The storm’s projected path moved south as people all along Florida’s west coast prepare for storm surge and days of flooding

Energy companies from across the United States are sending droves of workers to assist in Hurricane Ian restoration efforts.

ComEd: At the request of Georgia Power and Tampa Electric, the Chicago-based energy company is sending more than 250 employees —100 ComEd employees and 150 contractors, plus support staff — to assist in restoration efforts following expected outages, it told CNN affiliate WBBM. Crews began leaving Tuesday morning.

Duke energy: The company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is also sending nearly 10,000 workers to help in safe Florida locations, including lineworkers, tree professionals, damage assessment and support personnel. Crews coming from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio will be strategically placed in areas that will be most impacted and will be prepared to “respond to outages once it is safe to do so,” a spokesperson told CNN.

Emergency Disaster Services: The Lexington-based disaster recovery company is sending 1,000 workers to Georgia and Florida to assist utility companies after Hurricane Ian’s landfall before pivoting to assist FEMA with their needs. The company has proprietary “state-of-the-art mobile sleeper systems” with laundry, restrooms, dining halls, kitchens, and mobile office trailers to support “utility partners as they work to restore power,” a spokesperson told CNN. 

Hurricane Ian made landfall Tuesday morning in western Cuba, where more than 38,000 people had evacuated to get out of harm’s way, CNN previously reported. 

CNN meteorologists predict that at least 8 million people are under a hurricane warning in western and central Florida, meaning they are subject to hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or greater.

A storm surge warning along the west coast of Florida was expanded to include the area from Suwanee River to Anclote River, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. 

A storm surge warning was also issued for the US east coast from Marineland, Florida, to the mouth of St. Mary’s River, including the St. Johns River, and the Dry Tortugas.

Here is a list of all the warnings currently in effect:

A hurricane warning:

• Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio, and Artemisa
• Bonita Beach to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay
• Dry Tortugas

A storm surge warning:

• Suwanee River southward to Flamingo
• Tampa Bay
• Dry Tortugas
• Marineland to the mouth of the St. Mary’s River
• St. Johns River

A tropical storm warning:

• Cuban provinces of La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas
• Suwannee River to the Anclote River
• Flamingo to Bonita Beach
• Lower and Middle Florida Keys
• Boca Raton to Altamaha Sound
• Lake Okeechobee

A storm surge watch:

• Florida Keys from the Card Sound Bridge westward to Key West
• Florida Bay
• Aucilla River to Suwanee River
• Mouth of St. Mary’s River to South Santee River
• South of Marineland to the Volusia/Flagler county line

A hurricane watch:

• North of Anclote River to Suwannee River
• South of Bonita Beach to Chokoloskee

A tropical storm watch:

• North of Suwannee River to Indian Pass
• North of Altamaha Sound to South Santee River
• South of Boca Raton to east of Flamingo
• Upper Florida Keys
• Florida Bay

A satellite image taken at 12:01 p.m. ET shows Hurricane Ian over the Gulf of Mexico.

The center of Hurricane Ian is positioned in the far southeastern Gulf of Mexico as of 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, according to the latest update by the National Hurricane Center.

The forecast says Ian is about 285 miles from Sarasota, Florida, and about 110 miles from the Dry Tortugas, a national park made up of seven small islands.

The hurricane center said it will release hourly forecasts as long as the eye of the storm “is easily trackable by land-based radar.”

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor speaks at a press conference on Tuesday.

While Tampa Mayor Jane Castor on Tuesday morning said the forecast for Hurricane Ian’s impact on the city “hasn’t changed a great deal,” the slow-moving storm is expected to bring a “devastating amount of water” to the Tampa Bay area.

Castor also said she received a call from President Biden, who said he also had Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell in his office.

“He just wanted to ensure that we had all the resources that we needed and clearly wishing us the best,” Castor said.

Castor said a thunderstorm on Monday evening already saturated the ground and caused street closures.

