New Delhi: Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday leaving more than two million residents without power, while twenty-three people went missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast. But that was a "drop in the bucket" compared with the outages expected over the next 48 hours, said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to the news agency AFP. "This is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days," he added. Termed as monster Category 4 storm, Hurricane Ian made landfall with powerful winds and torrential rains threatening to cause "catastrophic" damage and flooding, according to AFP.
The eye of the "extremely dangerous" hurricane slammed into the barrier island of Cayo Costa, west of the city of Fort Myers, at 3.05 pm (1905 GMT), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Ian sustained wind speeds up to 250km/h (155mph), bringing along heavy rains. Airports in Tampa and Orlando stopped all commercial flights, and 850,000 households were already without power.
After the hurricane struck, 3,200 national guardsmen were called up in Florida, with another 1,800 on their way.
The state is also expected to receive rainfall, and a storm surge that could reach devastating levels of 12 to 18 feet (3.6 to 5.5 meters) above ground, said authorities warning of dire emergency conditions. "This is a life-threatening situation," the NHC warned. While weather forecasters warned of an impending once-in-a-generation calamity as the hurricane gathers more steam.
Impact of Hurricane Ian
Dramatic television footages showed speeding water inundating roads and sweeping away cars as the hurricane pounded the coastal city of Naples to the south of Fort Myers.
The hurricane will impact several million people across Florida and in the southeastern states of Georgia and South Carolina reported news agency AFP. The storm has already claimed two lives in Pinar del Rio province, Cuban state media reported.
Meanwhile, three people were rescued in the water about two miles south of Boca Chica after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Florida, CBS news reported quoting the Coast guard. While four Cuban migrants managed to reach the shore, 23 others are still missing.
"U.S. Border Patrol agents... responded to a migrant landing in Stock Island, Florida," Miami Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said on Twitter.
Airports in Tampa and Orlando stopped all commercial flights, and 850,000 households were already without power.