Hurricane Ian, the category 4 storm, is traveling along the east coast, leaving destruction in its wake. Florida was among the first of the states to get hit, causing major flooding and tornado-like damage, according to a release made by Governor DeSantis' office.
Governor Ron DeSantis received a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center and is traveling to North Port and Arcadia to survey the areas impacted by Hurricane Ian, distribute hot food, meet with survivors, and issue updates.
The Governor also highlighted relief efforts that directly aid Floridians, including the start of the fuel tax holiday, and promoted debris removal in communities where it is safe to do so. There are currently 42,000 linemen responding to the more than 840,000 reported power outages. They have already restored power to more than 1.8 million accounts across the state.
Most of I-75, outside Charlotte and Lee Counties, is open. Crews are working to re-open the rest of I-75. FDOT has dispatched 100 engineers working in teams of 2 to perform bridge inspections.
According to Floridadisaster.org, "cut and toss" crews cleared over 4,746 miles (88% complete) of state roadways. Debris removal has begun, most heavily focused in Southwest Florida. I-75 from mile marker 179 to 193 remains open to all traffic. FDOT bridge inspectors continue to inspect bridges. Currently, 2,507 bridges have been inspected. All High Priority Bridges Cleared in Tampa Bay, Southwest Florida, Northeast, and Central Florida.
For real-time updates on Florida's roadways, click here.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is bringing two units called FLOW (Florida Licensing on Wheels) Mobiles to Lee County. These mobile units will provide residents with replacement driver's license, identification cards, and titles. All fees will be waived, and no documents are necessary to issue replacements. The FLOW Mobiles will be stationed at Hertz Arena starting Monday. Hours on Monday will be from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Starting Tuesday, hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., seven days a week.
Florida wasn't the only one with the storm looming overhead.
Georgia and the Carolina's started to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Ian. By the time it reached those states, it was downgraded to a post-tropical storm.
Ian made landfall on September 30, just after 2 p.m. near Georgetown, South Carolina, roughly 30 miles southwest of Myrtle Beach and 50 miles northeast of Charleston.
Hurricane Ian flooded roadways with heavy bouts of rain in Onslow County.
More than 1,000 residents were without power early Friday morning and Onslow County Government reported midday Friday that reports of downed tree limbs had been coming in from around the county.
Road closings began to happen Friday afternoon as dangerous conditions worsened. Topsail Beach closed the beach to vehicular traffic until 5 P.M. Saturday due to storm surges and high tides. Further reports of flooded roads in Sneads Ferry and Swansboro came in throughout the day.
Florida seemed to get the worst of the storm, and they are rebuilding from the wreckage.
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Source: FDOT, Floridaddisaster.org, TheDailyNews
