while winds tore part of the ceiling of the intensive care unit, located on the fourth. Dr. Birgit Bowden of HCA Florida Fawcett said the center’s sickest patients, some on ventilators, had to be evacuated to other floors.

According to the website, more than two million Florida homes and businesses have lost power PowerOutage.us. Almost every home and business in three counties had power outages.

They warn the US Meteorological Service ‘Severe and life-threatening floods’ 8 to 10 feet above the ground caused by storms. There is also a warning for The “devastating waves” that continue to occur along the coastline of southwest Floridafrom Englewood to Bonita Beach, including Port Charlotte.

Ian weakened and became Tropical storm with winds of 104 kilometers per hour And higher bursts, as of the last 5 update of US National Hurricane Center.

The tropical cyclone is still expected to produce strong winds, heavy rain and storms in parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas over the next three days.

Thousands of people held in Florida prisons due to the impact of Hurricane Ian have been moved or evacuated, according to state and local officials. CNN.

On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Corrections said nearly 2,500 inmates had been moved to facilities “better equipped to withstand the effects of the storm.” He said nearly two dozen facilities had been evacuated.

Meanwhile, other jurisdictions say they have restricted activity or moved internally due to Hurricane Ian.

He said property damage remained unclear as of Wednesday night Washington Post. High winds prevented rescuers in the most flooded communities from carrying out rescue operations.

secondly, There were no reports of deaths so far.

Governor Ron DeSantis considered it likely that the intensity of the hurricane had peaked. However, he stated that “There will be damage across the state.”

As Ian weakens, the National Hurricane Center reports that it is moving toward the northeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. The agency warned that it could still cause “Disaster storms, winds and floods.”

In fact, warnings from authorities are in effect for parts of Florida’s east coast until early Friday morning because of Ian’s strength.

Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia declared a state of emergency as a form of precaution against the passage of Hurricane Ian.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency on Tuesday, while gubernatorial candidates for the other three states joined the measure on Wednesday.

Emergency declarations allow states to deploy resources in potential emergencies and prepare for possible adverse weather conditions in the coming days.

The Jacksonville International Airport terminal will be closed Thursday and all inbound and outbound flights will be cancelled. This was confirmed by the airport operator in a statement.

In the face of the cancellation, the station asked passengers to contact their airlines for rebooking in an announcement on social media Wednesday night.

Earlier, the airport said it would remain open as long as airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration deemed conditions to be safe to fly.

Almost all over the country 2,000 flights to, from or from the US were canceled on Wednesday Many of the cancellations included airports affected by Hurricane Ian.

More than two million users remained in the dark on Wednesday night, according to information published by the site. PowerOutage.us .

The most affected area in Florida is the southwest. Ten counties reported that more than 50% of customers surveyed had no electricity.

Meanwhile, eight other counties in southwest, central, and northeastern Florida reported having more than 10,000 customers without power.

This was reported to Lee County Sheriff Carmen Marcelo Someone tried to loot a service stationAmid the impact of Hurricane Ian in Florida.

Marcino issued a strong warning that this kind of event could happen again. “The only thing I have to say, and this is a very clear message for any of those people who think they are going to go out and pillage or take advantage of people during this horrific event: You better think twice.”

“When I say zero tolerance, zero tolerance means we will chase you, we will track you down, and if you are lucky, you will go to jail,” he added.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ian weakened to a Category 1 phenomenon as it moved through central Florida. The report, cited by CNN, notes that the storm’s sustained winds have dropped to 90 mph.

The Ian Center is now located 70 miles south of Orlando. East Central Florida, including Orlando, is under hurricane watch.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told Fox News that Hurricane Ian “Obviously the biggest flood.” witnessed in the southwestern part of the state.

“This, of course, presents many risks when it all goes wrong. We told people: Be careful once the storm passes.”DeSantis said.

The local government confirmed that about 96 percent of Fort Myers did not have electricity CNN. Thousands of people are already occupying city shelters and some residents are not even able to evacuate their homes yet.

Mayor Kevin Anderson noted that downtown streets were flooded with 4 feet of water, “with the flood waters so high that you can see the fire hydrant cap.” The local governor added that all businesses in the city center were damaged.

Members of a security team east of Naples, Florida, completed 30 rescue missions on Wednesday. It came beforeCollier County Sheriff’s Office.

But authorities have indicated missions are ongoing, while Ian is still on his way in the west of the state.

Attendees in eastern Naples conducted 30 rescue missions today. We’re still collecting numbers from other regions. We are still saving peoplestatement said.

The sheriff’s office said many residents had no electricity, internet, or cable. They added that authorities would have a better idea of ​​”the extent of the damage”.