DEVELOPING STORY: Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwest Florida as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S., swamping streets with water and smashing trees along the coast while moving at a crawl that threatened catastrophic flooding across a wide area.
Barely an hour after the massive storm trudged ashore, a coastal sheriff’s office reported that it was already getting a significant number of calls from people trapped in homes. The hurricane’s center struck near Cayo Costa, a protected barrier island just west of heavily populated Fort Myers.
Online tracker poweroutage.us said more than 1.3 million Floridians were without power by late afternoon, going into early evening.
This page will be updated throughout the night with fresh content.
💔My heart goes out to the tens of thousands of people experiencing Ian's wrath in SW Florida
— Jennifer Peñate (@WFLAJennifer) September 28, 2022
These images are from Naples after a storm surge flooded a street pic.twitter.com/MNWDdYg3ZT
Video from Facebook Live of a flooded Naples Fire Station. Thinking of all the first responders working through Hurricane Ian to keep their communities safe. pic.twitter.com/i8RN2BCJz5
— Ishikawa Katsumi (@TwistedEagle49) September 28, 2022
6:23pm #Naples a truly scary sight #hurricaneian #ianhurricane #cat4 #storm #florida #Huracan_Ian #ian #hurricane pic.twitter.com/4cqwu1b0A9
— GARBAGE FIESTA (@GarbageFiesta) September 28, 2022
This was video earlier today from Sanibel Island, Florida where Ian's storm surge was pushing onshore. None of the cameras on the Island are streaming as a result of the storm.
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 28, 2022
We are hearing that storm surge is catastrophic in the Fort Myers and Naples area this evening too. pic.twitter.com/GryAmSoF04
Así se ve el paso del huracán Ian en Naples #Florida Video: reallyryanbush pic.twitter.com/tJ8AgXtxyL
— El Planeta (@elplanetaboston) September 28, 2022