“We are doing all that we can right now … to mitigate pumping water out of our stormwater ponds, letting water over the dam, doing all that we can to make sure that that water has a clear path, somewhere to go,” the mayor said.

“It’s going to be in our rivers, it’s going to be in our streams, it’s going to be in our canals, it’s going to be in our stormwater drains and ditches,” Castor added. 

“It can get better if the storm comes ashore a little south of us, and I don’t know that it can get much worse, but I’m sure there’s a scenario that says that it could,” the mayor said. “Right now, a storm that slows down for 24 to 48 hours and just continuously dumps rain into the Tampa Bay area is devastating.”

A curfew is expected to be implemented, Castor said.

“We are prepared to secure these neighborhoods as best we can so that anyone that does not belong in these neighborhoods is not coming back in post evacuation,” Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor added.

Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Barbara Tripp said crews are currently helping to evacuate the nursing homes that are in the evacuation area, assisting with evacuating those patients to facilities on higher grounds. At least 41 patients from a nursing home in south Tampa are being relocated to central Tampa, Tripp said.

City officials have also been speaking to CEOs of hospitals throughout the city.

O’Connor said a storm barrier has been put up around Tampa General Hospital.

“So this is going to be the test right here, but I’ve talked to them and they aren’t evacuating anyone at this point,” O’Connor said. “But they have systems in place that individuals will be protected. And they have plenty of resources, generators working, and they’re comfortable that they can protect their patients at Tampa General.”

Floridians should be prepared to lose power once the storm hits, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an update on Tuesday.

“People should anticipate losing power. When you have a storm of this magnitude, that’s what happens. It knocks down trees, it knocks down power lines. When you’re making preparations, just be prepared to be able to make do without having consistent power,” he said.

DeSantis also said the duration of power loss could last more than just a few days depending on how Hurricane Ian makes landfall.

Loss of power “may be a matter of days. It may be more than just a few days. It really depends on the intensity of the storm, and it depends on how much structural damage is done to the underlying infrastructure that powers our state,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, energy companies announced that thousands of workers from across the US will be sent to safe locations in Florida and also Georgia to help with power restoration efforts.

Cuba’s western province of Pinar del Rio has lost power, according to Cuban state television on Tuesday.

Hurricane Ian hit Cuba’s western province, an area noted for its tobacco farms. State media posted photos of downed fences and destruction at the Alejandro Robaina Tobacco Plantation, one of Cuba’s most famous tobacco farms.

People line up in their vehicles to get sand bags in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday.

With Hurricane Ian barreling toward Florida, coastal residents are scrambling to secure their homes.

On Tuesday morning in the Tampa area, long lines of cars waited for hours to get free sandbags at distribution sites.

In flood-prone regions, sandbags are used around doorways as barriers to prevent flood water from entering homes. But depending on the height of Ian’s storm surge, officials have warned sandbags might not provide enough protection.

Nearly 7 million people residing along the coast between Fort Myers and Clearwater, including all of Tampa Bay, are under a storm surge warning.

As of 11 a.m. ET, a storm surge of five to eight feet was forecast in and around Tampa Bay. Even the low range of storm surge forecast would still be the highest water levels ever recorded for the area.

The city of Tampa is limiting each vehicle to 10 filled sandbags. Tampa distribution sites will close at 2 p.m. Tuesday, the city said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged residents to prepare for historic flooding and storm surge on Tuesday, encouraging Floridians under evacuation orders to heed those warnings.

“It is now a major hurricane,” DeSantis said. “Understand the impacts are going to be far, far broader than just where the eye of the storm happens to make landfall. In some areas, there will be catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge.”

DeSantis said the most recent forecast had landfall south of Tampa Bay, in the Sarasota area, threatening severe flooding and an estimated 5 to 10 feet of storm surge. 

Florida Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie, said the National Hurricane Center is predicting the landfall to be Venice, Florida in 35 hours at 125 miles per hour “making that a major Category 3 landfalling hurricane.”

