“This hurricane is going to be historic. It will profoundly change the face of Southwest Florida and its impact on our state will be immense. We can only tell people to pray.”
Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida
As Hurricane Ian approached the southwest coast of Florida, it strengthened overnight and authorities grew increasingly alarmist. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis spoke of a storm this Wednesday morning, September 28 “colossal” who will leave “an indelible mark” on the state. “It will be a tragic event on many levels,” he also said.
The hurricane was classified early this September 28 in category 4, against 3 previously; winds of almost 250 km/h were recorded, very close to the threshold to move into category 5.
As explained The Washington Post, of the hurricanes recorded, only four in history have reached the coasts of the continental United States with winds over 250 km/h. The first in 1935 and the last, Michael, in 2018, also in Florida.
Ian, who has already caused a lot of damage in Cuba, “could still decrease in intensity before reaching the coast but, if not, it would be one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the United States”, noted The Miami Herald, in Florida.
Risk of coastal flooding
The eye of the hurricane is expected to reach the coast around 2 p.m. (Eastern time in the United States), or 8 p.m. in France. Among the most feared phenomena, a “storm surge”: an enormous quantity of water pushed by the winds towards the coast, which can be flooded, according to USA Today. This is “often the deadliest and most destructive hazard of these storms”, responsible of “half of the deaths in hurricanes since 1970”. The Gulf of Mexico coastline south of Tampa is at the greatest risk, meteorologists say: some areas could be submerged by 3 to 5 meters of sea water.
The strong winds have already reached the coast. At 10 a.m. local (5 p.m. in France), a gust of 100 km / h was recorded in Fort Myers. More than 200,000 homes are already without electricity, according to CNN.