Hurricane Ian
Updated: Oct 30, 2022
Hurricane Ian had lasting consequences for the people of Fort Myers, Florida. It began on September 23 and lasted till September 30. Within just a week, 109 victims were killed, and communities were ravaged. Shockingly, it was a category 4 in terms of strength.
It started as a tropical storm, but within days it grew into a deadly hurricane with speeds of 35 mph. It strengthened as time passed until it sped up to 115 mph. It even wiped out the power grid. On September 29, it turned into a tropical storm again. However, this did not help the situation; instead, it worsened.
With the tropical storm came damaging rainfall. After some time, it turned into a category one hurricane again. Thankfully the strength began to decrease. Still, the people who were hit will never be able to fully recover.
Rescue crews have been searching for survivors. About 2,300 rescues were made. Rescuers came by boat and aircraft. Also, plans have been made to create a Disaster Recovery Center for businesses and citizens of Fort Myers. Things are turning around, but Hurricane Ian will go down in history as an altering natural disaster.
Citations:
Salahieh, Nouran. “Hurricane Ian’s Death Toll Rises as Crews in Florida Go Door to Door in Search for Survivors in Decimated Neighborhoods.” CNN, 4 Oct. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/us/hurricane-ian-florida-recovery-tuesday.
“Hurricane Ian’s Path of Destruction.” NESDIS, www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/hurricane-ians-path-of-destruction.
Andone, Nouran Salahieh, Dakin. “Death Toll from Hurricane Ian Surpasses 100 as the Search for Survivors Continues in Florida.” CNN, 3 Oct. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/10/03/us/hurricane-ian-florida-recovery-monday.
Livingston, Ian. “What Made Hurricane Ian so Intense: By the Numbers.” Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/10/04/hurricane-ian-statistics-deaths-winds-surge/.