On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian crashed the coast of West Florida, causing damage for miles.

As the storm approached, the state of Florida ordered 2.5 million people to evacuate, clogging up highways and airports. 

The storm hit Florida as a category 4 hurricane. With wind speeds of 155 miles per hour, only 2 miles per hour slower than a category 5, this storm took Florida by surprise as no one suspected it to have hit the state this hard.

There have only been 32 other recorded category 4 hurricanes that have made landfall in the continental U.S. since 1851. With the strong winds also came heavy rain and flooding. Parts of the state received up to 12 inches of rain. 

In an article on ‘The Hill,’ Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, spoke about the flooding caused by the hurricane. He compared the amount of flooding caused by Ian to be equivalent to what a 500 year-flood event would be like.

According to CNN, Hurricane Ian may have caused up to 47 billion dollars in insured losses. 125 deaths have been recorded with the toll slowly increasing as more searches are being conducted. Over 1,100 people in Florida have been rescued by the National Guard, and 2.5 million people across Florida had lost power because of the hurricane. 

If you’re interested in helping those affected by this storm, click here for information on organizations that you can support.