9/29/22 -Devastation Left In The Wake Of Hurricane Ian

Severe flooding from Ian and now the tropical system could cause more problems as it heads towards Georgia and South Carolina.

-Hurricane Ian is one of the strongest storms in U.S. history.  

The hurricane’s center made landfall as a Category 4 storm Wednesday afternoon near Fort Myers in Lee County.

More than 2.6 million Florida homes and business were without power early this morning. Power crews are standing by and ready to help as soon as roads are passable. 

Ian had weakened to a tropical storm but was forecast to continue across the state most of the day before heading out into the Atlantic.

The storm flooded entire communities.

Ian continues to move slowly to the East and has dumped about a foot of rain in the Orlando area overnight. 

Parts of Florida's Gulf Coast saw major damage to buildings and homes. 

Some 2,000 flights have been cancelled and many are connected to Florida.  More air travel will be impacted in Georgia and South Carolina as Ian comes on shore in that area.   

President Biden has declared a "State of Emergency" to provided the needed help for Florida as they worked to recover. The declaration brings with it federal aid to supplement state, local and tribal recovery efforts in areas affected by the storm, as well as individual assistance to residents of nine counties.

Relief efforts are being set up and right now officials say it is important to give directly to established charities that are on the ground and ready to help once it is safe.   floridadisasterfund.org  or  redcross.org