Guthrie continued that residents of Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties should continue to heed warnings and not return to their homes.

About 2.5 million Floridians are currently under some kind of evacuation order, according to Florida officials. 

“Mother nature is a very fearsome adversary. So please heed those warnings. You do not need to evacuate to another state. You don’t need to go hundreds of miles away. There are shelters that are open and all of these counties at this point,” said DeSantis

According to the governor, Florida has activated 5,000 National Guard members with an additional 2,000 members from other states. More than 28,000 people are staged for power restorations across the state of Florida. 

Twenty-six school districts announced closures as of Tuesday morning. DeSantis said he expected more closures to be announced as the track of the storm becomes clearer. 

NASA has rolled the massive Artemis I mega moon rocket back into its hangar, called the Vehicle Assembly Building, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to protect it from Hurricane Ian.

The move, which concluded at 9:15 a.m. ET Tuesday, delays the third launch attempt for the Artemis I mission, which is slated to send an uncrewed capsule around the moon, for at least a few weeks.

“Managers decided to roll back based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian not showing improving expected conditions for the Kennedy area. The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system,” NASA noted on its Artemis blog.

The agency will host a news conference today at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the rollback decision. Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, will provide a big picture look at all of the hurricane preparations taking place at the complex.

“After the storm has passed, teams will conduct inspections to determine impacts at the center and establish a forward plan for the next launch attempt, including replacing the core stage flight termination system batteries and retesting the system to ensure it can terminate the flight if necessary for public safety in the event of an emergency during launch,” according to an update in the Artemis blog.

The setback would likely push NASA’s next try into November, though late October potentially could still be an option for the highly anticipated launch.

Storm surges and rain from Hurricane Ian could mean that Florida sees water in places it’s never seen before, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch told CNN.

“We’ll see water in places we’ve never seen it before. When you talk about 10 or 15 inches of rain on top of the surge — that is unprecedented. No infrastructure is build for that,” he told CNN. “So we could be looking at impacts to our sewer system, to wastewater. So that is what folks need to understand. We’ve never seen this level of surge threat before. And they need to respond to that in the way that makes sense.” 

The mayor expressed confidence that Florida can get through this as long as people act responsibly.

“We can get through this because we’ve got the science and data. We know where the storm surge will be. But that depends on folks being responsible,” he said. “At a certain point these folks are going to be on their own and we’re not going to send first responders out and put them in danger when there are tropical storm force winds.”

When Florida faces hurricane-force winds, Welch emphasized that first responders will not go out because it puts their lives in danger.

“You should have a plan already. You should have your storm kit, and you should know your evacuation zone. If you don’t, go to storm.pinellascounty.org. Find your evacuation level. You can find shelter — we’ve got 25 shelters in the country, set up working with the school board and the county. The infrastructure is there, we just need people to act responsibly and take advantage of the help,” he told CNN.

This satellite image taken at 9:56 a.m. ET on Tuesday shows Hurricane Ian passing over western Cuba.

Hurricane Ian’s center has emerged into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday morning, according to the 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

Ian’s winds have decreased only slightly, down to 115 mph, as a result of the trip across western Cuba, which keeps the storm as a Category 3. Ian is expected to strengthen again later today and become a Category 4 before the end of the day. 

The expected track for Ian has shifted around 25 miles south in the newest advisory, with landfall expected to occur north of Venice, Florida, around 6 to 12 hours earlier than previously anticipated. Ian is still expected to be a major hurricane when it makes landfall on Wednesday evening around 8 p.m. local time. 

“On the forecast track, the center of Ian is expected to move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico in a couple of hours, pass west of the Florida Keys later today, and approach the west coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area on Wednesday and Wednesday night,” the center said.

