Tag Archives: Rain

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Danny Ross has at least three lives. His life was nearly jolted out of him when he was struck by lightning. He came close to taking his last breath after suffering a punctured lung in a car wreck in the ‘80s. It almost washed away aboard …

Coastal hurricane evacuees who live north of Ian’s wrath are eager to get back to their unscathed homes, their jobs and the lives they left behind. But there’s a problem, the Peace River has crested making their journey home difficult.

By Sep. 27, a few days before Hurricane Ian was predicted to hit Gainesville, staff at North Central Florida Humane Society had emptied the building.

When Hurricane Ian was originally projected to make landfall around the Tampa Bay area and rampage up the center of Florida near Gainesville, the residents of Hills of Santa Fe held their breath. In a community with a long history of severe flooding, homeowners prepared for the worst. Then the storm changed course, heading northeast near Orlando and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Making landfall as a Category 4 storm near Fort Myers and Cape Coral before heading northeast, Hurricane Ian largely spared Gainesville of extreme damage.

Major Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa shortly after 3 PM Wednesday and more than twelve hours later, it is still bringing flash flooding to central Florida before an eventual exit along the east coast.

Heather Halak, the owner of Third House Books in Gainesville, was among the many Florida business owners preparing for Hurricane Ian this week.

One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States barreled across the Florida peninsula overnight Wednesday, threatening catastrophic flooding inland, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Livestock owners preparing for Hurricane Ian have three major concerns: identification, sheltering and power. Livestock can be identified by using ear tags or by spraying numbers onto the cattle using a can of nontoxic spray. Because most barns are not built to withstand hurricane winds, many area farms will leave their cows to weather the storm in open fields. Another concern is keeping power on so well water can be pumped for the livestock to drink.