In Florida, an enormous search and rescue operation is still underway after Hurricane Ian struck the southwestern coast of the peninsula with reckless abandon.
The storm, which brought with it sustained winds just a few miles per hour shy of making it a category 5 hurricane, was so powerful that it actually sucked all of the water out of Tampa Bay upon its approach.
My cousin sent me this of a drained Tampa Bay from Bayshore Blvd.
Water WILL come back & fast. As @FLSERT warns these surges can be deadly. Stay smart, don’t walk out there & follow local journalists down there @Fox4Now @abcactionnews, delivering latest life saving info! pic.twitter.com/eJlDEkgAUU
— Michael Schwartz (@MSchwartzTV) September 28, 2022
And then there was the carnage…
As the core of Ian left Florida on Thursday, roughly 2 million households across the state were without electricity as the Gulf Coast began to assess leveled homes, flooded buildings and streets, and damaged or destroyed roads and bridges.
Trending:
Rescue crews also continued pulling people stranded on barrier islands — a task complicated on the popular tourist destinations of Sanibel and Captiva because a section of the only bridge linking them to the mainland had been washed away.
While there were likely to be deaths across Florida — at least two people may have died from storm — Gov. Ron DeSantis urged caution about early rumors of mass fatalities, saying rescuers were still responding to earlier 911 calls.
The bridge to Sanibel Island took the brunt of the storm:
WATCH: Only access to #Sanibel island wiped out by #HurricaneIan #stormsurge in #Florida. #USA pic.twitter.com/QY3p0mdxc6
— BNN United States (@BNNUS) September 29, 2022
In Fort Myers, a popular beach side attraction was leveled.
Fort Myers Beach Times Square LEVELED following #HurricaneIan #Ian #HurricanIan pic.twitter.com/V3gHTs5Mx8
— Smurph (@swmurfl) September 29, 2022
The cleanup effort after Hurricane Ian could take months or longer.
Leave a Comment