This also shifts the expected highest surge, with the highest surge expected to be 8 to 12 feet, occurring south of Tampa Bay and north of Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor and the cities of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Storm surge in and around Tampa Bay, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater, is still expected to be 5 to 8 feet.

“Ian is forecast to approach the west coast of Florida as an extremely dangerous major hurricane,” the center said.

Ian is moving north at 10 mph, and “a turn toward the north-northeast with a reduction in forward speed is forecast tonight and Wednesday,” it said.

“Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials,” according to the advisory.

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, floridadisaster.org, has a tracking tool to inform residents if they are in an evacuation zone.

You can use this tool to find your zone and better understand orders from local officials.

Hurricane Ian is strengthening rapidly as it passes over the ultra-warm waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center had predicted the system would rapidly intensify from a tropical storm to at least a Category 4 hurricane in less than 72 hours.

It is an unprecedented forecast, experts told CNN, but one scientist says it is becoming more likely as the climate crisis advances, pushing ocean temperatures higher and laying the groundwork for tropical storms to explode at breakneck pace into deadly major hurricanes. 

Rapid intensification is precisely what it sounds like — a hurricane’s winds strengthening rapidly over a short amount of time. Scientists have defined it as a wind speed increase of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less. 

The phenomenon played out with breathtaking speed in the Philippines this weekend. Super Typhoon Noru exploded in strength on its final approach toward the Pacific island nation, going from the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 overnight as residents around Manila slept.

Noru’s rapid intensification right before landfall — which was not predicted — likely meant locals had no time prepare for the much stronger storm. 

Hurricane Ian’s intensification has been in the forecast for days, giving Cuba and Florida the benefit of time. Winds in the storm increased from 45 mph Sunday evening to 80 mph late Monday morning, and more strengthening is in the forecast. Ian could intensify into at least a Category 4 before it makes landfall in Florida midweek.

Rapid intensification has historically been a rare phenomenon, according to Allison Wing, an assistant professor of atmospheric science at Florida State University.

It “is really sort of at the extreme end of how quickly storms can intensify,” Wing told CNN. “Only something like 6% or so of all forecast time periods have those types of rapid intensification rates observed associated with them. And so it’s something that’s by definition, a rare event. Sometimes it only happens a few times per season.”

Read more about this here.

Manatee County Emergency Management officials have expanded a mandatory evacuation order for the county to include both level A and level B evacuation zones. Additionally, residents living in evacuation level C are being encouraged to find shelter further inland, according to a news statement from the county.

“Those along the coast and prone to flooding need to take this seriously and evacuate,” Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes said. “This is worst-case scenario.”

Manatee County Area Transit will suspend all fixed routes as of 6 p.m. ET, and two additional shelters will open in the county at noon, the statement said.

Manatee County is expected to provide a news briefing 2 p.m. ET Tuesday. Manatee County is just south of Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Hillsborough County in Florida has upgraded a previous mandatory evacuation order to now include both Zones A and B, effective 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, said Bonnie Wise, County Administrator for Hillsborough County, during a briefing Tuesday morning.

What’s important to note: This is an update from Monday’s order that included a mandatory evacuation order for Zone A and only a voluntary evacuation order for Zone B. Both zones now fall under mandatory evacuation orders.

This update affects about 90,000 more residents. Everyone in the mandatory zones must evacuate by 9 p.m. ET Tuesday evening. Hillsborough County’s mandatory evacuations affects about 390,000 residents, Wise said.

You can use this tool to find your evacuation zone in Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough County includes Tampa, Florida.

The city of Tampa, Florida, is seen from above on Monday.

The exact location of Hurricane Ian’s landfall will make a dramatic difference in the location of the storm surge.

“Landfall in the southern part of the cone will take Tampa Bay out of the extreme surge and put Charlotte Harbor in the center of the worst conditions,” according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. “Landfall to the north of Tampa puts the massive surge right into Tampa Bay.”

Fifty miles one way or the other changes everything.

