Staff Reports
11:31 AM: The NHC is also warning that hurricane-force winds will reach "well inland along the core" of the storm, and that parts of central Florida will be hit by "widespread, life-threatening catastrophic flooding." "There will also be a lot of flooding in southern Florida, northern Florida, southeastern Georgia, and the coast of South Carolina," the weather service said.
11 AM EDT 9/28 Key Messages for Hurricane #Ian.
Catastrophic storm surge inundation of 12-18 ft above ground level expected somewhere between Englewood to Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor. Catastrophic wind damage is also beginning.
Latest: https://t.co/tnOTyfOjMY pic.twitter.com/ueCnGSMEQE
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 28, 2022
11:22 AM — Christina Pushaw, who is in charge of rapid response for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, is talking to members of the mainstream media who are excited about the idea that the storm will be a "test" for the governor.
Media talking point is Hurricane Ian is a “test” of @GovRonDeSantis. No – it’s a natural disaster; the governor is focused on saving lives. Stop politicizing!
If you are genuinely curious about how Gov. DeSantis responds to emergencies, see Surfside 2021. We are in good hands 🙏🏼
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) September 28, 2022
11:12 AM — As of the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Ian is still a strong Category 4 hurricane with top sustained winds of 155 mph. It says that the southwest Florida coast "from Englewood to Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor," will be hit by "catastrophic storm surge inundation of 12 to 18 feet above ground level" and "destructive waves."
11:06 AM: Before the storm hit land, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) held a short press conference with linemen, who said they are following their plans as the storm approaches. During his press conference at 7:30 a.m., the governor said that the state has more than 30,000 linemen ready to help with the storm:
10:47 AM — According to the Associated Press, Hurricane Ian has reached wind speeds that are just 2 mph shy of Category 5:
Hurricane Ian grew quickly Wednesday morning off the southwest coast of Florida. It now has top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), which are just below the most dangerous Category 5 level. The heavily populated Gulf Coast of the state was hit by strong winds and rain, and the area from Naples to Sarasota was at "highest risk" of a devastating storm surge.
Hurricane hunters from the U.S. Air Force confirmed that Ian got stronger over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico after it hit Cuba and knocked out the country's electricity grid, leaving the whole island without power. At 7 a.m., Ian was 65 miles (105 km) west-southwest of Naples and moving 10 mph toward the coast (17 kph).
"This is going to be a nasty, nasty day and two days," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said early Wednesday. “This is going to be a rough stretch.”
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on BREITBART.
