Hurricane Ian continued to barrel towards Florida Tuesday morning, reaching sustained winds up to 125 mph on its way to becoming a category four giant in the Gulf of Mexico as early as Tuesday evening.
Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for the entire state, as category four hurricanes bring sustained winds between 130 and 156 mph, and residents of Florida can expect to have life-threatening flooding and power outages for days. Warnings have been issued to cities from Bonita Beach to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay and the island of Dry Tortugas.
The National Hurricane Center warned Florida residents that “this is a life-threatening situation” and that “persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials.”
Over 300,000 people in the Tampa Bay area have been advised to evacuate, as it is expected to bare the hurricane’s most intense impacts. Tampa Bay, which has not taken a direct hit from a hurricane in more than 100 years, has been fortified with hundreds of medical professionals, ambulances and mobile generators. Tampa Bay Airport is also expected to close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, according to DeSantis.
As of 5 a.m., the storm’s eye was near Cuba and was moving northward at 12 mph, according to AccuWeather, and the impacts of the hurricane are expected to be felt until Friday.
The hurricane is expected to downgrade to a category three when it makes landfall. Hurricane Katrina, which ties for the costliest tropical cyclone on record at $125 billion in damages, reached a category five level before downgrading to a category three when it struck Louisiana and Mississippi.
The storm has already caused some to move out of the predicted eye of the storm, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left Tampa to train in Miami for the week.
According to reports, if the hurricane impacts the Sunday game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the players would fly down to Minneapolis and play on neutral ground at the U.S. Bank Stadium. Dozens of schools will be closed for several days this week.
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