Hurricane Ian

[warneagle]

I expected the pictures from Sanibel Island to be rough, but I wasn't expecting "pavement scoured off roads".

 

[Blountwolf]

Woohoo! The lighthouse still stands though.


I will say that the buildings around it and it's location relative to the gulf seem to be a lot different now.

 

[Blountwolf]

Ian has reemerged into the Atlantic with it's spin intact, but faces a lot of shear and dry air intrusion if it wants to strengthen. Hopefully the dry air will win. Plenty of ocean heat content to sustain a hurricane if it does.

 

[Blountwolf]

A pier in Ft. Myer's that didn't make it.

 

[South AL Wx]

Ian is back up to 70 mph now, and is forecast to be a minimal hurricane when it makes landfall in South Carolina. A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the SC coast:

 

[Clancy]

Ft. Myers Beach got hit really hard...

 

[warneagle]

The east coast of Florida is getting hit pretty hard too.

 

[Blountwolf]

Just saw the first aerial shots of Sanibel - the amount of homes intact tell me the building codes enforced after Andrew work.

 

[Blountwolf]

Surge up the river in St. Augustine ongoing.

 

[Blountwolf]

At 11:53 AM EDT, Saint Augustine [St. Johns Co, FL] EMERGENCY MNGR reports STORM SURGE. ST AUGUSTINE FIRE-RESCUE REPORTS STORM SURGE FLOODING IS CURRENTLY AT, OR EXCEEDING, HURRICANE MATTHEW LEVELS.

 

[TornadoFan]

 

[bwalk]

@DylanFedericoWX

Fort Myers is devastated. Tough hurricane proof infrastructure that’s in shambles. There’s no electricity or water. It’s unlivable. Wind damage is far worse than I saw after Irma, Ida, Harvey, or Katrina. #flwx #Ian

 

[TH2002]

Seeing some truly incredible footage out of Fort Myers, Sanibel Island and other locations already - I have to say this is some of the most intense storm surge documented first hand since Katrina. Almost unreal.




Looks like Naples was badly hit by the storm surge as well:



Port Charlotte



Unfortunately, it's not unfair to describe Fort Myers Beach as being in shambles - this area was hit HARD by the wind and surge.

 

[Blountwolf]

Oof. Lee county is in bad shape.

 

[maroonedinhsv]

I truly hate that people suffered such great loss. However, I'm shocked when people state something like "I can't believe this happened to us!" If you live on or near the coast, it will eventually happen to you.

 

[Destin Native]

I truly hate that people suffered such great loss. However, I'm shocked when people state something like "I can't believe this happened to us!" If you live on or near the coast, it will eventually happen to you.

Sorta like when we lived in the Birmingham area and the tornadoes. I couldn’t wait to get back to Florida. I’ll take my chances with hurricanes. Carry on..

 

[Blountwolf]

Ian is doing the weird half-icane thing again.

 

[Sawmaster]

Ian is doing the weird half-icane thing again.

Calling for a Cat 1 hit near Charleston. EM here in SC is ready but not worried. Rain bands coming to me in the upstate mid morning and I've being dragged into unscheduled work- sigh...

Phil

 

[akt1985]

I hope we don’t see a death toll from Ian in Florida that rivals the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, or even the Lake Okechobee Hurricane of 1928 where over 2,500 were killed.

 

[maroonedinhsv]

Sorta like when we lived in the Birmingham area and the tornadoes. I couldn’t wait to get back to Florida. I’ll take my chances with hurricanes. Carry on..

I understand what you’re saying, but I disagree (to an extent). In Birmingham (or Huntsville, where I live) you are certain to have a close encounter with a tornado at some point. Heck, I’ve had several within a few miles from my houses. However, the likelihood that you will be directly and severely impacted by a tornado remains fairly low simply due to the size.

Edited to add: I do agree that people who live in areas where tornadoes are common shouldn’t be shocked if they get hit by one.