If it makes landfall north of Tampa, this will push water levels to a height not seen in over 50 years of tide level records in the Tampa Bay area.

“This is a near worst-case approach angle coming in from the south and west and stalling,” according to Jamie Rhome, the National Hurricane Center’s acting director. “With it slowing down, this would be a near worst-case approach angle.” 

That slowing forward momentum will allow for another extreme event to unfold. Obviously, there are damaging winds in the eyewall and the surge. Still, there is also the potential for flooding rainfalls, Myers said.

There is “the potential for rainfall totals of 20 to 25 inches as the storm appears to temporarily stall after landfall creating massive rainfall flash flooding,” Myers said.

The average month of September brings about 6 inches of rain to the Tampa region.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in western Cuba early Tuesday morning while on its trek toward Florida.

Here’s a satellite look at the Ian this morning as the sun rose over Florida, Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico:

The National Hurricane Center now says Ian will maintain major hurricane intensity when it hits Florida.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center of Ian.

This means that more than 15 million people will likely experience tropical storm-force winds, including all of Tampa metro and other cities such as Orlando, Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

The most likely arrival of tropical storm-force winds:

• Tuesday afternoon/evening: The Florida Keys
• Tuesday overnight: Naples
• Wednesday morning: Tampa
• Wednesday evening: Orlando
• Thursday morning: Tallahassee and Jacksonville

Photos from the Pinar del Rio province of Cuba show damage, downed trees and flooding as Category 3 Hurricane Ian made landfall on the western side of the island country.

A tornado watch has been issued for South Florida on Tuesday morning, associated with the outer bands of Hurricane Ian moving into the southern parts of Florida.

The watch runs until 5 p.m. ET this evening.

The watch, issued from the Storm Prediction Center, covers more than 6 million people including the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

“A very moist airmass and strengthening low-level shear will support an increasing tornado potential from the Florida Keys across the southern Peninsula through the afternoon,” the center said.

Some context: Tornadoes are frequently associated with hurricanes and tropical storms, and can occur hundreds of miles away from the center of the hurricane. Tornadoes in tropical systems tend to be short-lived and difficult to predict with much lead time, compared to more traditional tornadoes produced by supercells and strong thunderstorms in the Central Plains and South.

As Tampa International Airport prepares to suspend operations today at 5 p.m. ET due to approaching Hurricane Ian, airport CEO Joe Lopano said the economic impact of shutting down is “in the millions.”

“Unfortunately, Ian has not given us a choice,” Lopano said. “We’ll just make it as painless as we can, open as quickly as we can, depending … on the severity of the storm, and we’ll resume from there.”

The airport has a team of storm riders made up of about 120 employees who have trained for hurricane events and will ride out the storm, Lopano said.

“We have planned and we’ve put all of the measures in place that we believe we need to put in place to be as prepared as we can,” he added.

The top concern is storm surge and flooding, according to John Tiliacos, executive vice president of airport operations.

Tiliacos also reminded the public that the airport is not a shelter and doesn’t have the resources to serve as one for vehicles or people during a hurricane.

After the storm passes, the airport’s focus will shift toward reopening the airport.

“We recognize the importance of this asset in order to have the community recover as quickly as possible,” Lopano said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a cautious reminder to Floridians, saying residents should not think Hurricane Ian could be like Hurricane Charley, which slammed the coast in 2004 — Charley was a lot smaller, he said.

“This is a much different storm. Charley was a lot smaller, it was powerful, it was a Category 4. Most of the damage from Charley was from wind and wind destruction. What we have here is really historic storm surge and flooding potential. And so if you’re looking at those places in Fort Myers, Charlotte County, Sarasota — the storm surge that you’re going to see generated from this is going to far eclipse what we saw [during Charley,]” DeSantis explained at a Tuesday press briefing.

DeSantis acknowledge that there is a possibility that Ian’s track may end up being similar to Charley’s.

