September 29, 2022 Hurricane Ian updates

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson said in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian he is already thinking about how to rebuild — starting with making sure people have enough food and water.

The city's downtown area has seen substantial damage including flooding as well as downed trees and power lines, Anderson said.  

“This is a downtown that we have taken the last several decades to rebuild and revitalize,” Anderson said. “It concerns me that a lot of those businesses affected will go dark.”

Meanwhile, most of the main roads in Fort Myers have been cleared and emergency teams have been able to reach many affected areas, he said.

Hurricane Ian's impact has "been a worst-case scenario for us here in Osceola County,” Bill Litton, Osceola County‘s Emergency Management director, told CNN’s Jake Tapper Thursday evening.

Litton said the city of Kissimmee – 18 miles south of Orlando – saw a historic amount of flooding as the storm passed through Central Florida.

Parts of Kissimmee that have never seen flooding are covered in water while other areas saw around 14 inches Thursday, Litton told CNN.

“One of our hospitals here, Osceola Regional — which is a trauma two-level center — was surrounded by water this morning. Our rescues could not make entry,” Litton said.

The water has since receded at that hospital; however, Litton said flood waters entered the emergency room of another hospital this morning. He did not provide the name of that hospital.

Litton told CNN that crews have also been working to help rescue people from flood waters.

Kissimmee has a population of nearly 80,000 people, according to the US Census.

Hurricane Ian's rainfall was at least 10% wetter because of climate change, according to a rapid analysis released Thursday by scientists at Stony Brook University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The analysis used the same methodology as a recent peer-reviewed study that looked at the influence of climate change on the 2020 hurricane season.

Michael Wehner, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley who ran the analysis, noted that the physical relationship between air temperature and water vapor would suggest that Hurricane Ian's rainfall should have only been around 5% higher due to climate warming.

"This means that the storms are more efficient at precipitating the available moisture," Wehner said in a statement. He also cautioned that their result is a "conservative estimate."

Seven of the 11 Florida airports that closed or suspended commercial service due to Hurricane Ian are scheduled to reopen by the end of the day Friday, according to CNN’s tally.  

Jacksonville International Airport is one of those, according to a tweet.

Some airlines are expected to be operating on reduced schedules, according to the airport, and travelers are encouraged to check flight their statuses before heading to the terminal. 

However, the state's busiest airport, Orlando International, said it does not have a timeline to reopen yet.

It said Thursday afternoon that damage inspections are underway. The airport did not immediately report the nature of any damage discovered during the assessments. 

“Due to the extent of the storm, no timeframe has been selected for when MCO will return to normal operations,” the airport said.  

The Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers — a place heavily hit by Ian — will also remain closed except to emergency personnel and humanitarian flights, according to a statement. 

Ian has intensified into a hurricane again with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, according to the 5 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Ian is located about 240 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, and is moving toward the north-northeast at 10 mph. 

Some intensification is expected with Ian over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, but it is expected to remain a Category 1 storm.

Storm surge is anticipated to reach between 4 to 7 feet in South Carolina from Edisto Beach to Murrells Inlet, including Charleston.

Ian’s large wind field is expected to produce impacts well away from the center, and the forecast track has more uncertainty than normal because of the storm is disorganized after passing over Florida. 

Hurricane Ian is taking aim at the Carolinas, with forecasts predicting the storm could hit parts of the East Coast on Friday.

Here are the current watches and warnings in effect:

Storm surge warning:

Hurricane warning:

Tropical storm warning:

Storm surge watch:

Hurricane watch:

The Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers remains closed except to emergency personnel and humanitarian flights, according to a statement. 

airport initially canceled all flights on Tuesday ahead of the storm.

Read the tweet:

South Carolina and Georgia’s coastlines could be significantly impacted by storm system Ian, according to a new US Geological Survey coastal change forecast released on Thursday. 

At 5 p.m. on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center forecast that newly strengthened Hurricane Ian would hit the South Carolina coast as a Category 1 storm on Friday. Storm surge is anticipated to reach between 4 to 7 feet in South Carolina from Edisto Beach to Murrells Inlet, including Charleston, it said.

USGS researchers are forecasting the waves and surges caused by Ian may cause 11% of South Carolina’s and 1% of Georgia’s dunes along sandy beaches to be inundated — meaning continuously covered by ocean water. 

In addition, approximately 43% of South Carolina’s and 24% of Georgia’s dunes along sandy beaches are expected to be overwashed by Ian. Overwash is considered the second most severe level of coastal damage, taking place when water levels reach higher than the top of dunes.

“When a beach is overwashed, sand can be pushed and deposited inland, causing significant changes to coastal landscapes and blocking roadways,” the USGS said. “Overwash can reduce the height of protective sand dunes, alter beach profiles and leave areas behind the dunes more vulnerable to future storms.” 

In South Carolina 99% of the dunes and in Georgia 77% of dunes are projected to face some level of erosion caused by Ian, the USGS said. Erosion at the base of sand dunes is considered the least severe level of storm damage on sandy shorelines. 

All non-emergency lines at the Marco Island police department are down following Hurricane Ian’s move through Florida’s west coast.

In a statement posted Thursday, officials asked residents to be patient.

The statement advised residents to call Collier County dispatchers at 239-252-9300 if they want to request a welfare check on loved ones.  

It added that residents should keep in mind that neighbors in Collier and Lee Counties are in much more need of urgent services. 

Marco Island, a barrier island south of Naples, has a population of around 16,000, according to the US Census.