MIAMI, Florida — Florida officials are preparing for Hurricane Ian to grow into a Category 5 storm — the strongest-level hurricane classification, which has made landfall in the US only twice in the last three decades.
The hurricane as of 7 a.m. ET was 80 miles south of Charlotte County, an area on Florida's west coast between Venice and Fort Meyers. Ian was moving north at 10 mph and winds reached 155 mph.
The wind speeds only need to reach 157 mph or higher to attain Category 5 status.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Tallahassee that the storm was "knocking on the door of a Category 5 storm" and that it "could make landfall as a Category 5."
"A storm of this magnitude will produce catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge," he said.
Officials expect the hurricane to make landfall Wednesday afternoon and to move across Florida, toward the Orlando metro region, before exiting the East Coast Thursday.
"I can tell you it is a Cat 4 hurricane, nearly a Cat 5," Kevin Guthrie, Florida's emergency management director, said at Tuesday's press conference. "I know all the emergency management directors in southwest Florida very well. Combined they have over 200 years of experience. They are preparing, and they are expecting, a Cat 5. "
Several counties encompassing 2.5 million people have evacuation orders, but as of Wednesday morning officials said anyone who had not left their homes would need to shelter in place.
"It's no longer possible to safely evacuate," DeSantis said. "It's time to hunker down and prepare for this storm. This is a powerful storm that should be treated like you would treat [a tornado], if a tornado was approaching your home."
Officials urged people to get off the roads, given that roads and bridges throughout the storm-affected areas had been closed. They also raised concerns about people going near power lines, damaged trees, and standing water, once the storm had passed.
"I urge Floridians who have made the decision to shelter in place to stay indoors and stay off the roads," Guthrie said. "You do not want to be outdoors or on the roads as a storm of this size is making landfall in your area. It is extremely dangerous."
Areas of Florida have already been affected by the storm, including by 40,000 power outages, DeSantis said.
Tornado warnings also have been issued across Florida. If people get a tornado warning, they should go to a room in their house without windows, cover themselves with a blanket, and wear a helmet, Guthrie said.
Emergency officials have lined up 30,000 linemen, including from out of state, to help power once the storm has passed.