“I know there’s folks in southwest Florida who remember Hurricane Charley was projected to make a direct impact into Tampa Bay, and then it turned and went into southwest Florida. I would just say the track may end up doing something similar, but this is a much different storm.”

Given the circumstances, he urged that residents in Ian’s projected path at the moment should heed the evacuation orders in their area.

“What those evacuation orders are doing is identifying people that live in areas that are vulnerable to major storm surge. And that storm surge can be life-threatening. There’s certain things we can protect against in terms of the wind and the structures, and we’ve got great building codes. But when you have five to 10 feet of storm surge, that’s not something that you want to be a part of,” he said.

Hernando County, which is located north of Tampa, is expecting the arrival of tropical-force winds from Hurricane Ian starting at noon on Wednesday, according to officials. Sustained winds, increasing up to hurricane-level winds, are anticipated for the next two days.

According to Hernando County administrator Jeff Rogers, the county will see a storm surge between 8-10 feet, depending on where Ian makes landfall, particularly impacting roadways and ground-level houses in coastal communities.

Rogers warned that the county will have a significant amount of rainfall — of up to over 14 inches — which will be “more than any significant storm event” recently experienced. Anywhere that has seen flooding previously will likely have flooding again, he said. 

“Those flooding concerns will occur again in the next 48 hours, and they’ll most likely be worse than they were before,” Rogers said. “Throughout the community, anybody that lives in manufactured homes or in RV communities, we strongly urge you to consider whether or not your manufactured homes can withstand the increased amount of winds for a long duration.”

Rogers said Hernando County is also expecting significant loss of power starting late Wednesday night into Thursday, as the amount of rainfall will cause downed trees. He asked residents to be prepared for a loss of power for three to five days starting on Thursday and Friday.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in western Cuba early this morning as a major hurricane — a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds.

The last major hurricane [Category 3 or greater] to strike Cuba was Hurricane Irma in 2017. But specifically in western Cuba, Hurricane Gustav in 2008 was the last major hurricane to make landfall. 

More than 1 million people reside in the three Cuban provinces that have experienced hurricane-force winds — Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio, and Artemisa.

An additional 3 million people are experiencing tropical-storm-force winds in the three provinces under a tropical storm warning — La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas.

Steve Newberne, left, and Richard Latronita board up Gigi’s restaurant in preparation for Hurricane Ian on Monday.

As Florida prepares for Hurricane Ian’s menacing approach here is what you should know about the forecast and potential impact on the state.

On rainfall: Ian is expected to dump at least 2 to 3 months’ worth of rainfall by Friday. Totals are expected to be 12 to 16 inches with maximums up to 24” in Tampa and West Central Florida. The average month of September brings about 6 inches of rain.

On people: More than 8 million people reside in the Hurricane Warning zone in West and Central Florida, meaning they are subject to hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or greater

Nearly 7 million people reside along the coast between Fort Myers and Clearwater, including all of Tampa Bay area are also under a storm surge warning, indicating a life-threatening storm surge of 5 to 10 feet is possible

On storm surge: Even the low range of storm surge currently forecast for Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater would represent the highest water levels ever recorded. It could double their highest. 5 to 10 feet is the expected surge in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The highest sea levels ever recorded reached around 4 feet high in Hurricane Elena in 1985 and the March 1993 “Storm of the Century.” 

On rapid intensification: Hurricane Ian’s rapid intensification has continued on Tuesday. Ian was a 45 mph tropical storm on Sunday afternoon, but is currently a 125 mph Category 3 major hurricane. Rapid intensification is considered an increase of at least 35 mph in 24 hours, Ian has far exceeded that, increasing by at least 55 mph in a 24 hour period between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon.

Some history: The last major hurricane to make landfall in the US was Hurricane Ida (Category 4) in 2021 in Louisiana. The last major hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Hurricane Michael in 2018 (Category 5).

If you are in the path of Hurricane Ian, there are many steps you can take to protect yourself, your loved ones and your property.

