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Hot Topics HURRICANE IAN MIDTERMS CAYLER ELLINGSON

Florida Published September 26, 2022 4:31pm EDT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis provides

update as Hurricane Ian prompts
evacuations, National Guard
deployment
Hurricane Ian was expected to make landfall by mid-week

By Bradford Betz | Fox News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a briefing on Hurricane Ian

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a briefing on Hurricane Ian.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday warned residents to take all necessary precautions against
as what is expected to be the storm of the century, Hurricane Ian approaches the Coast of ,

Florida.

The governor's update came as St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said its terminal
will close at 1 p.m. Tuesday due to mandatory evacuation orders from Pinellas County and
"remain closed until the evacuation order is lifted."

Flights were resuming Monday and Tuesday morning as scheduled.

Tampa International Airport, meanwhile, said it was exempt from the storm evacuation
order and remains open.

"The Airport may begin shutting down parts of its airfield and facilities in the next 24 to 48
hours as expected Hurricane Ian impacts and wind speeds increase and weather becomes
more severe," the airport said in a statement. "At 40 mph sustained winds, TPA will see
minimal activity, with the airside shuttles and SkyConnect stopping or reducing in
frequency. At 50 mph sustained winds, all Airport operations stop."

TROPICAL STORM IAN TO EXPLODE INTO CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE BEFORE HITTING

FLORIDA, FORECASTERS SAY

It'sbeen over a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay
area, which blossomed from a few hundred thousand people in 1921 to more than 3
million today. Many of these people live in low-lying neighborhoods that are highly
susceptible to storm surges and flooding they have rarely before experienced, which some
experts say could be worsened by the effects of climate change.

Speaking at the state Emergency Operations Center, DeSantis said that "Floridians up and
down the Gulf Coast should feel the impacts of (Hurricane Ian)."

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Ian over the
central Caribbean on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (NOAA via AP)

"Itwill bring heavy rains, strong winds, flash flooding, storm surge, along with isolate
tornado activity along Florida’s Gulf Coast ," he said. "Floridians up and down the Gulf
should feel the impacts of this as up to 36 hours before actual landfall due to the size of
the hurricane. This is a really big hurricane at this point."

DeSantis gave a second press conference later Monday morning in Pinellas County,
advising residents to know their evacuation zone.

"(Officials) aren’t going to say the entire county goes, they’re going to say certain zones, or
areas that are likely more vulnerable to the effects of the storm," DeSantis said.

HURRICANE AND DISASTER PREP: ON ‘FOX AND FRIENDS,’ BEST TIPS FOR PREPARING
FOR WEATHER EVENTS

Floridians can find which zone they’re in by visiting floridadisaster.org/planprepare .

A mandatory evacuation order for Evacuation Zone A was issued for Pinellas County on
Monday. A voluntary order for Evacuation Zone B and Zone C will be ordered for Tuesday,
FOX 13 reported.

Several Tampa Bay area hospitals were evacuated Monday while others in the region
canceled noncritical surgeries and appointments in anticipation of the hurricane, the
Tampa Bay Times reported .

Five helicopters transported around 40 patients from HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital,
including people on stretchers, according to the paper.

The Florida Department of Transportation has suspended tolls at Polk Parkway, Suncoast
Parkway, Veterans Expressway, I-4 Connector and Hillsborough, Selmon Expressway,
Pinellas Byway, Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and Garson Point Bridge, among others.

Hillsborough County closed its schools on Monday. Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, Sarasota,
Polk, and Charlotte county schools, among others, were expected to be closed on Tuesday
and Wednesday. Updated information about school closures can be found at
fldoe.org/storminfo .

HURRICANE IAN FORMS POWERFUL STORM, PROMPTING HURRICANE WATCH FOR

FLORIDA'S GULF COAST

Uber said it was offering a discount of up to $30 for travel to and from state-approved
storm shelters in the Tampa Bay region. A list of approved storm shelters in Florida can be
found here .

U-Hail, meanwhile, said it was offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container
usage at 43 Florida facilities to residents who stand to be impacted by Hurricane Ian.

The Florida National Guard has activated 5,000 guardsmen, with 2,000 additional
guardsmen from neighboring states prepared to help, the governor said. Five urban search
and rescue teams have also been activated and are ready to help the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"There may not be direct impacts in all 67 counties, but there may be indirect impacts not
just from the storm, but also from people that may be evacuating to other parts of the
states," DeSantis said. "And we want to make sure that our communities have the
maximum flexibility that they need to be able to respond to the storm in any way that they
need to."

Customers wait in long lines at a Costco in Orlando, Florida on Friday, September 23, 2022, ahead of Tropical Storm Ian.
(Fox News Digital/Ophelie Jacobson)

Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Chris Stalling said the
state was preparing for Florida evacuees. And Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told WABE that
officials were concerned that Hurricane Ian could slow down and produce flooding rains in
that state.

By Monday afternoon, Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western
tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as
Wednesday.

Ian was forecast to hit the western tip of Cuba as a major hurricane and then become an
even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph over the Gulf of Mexico waters
before striking Florida.

FIONA STRIKES CANADA WITH HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS; TROPICAL STORM IAN

GAINS STRENGTH IN CARIBBEAN

As of Monday, Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be among the most likely targets for
their first direct hit by a major hurricane in more than 100 years.

A surge of up to 10 feet of ocean water and 10 inches of rain was predicted across the
Tampa Bay area, with as much as 15 inches in isolated areas. That's enough water to
inundate coastal communities.

A map showing Hurricane Ian. (FOX Weather)

As many as 300,000 people may be evacuated from low-lying areas in Hillsborough

County alone, county administrator Bonnie Wise said. Some of those evacuations were
beginning Monday afternoon in the most vulnerable areas, with schools and other
locations opening as shelters.

Floridians lined up for hours in Tampa to collect bags of sand and cleared store shelves of
bottled water.

President Joe Biden also declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of

Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate
disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. The president
postponed a scheduled Tuesday trip to Florida because of the storm.

PUERTO RICO STILL OWES COMPANY $350 MILLION FOR RESTORING GRID IN 2017 AS
IT FACES FRESH HURRICANE OUTAGES

Flash flooding was predicted for much of the Florida peninsula, and heavy rainfall was
possible for the southeast United States later this week. With tropical storm force winds
extending 115 miles (185 kilometers) from Ian's center, watches covered the Florida Keys
to Lake Okeechobee.

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Zones to be evacuated include all along Tampa Bay and the rivers that feed it. St. the most powerful name in news delivered
Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch urged residents not to ignore any evacuation orders. first thing every morning to your inbox
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The hurricane center has advised Floridians to have survival plans in place and monitor
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updates of the storm's evolving path.

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By 5 p.m. maximum sustained winds were up to 100 mph, pushing it to a Category 2

hurricane, as the storm shifted north northwestern, the National Hurricane Center said in
an update.

A hurricane warning was in effect for much of the Tampa Bay area and the western tip of
Cuba. A "warning" is different from a watch, meaning that conditions are expected within
36 hours. Portions of the storm surge watch area were also upgraded to a storm warning.

Bradford Betz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to bradford.betz@fox.com and
on Twitter: @Bradford_Betz .

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