The first major storm of the fall, Hurricane Ian, is expected to bring life threatening storm surge, intense winds and flooding to theTampa Bay area.
The residents of four Florida counties were ordered to evacuate as a result of the storm.
In Lee County, Florida, a mandatory evacuate order was issued for the county's Zone A, which includes Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva, as well as Cape Coral.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told residents to get out of the way of Hurricane Matthew, while officials in other parts of the state also ordered people to leave.
Several hospitals in the area, including HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital, canceled non-emergency surgeries and appointments, as well as starting to evacuate patients on Monday.
Public safety officials will not respond to emergency calls during a life-threatening storm if residents refuse to leave.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ian is expected to have a 10-foot storm surge with life threatening conditions along the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Ian strengthened into a Category 3 storm early Tuesday morning as it approached Cuba, making landfall hours later and bringing life threatening winds and rains that could cause mud slides and flash flooding on the island, according to the NHC. It will be the first major storm to hit the area in over a century.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm could cause flash flooding in central Florida and into southern Georgia and the coast of South Carolina.
In a press conference Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Mother Nature is a fierce adversary.
I-4 came to a standstill as residents rushed to evacuate to higher ground. According to Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, more than half of the gas stations in the area don't have fuel.
Ian is a category 3 storm on approach to Florida.
Hurricane Ian is in Florida.
The News-Press reports that Lee County has mandatory evacuates for Zones A and B.
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