Here’s a checklist to help you get started, with tips from the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Hurricane Center.

What to do as the storm approaches:

• Stay inside
• Protect windows and doors with permanent storm shutters or plywood
• Keep local radio, NOAA radio or TV stations on for new information
• Download the Red Cross emergency app (for iPhone, Android)
• Keep a hurricane lamp Make sure all pets have identification tags
• Store all lawn furniture, trash cans, toys and gardening tools inside to prevent them from getting blown away
• Find local emergency shelters
• Fill plastic bottles with drinking water
• Fill bathtubs with water
• Fill your car’s gas tank
• Unplug all small devices and turn off propane tanks
• Buy a fire extinguisher Have a to-go pack ready and learn evacuation routes in your area

What to have on hand as a storm approaches:

• First aid kit and instructions
• Fire extinguisher
• Flashlights
• Extra batteries
• Sleeping bags and blankets
• Cooking and eating utensils
• Week-long supply of prescription medicines
• Paper plates, cups, and towels
• Non-perishable/canned foods
• Jumper cables
• Maps
• Roadside emergency kit
• GPS
• Cell phones and chargers
• Cash
• Toilet paper
• Disinfectant
• Plastic bucket with tight lid
• Plastic garbage bags
• Household bleach
• Feminine supplies
• Soap
• Wet wipes
• Rain gear
• Sturdy shoes

Read the checklist in full by downloading this PDF, which contains links with more details.

Lee County officials in southwest Florida are implementing a mandatory evacuation order for residents living in zone A and parts of zone B of the county, officials said Tuesday. 

The county is currently under a hurricane watch, tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning, according to a Facebook post from Monday night.  

“The evacuation this morning is a mandatory evacuation order, and that is as mandatory as can be,” Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais said in a news conference Tuesday. “We will not be going house to house enforcing people to leave, but we are stressing the importance of people getting out of harm’s way.” 

Zone A is generally surrounded by low-lying areas that tend to flood, Desjarlais said. Residents living in mobile and manufactured homes are also encouraged to leave, he added.  

Government offices are closed Tuesday and won’t reopen until Thursday, according to the county’s website. All toll sites on Lee County are suspended “until further notice,” the county added.  

The county’s school district and its offices, which serves nearly 100,000 students, are also closed Tuesday and Wednesday. School officials said they’d reevaluate when to reopen by 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday. 

There are 10 pet-friendly emergency shelters opening throughout the county at 9 a.m. ET, Desjarlais said. Residents looking for shelter information, zone information, as well as Ian’s whereabouts, can check the county’s website and Facebook.  

County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, also present at the news conference, stressed the uncertainty of the storm at this time.  

“I just want to get a point across that we are going to feel this storm – how badly is still undetermined,” Marceno said. “Understand and we stress the fact that once the winds hit a sustained 45 miles per hour, law enforcement, emergency personnel, are not going to respond. So, God forbid someone does need 911 and they dial, a law enforcement officer is not going to respond until it’s safe to.”

Lee County is roughly 132 miles west of West Palm Beach, Florida.   

About 38,000 people had been evacuated from homes in the Pinar del Rio province in Cuba as of Monday night, according to state news channel TelePinar.

Most people had gone to stay with friends and family, and 55 shelters have been set up in the province, it said.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets sit on the sidelines during a preseason game in August 27.

In preparation for the potential impact of Hurricane Ian, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are relocating their football operations to Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Starting Wednesday, the Bucs are expected to practice at the Miami Dolphins’ Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens ahead of their game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There have currently not been any changes to the game, which is scheduled to take place at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

The Dolphins have a game at Cincinnati on Thursday, meaning their training facilities are available to use from Wednesday.

Remember: Early Tuesday morning, Ian made landfall in western Cuba as a Category 3 storm. It quickly strengthened on Monday and will likely continue gaining in intensity as it moves over Cuba on Tuesday morning, forecasters say. While the hurricane’s exact path remains uncertain, projections show that Florida’s Tampa area could get its first direct hit from a hurricane since 1921.

