Hurricane Ian: Before the Storm Kyra Thomas ‘24

Kyra Thomas 24'
Hurricane Ian with 155 mph winds close to landfall, to carve way up to Orlando 
Hurricane Ian is nearing a Category 5 status marker, rolling towards the Sanibel and Captive Islands, along with Orlando. The winds are currently at a high of 107 mph and are predicted to grow stronger as the storm comes closer to land. 
The State Division of Emergency Management in Florida has been telling people to evacuate throughout the past few days and are now saying that if you are still there, you need to stay inside. It has become too dangerous to go outside. Most people no longer have power, averaging about 650,000 people in darkness before the storm. 
The National Weather Service has issued a severe flood warning, with an estimate of nine inches of rainfall by the night of the 29th. 200 mph winds are predicted after it makes landfall, and the storm surge is expected to be 20 ft tall, as it is already up to about ten near Sarasota. 
“This may be the deadliest storm in Florida history,” says President Joe Biden after the storm touched down on Thursday. Thousands are stranded across the islands, as many of the major bridgeways have been washed away or too water damaged to drive on.  
It has brought widespread devastation to Florida, and many areas will take years to rebuild. Even though the storm is coming to an end, there are still many dangers like downed power lines, standing water, and damaged buildings as heroes search for people throughout the state.

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