Ariana Baio
Sep 28, 2022
Video
Intense winds and high storm surges from Hurricane Ian are already rocking Southwest Florida cities and towns and it's barely made landfall yet.
On social media, people shared footage captured in cities like Fort Myers, Bradenton, and Naples showing the destruction Hurricane Ian is already causing.
City-wide flooding, bent palm trees, electrical explosions, flying roofs, and more shocked viewers.
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The Category 4 storms brings maximum winds of 150 miles per hour and catastrophic storm surges of 12 to 18 feet, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Multiple counties ordered mandatory evacuations for citizens before Wednesday as the most dangerous part of the storm approached Florida's coast.
Here are some of the videos depicting the severity of Hurricane Ian.
Storm Surges
Often storms of great caliber will create a massive surge of water from the ocean near the coast. Videos showed ocean water being pulled out to sea before the surge flooded coastal towns and cities.
\u201cThe water is being pulled out of peace river before the arrival of #HurricaneIan in Punta Gorda, Florida. This is unfortunately an indicator of the storm surge that is about to occur here very soon. @NHC_Atlantic @NHC_Surge\u201d— Mike Theiss (@Mike Theiss) 1664371419
\u201cWATCH: Storm surge in Fort Myers, Florida as Hurricane Ian approaches\u201d— BNO News (@BNO News) 1664384484
\u201c*RARE* first person view of storm surge. This camera is 6 feet off the ground on Estero Blvd in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Not sure how much longer it keeps working. You\u2019ll see it live only on \u2066@weatherchannel\u2069 #Ian\u201d— Mike Bettes (@Mike Bettes) 1664387202
Intense Winds
Like any powerful storm, Hurricane Ian brought with it intense winds up to 150 mph. Footage captured by news agencies, residents, and street cameras showed winds taking the roof off of homes, bending palm trees in half, and more.
\u201cTransformers blowing all around us,lighting up the sky taking out communications and electricity. I just took this video seconds ago #bradentonfl #hurricaneian @CNNweather @CNNweather @cnnbrk\u201d— Derek Van Dam (@Derek Van Dam) 1664389269
\u201cLanai sent airborne in Cape Coral, Florida by Hurricane #Ian\u2019s winds.\n\nVideo sent in by a WINK viewer\u201d— Nash Rhodes (@Nash Rhodes) 1664381424
\u201cTransformers blowing all around us,lighting up the sky taking out communications and electricity. I just took this video seconds ago #bradentonfl #hurricaneian @CNNweather @CNNweather @cnnbrk\u201d— Derek Van Dam (@Derek Van Dam) 1664389269
Rescues
Already rescues are taking place for animals left behind during evacuations. Some videos captured by people show good samaritans venturing out into the deadly storm to rescue a dog and a cat.
\u201c#DOGRESCUE This pup had to be rescued by canoe from the intense flooding on Sandpiper Street in Naples\ud83e\udd72 I hope they made it out ok.\u201d— Sarah Metts (@Sarah Metts) 1664391672
\u201cMy boyfriend saving a cat from flood waters near Bonita Beach. #HurricaneIan #Naples #Bonita #FortMyers\u201d— Megan Cruz Scavo (@Megan Cruz Scavo) 1664381514
Flooding
Forecasters expected devastating floods to impact much of Southwest Florida. Wednesday afternoon, videos showed some of the intense flooding happening in different cities.
\u201cVideo shows severe flooding in Naples, Florida, as Cat 4 Hurricane Ian moves through the region. \n\nhttps://t.co/XvPkRDg4Q6\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1664379696
\u201cWater is already overwhelming storm drains in Downtown Miami. #Ian\u201d— Cody Weddle (@Cody Weddle) 1664227330
\u201cBREAKING | Hurricane #Ian brings catastrophic storm surge to Naples, Florida with water moving into houses. Social media channels show residents SWIMMING in the surge in their houses. \n\nDO NOT DO THIS. You don't know what may be in this water, including chemicals!\u201d— Zach Covey (@Zach Covey) 1664392996
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