Hurricane Ian is slamming Cuba and is expected to strengthen and bring dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and high winds to much of western Florida. CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the forecast.

Watch here:

Hurricane Ian’s menacing approach to Florida has triggered preparations across the state as officials announced school closures and flight cancellations, and the military began moving ships and aircraft. Here are some closures and changes in services that you should know about:

• Tampa Electric said it may have to proactively shut down power in the southern tip of downtown early Wednesday in an effort to “avoid serious damage to the underground equipment from saltwater storm surge, which will significantly shorten restoration time after the storm.”
• Tampa Bay International Airport will suspend operations at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, DeSantis said Monday. The Port of Tampa Bay is also planning to suspend operations at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, the governor said.
• The HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg announced it has suspended services and transferred patients.
• Colleges and universities across the state – like Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach and University of South Florida in Tampa – are taking steps to prepare, including campus evacuations or a shift to online classes.
• On the K-12 level, Hillsborough County Schools canceled classes as campuses become storm shelters. And surrounding counties, including Citrus, Pasco, Manatee and Hernando, have also announced closures this week.
• Disney World announced some temporary resort closures from Wednesday through Friday.
• At least three cruise lines also began rerouting passengers due to the hurricane.

With tropical storm conditions possibly beginning Tuesday night, officials are concerned about Hurricane Ian’s storm surge – a rise in water level caused by a strong storm’s wind pushing water onshore.

A storm surge warning is effect for the Anclote River southward to Flamingo and Tampa Bay, where the inundation of water could reach 10 feet, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The Tampa Bay region is particularly vulnerable to storm surge and could see catastrophic damage from flooding – even if the area doesn’t get a direct hit from the hurricane.

uricane Ian is expected to pass west of the Florida Keys late Tuesday and approach the west coast of Florida late Wednesday into Thursday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of power outages as well as possible evacuations and fuel shortages, telling people to “make preparations now.”

Here’s what you should know now:

A hurricane warning is in place from Bonita Beach to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. This means that “hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case, within 24 to 36 hours,” the center said.

A tropical storm warning was issued for the Middle Florida Keys and portions of the state’s east and west coasts.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the southeast coast from Deerfield Beach north to Jupiter Inlet, the hurricane center said.

Mandatory evacuations orders have been issued for parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, and emergency shelters were opened.

“When we issued that mandatory evacuation, what that means is if you don’t and you call for help, we’re not coming because we’re not going to put our people in harm’s way and put them in peril because you didn’t listen to what we told you to do,” said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

All along Florida’s west coast, officials are urging residents to get out of harm’s way instead of staying to protect their property. Here are some other evacuation orders:

• Evacuation orders also went into effect for low-lying areas of Charlotte County as well as the counties of Sarasota, Hernando and Manatee.
• Floridians should expect more evacuations Tuesday for counties north of the bay, inland and some south of the bay, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Rapidly intensifying Hurricane Ian made landfall in western Cuba early Tuesday morning while on its trek toward Florida, where residents in some coastal areas are evacuating.

The hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, made landfall just southwest of the town of La Coloma in the Pinar del Rio Province of Cuba at 4:30 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said.

The region is enduring significant wind and storm surge, which could raise water levels by as much as 14 feet above normal tide levels along the coast of Cuba, the hurricane center said.

The storm is expected to move north-northwest and across the island, leaving devastating wind damage in its path, according to the center.

It is expected to emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and continue churning toward Florida, passing west of the Florida Keys late Tuesday and approaching the west coast of Florida late Wednesday into Thursday.

The hurricane is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge along much of Florida’s west coast by mid-week, as well as hurricane-force winds.

While its exact path remains uncertain, projections show the Tampa area could get its first direct hit from a hurricane since 1921, and impacts on the area could be devastating.