Hurricane Ian roars ashore in southwest Florida, bringing destructive floods and wind

Hurricane Ian approaches west coast of Florida on Sept. 28th, 2022.

The west coast of Florida is being impacted by Hurricane Ian.

As it neared land, the storm became much stronger, reaching winds of 155 mph and becoming a Category 5 storm. Tropical storm force winds were 150 miles from the center and Hurricane force winds were 35 miles away.

In a press conference early Wednesday, the governor said that this would be a bad day and a bad couple of days. The storm is tracked by officials in Florida and across the country.

More than 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate in Florida, but they can't be forced to leave. It is no longer safe for residents in the highest risk areas in the state to leave.

Stay safe, do what you need to. You are already in dangerous conditions if you are near that storm. It is going to get much worse very soon. He asked the people to hunker down.

According to the National Hurricane Center, storm surge could push as much as 18 feet of water over the coastline. Extreme wind damage from the storm has prompted the National Weather Service to issue the highest possible wind warning for several regions in Florida. They were most worried about the flooding.

There's water. National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said we need to talk about the water. The majority of deaths in tropical systems come from the water. The storm surge and the rain are what it is.

A sail boat is beached at Sarasota Bay as Hurricane Ian approaches on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida.

Gail McGovern, CEO of the American Red Cross, told residents to follow the instructions of their elected officials and bring essential items with them.

If you are told to evacuate, she urged you to check on your neighbors.

When the storm is over, the state has 42,000 linemen, 7,000 National Guard troops, and urban search and rescue teams.

Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Fla., Wednesday morning, Sept. 28, 2022, in preparation for Hurricane Ian.

More than 200,000 power outages have already been reported across the state, but DeSantis said this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the widespread power outages that are anticipated across southwest Florida.

It might not be safe to go outside once the storm is over. He urged residents to be careful of fallen trees and power lines.

President Joe Biden told people in Florida that he would support them through the storm.

He said that they would be there to help you clean up and rebuild.

A man walks his dog through the rough surf on Cocoa Beach on September 28, 2022, as the eastern coast of central Florida braces for Hurricane Ian. - Heavy winds and rain pummelled Florida on Wednesday as Hurricane Ian intensified to just shy of the strongest Category 5 level, threatening to wreak “catastrophic” destruction on the southern US state. Forecasters warned of a looming once-in-a-generation calamity, with life-threatening storm surges, extensive flooding and devastating winds promising what Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called a “nasty” natural disaster. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Candy Powell has lived in Florida for the past two years and has been watching the hurricanes. She feels like there wasn't enough time to prepare for Hurricane Ian, so she's trying to stay calm for her neighbors.

She said that a lot of people who just moved into Florida were stressed out. I want to be the calming factor. I had to get just regular groceries when I went to the store yesterday. There were no items on the shelves. There was nothing left of canned goods.

Powell can see that the storm is picking up and she is already seeing the effects.

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