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Orange County Fire Rescue first responders use an inflatable boat to rescue a resident from a home in Orlando on Thursday.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)
6 posts
3 mins ago
Storm surge and hurricane conditions forecast for the Carolinas
By Elizabeth Wolfe
Storms are beginning to batter the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina Friday morning as Hurricane Ian moves north from the Atlantic Ocean.
The dangerous tropical cyclone was about 145 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, at 5 a.m. Friday, the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
Moving north to northeast at 14 kilometers per hour, Ian is expected to pick up speed on Friday morning, according to the update.
North Carolina and South Carolina are forecast to be hit by "life-threatening hurricane conditions and storm surge" as the cyclone approaches this afternoon, the hurricane center said.
Torrential rain is also likely to start drenching the Carolinas and southern Virginia, according to the forecast.
13 mins ago
Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and team owners will make donations for the hurricane
By Ben Morse and Jacob Lev
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and the team's owners, the Glazer family, announced Thursday that they will make donations to Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
"We were happily able to return home on Sunday night, but many people in Florida will not be able to do the same," Brady said in a tweet.
âI will make a donation to the Florida Disaster Fund to get started, and I hope the rest of the NFL family in our state will do the same.â
The Glazer family announced that it will donate $1 million to "organizations that provide support to those who have been most affected" throughout the state.
18 mins ago
Hurricane Ian moves toward South Carolina after leaving multiple dead and millions without power in Florida
By CNN
In this aerial image, boats are seen stacking on top of each other in a marina near Fort Myers Beach on San Carlos Island, Florida.
As Florida grapples with devastating damage from Hurricane Ian in what officials say is likely the largest natural disaster in the state's history, South Carolinians brace for the cyclone's expected arrival at noon Friday.
đ Follow Ian's journey live
Hurricane Ian has strengthened again in the Atlantic after leaving at least 19 dead in Florida and millions without power, with winds of almost 136 kilometers per hour on its way to the coast of South Carolina, and it is expected it makes landfall just west of Myrtle Beach.
A hurricane warning has been issued from the Savannah River on the Georgia-South Carolina border to Cape Fear, North Carolina.
The cyclone's destructive passage through Florida triggered extraordinary flooding and storm surge, prompting the largest emergency response in state history, state fire chief Jimmy Patronis told CNN Thursday.
Hundreds of rescues have been carried out by land, air and sea, with residents trapped in their homes or stranded on rooftops.
Some homes in Fort Myers Beach have been reduced to nothing more than concrete slabs, Gov. Ron DeSantis said, calling the damage in parts of the state "indescribable."
The hurricane hit the southwestern coast of Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds reaching 140 mph, causing extensive damage to homes, vehicles and businesses.
And officials warn it will be a long road to recovery.
This is what you should know:
Dozens of Reported Deaths: At least 19 storm-related deaths have been reported in Florida so far, though that number is likely to grow.
Most of those deaths are in hard-hit Lee and Charlotte counties.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that Ian could be "the deadliest hurricane in Florida history."
More than 2.2 million without power: Millions of people in Florida who were in Ian's path were still in the dark as of early Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
Most of the counties with the highest percentage of residents without power are in the Southwest, including Lee, Charlotte, Hardee and Sarasota.
Thirteen counties report that more than 50% of tracked customers do not have electricity.
Historic flooding in some areas: Record flooding was reported in central and northern Florida, including at least three rivers that reached all-time flood records.
Orlando authorities warned residents of dangerous flooding.
Some of the stagnant water was electrified, they said.
How to help the victims of Hurricane Ian?
Hundreds of rescues and thousands of evacuations: There have been more than 700 rescues statewide so far, the governor said Thursday, with thousands of evacuees reported.
In Lee County, a hospital system had to evacuate more than 1,000 patients after its water supply was cut off, while other widespread evacuations were reported at prisons and nursing homes.
Completely Cut Off Coastal Islands: Sanibel and Captiva Islands in southwest Florida are completely cut off from the mainland after parts of a key waterway were ripped up.
At least two people have died on Sanibel and the roadway may need to be completely rebuilt, local officials said.
Chip Farrar, a resident of the small island of Matlacha, told CNN that parts of the essential road to reach the mainland bridge have collapsed and a second nearby bridge has also collapsed.
As Hurricane Ian moves away from Florida, the governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia have declared states of emergency.
In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster implored residents not to underestimate the storm's danger and urged them to closely follow storm warnings to prepare for Friday's impact.
It is expected to make landfall at high tide, which could drastically worsen flooding in low-lying areas, according to CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward.
When it's all over, Ian's storm system will likely have left lasting changes in its wake.
Coastlines along Georgia and South Carolina may experience significant disruption as powerful waves and storm surges triggered by Ian could inundate coastal sand dunes, according to the US Geological Survey. In addition to inundating communities behind the dunes, the USGS said, the storm can push sand back and deposit it inland, which could "reduce the height of protective sand dunes, alter beach profiles, and leave areas behind the dunes more vulnerable to future storms.
18 mins ago
Nearly 2.2 million customers are without power in Florida
By Melissa Alonso
Nearly 2.2 million homes and businesses in Florida were still without power as of 2:40 a.m. ET on Friday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Earlier Thursday, the number of customers reported to be in the dark reached 2.6 million.
What to do if you find yourself in the middle of a power outage from Hurricane Ian?
Florida Power & Light, the state's largest energy provider, said in a tweet that storm conditions make repairs difficult.
"Down trees, high winds and flooding pose challenges, but we are working around the clock to repair and restore all areas," the utility said, noting in a separate statement that especially bad conditions in the Southwest of Florida can further delay repairs.
Nearly 20% of tracked Florida Power & Light customers were still without power as of early Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
48 mins ago
Hurricane Ian: Advice for those who evacuated and are now challenged to return home
By Camilo Egaña
The difficult return home after a hurricane 2:08
People who evacuated before Hurricane Ian hit Florida now face the great challenge of returning home to determine what damage their homes may have sustained.
In the following video, we share a series of recommendations to take into account before returning to your home after the passage of a cyclone.
1 hour ago
Hurricane Ian caused the worst flooding in 500 years in Florida
By Camilo Egaña
Analysis of the passage of Hurricane Ian through Florida 3:52
President Joe Biden commented that Ian could be the deadliest cyclone in Florida history, while Governor Ron DeSantis claimed that the powerful hurricane caused the worst flooding in the last 500 years.
Camilo Egaña analyzes in his note for the day Ian's fierce trajectory as he traversed "the Sunshine State".
Hurricane Ian