Hurricane Ian Batters Florida, Houses and Cars Swept Away – Watch Video
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Initially passing southwest of Jamaica as a tropical storm on Sunday, Ian slowly intensified into a strengthening hurricane, eventually making landfall in Florida in the United States, with catastrophic results at category 4.
On Wednesday, hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, battering the state’s southwestern coast with winds of nearly 150 mph. Wreaking havoc in cities like Fort Myers and Naples, thousands of residents were left with no electricity as the intense winds tore down power lines and ripped apart homes, with heavy rainfall flooding the roads. Florida state authorities had issued evacuation orders, but some residents decided to stay and ride out the storm.
One Fort Myers resident, Joe Orlandini, said he decided to stay because he thought Ian would move farther north. Orlandini spoke with ABC News as the hurricane raged, detailing Ian’s destructive effects on his community. Recounting the devastating events, Orlandini said that his and his neighbour’s cars had floated away in the flood waters. He was audibly stunned as he watched the roof of a nearby house swept up by the wind, and eventually, the entire house was carried away by the flood.
Since its initial landfall, Ian has gradually weakened overnight to a tropical storm as it made its way over central Florida. The US National Hurricane Center has warned that Ian is forecast to produce life-threatening flooding, storm surge, and intense winds across portions of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
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