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  • Live Updates: Hurricane Ian

    Live Updates: Hurricane Ian

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    The Latest on Hurricane Ian:

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke by telephone Thursday morning to discuss next steps in the federal response to Hurricane Ian.

    Biden formally issued a disaster declaration Thursday morning and told DeSantis that he was dispatching Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell to Florida on Friday to check in on response efforts and to gauge where additional support will be needed.

    Meanwhile, officials at Tampa International Airport tweeted that damage assessments are underway there and that they hope to have an update later Thursday on plans to reopen.

    ———

    KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

    — Hurricane Ian leaves destruction in southwest Florida

    — Ian strikes Florida hospital from above and below

    — Search on for migrants after boat sinks off Florida Keys

    — Cuba begins to turn on lights

    — Find more AP coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes

    ———

    OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard began performing hurricane rescue missions on barrier islands off southwest Florida early Thursday, as soon as the winds died down, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference.

    “The Coast Guard had people who were in their attics and got saved off their rooftops,” DeSantis said. The most vulnerable areas were along the barrier islands of Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties, along with inlets and inland areas along rivers.

    Power failures from Hurricane Ian are significant, he said. Two counties, Lee and Charlotte, “are basically off the grid at this point,” the governor said, and will likely have to rebuild the power structure.

    “We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude,” DeSantis said. “The amount of water that’s been rising, and will likely continue to rise today even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flooding event.”

    An earlier report of hundreds of deaths in Lee County has not been confirmed and was likely an estimate based on 911 calls, the governor said.

    DeSantis said he will ask the federal government to expand its emergency declaration to cover counties in central Florida that are also reporting damage.

    ———

    NAPLES, Fla. — The Naples Pier, a top tourist destination, has been destroyed by Hurricane Ian, with even the pilings torn out, a county official said Thursday.

    The storm sent waves of at least 20 feet over the historic structure, said Penny Taylor, a commission in Collier County.

    “Right now, there is no pier,” Taylor said.

    Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News on Thursday that the agency has “put together a large search and rescue capability” and that searchers are combing areas of southwest Florida where people may be trapped.

    To the north in the Tampa Bay area, officials lifted evacuation orders. Beachfront communities around St. Petersburg and Clearwater emerged largely unscathed, with the main damage being toppled trees and power lines, officials said.

    But with the storm still marching across the state, highway officials closed the Florida Turnpike in the Orlando area because of flooding.

    ———

    FORT MYERS, Fla. — Valerie Bartley’s neighborhood in the Fort Myers area had been under an evacuation order ahead of Hurricane Ian, but she felt it was too late to leave Tuesday with no plans in place.

    As the strong storm passed overhead, she and her husband had to push their dining room table against a sliding door leading to the back patio because they felt the wind was going to blow it into the house, she said in a telephone interview Thursday.

    “My husband just sat there and held it for two hours,” said Bartley, 36.

    “I was terrified through it. What we heard was the shingles and debris from everything in the neighborhood hitting our house. It sounded like the shingles were being ripped out,” she said.

    Bartley said her 4-year-old daughter gave her courage. “She grabbed my hand and said, ‘I am scared, too, but it is going to be OK.’”

    Their patio was torn apart, with some sections missing, and trees were down in their back yard, but their own roof and house stayed mostly intact.

    ———

    FORT MYERS, Fla. — In Lee County, home to the city of Fort Myers, rescue officials said they were overwhelmed with calls for rescues and feared significant fatalities.

    Sheriff Carmine Marceno told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that there had been thousands of calls to 911.

    Rescues have been underway, he said, but “we still cannot access many of the people in the waterways, bridges are compromised, and it’s a real real rough road ahead.”

    Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson told NBC’s “Today” that he has not been told of any deaths in the city, though there may have been some elsewhere in the metro area.

    Anderson said that he has been in the area since the 1970s and that this was by far the worst storm he has ever witnessed.

    “Watching the water from my condo in the heart of downtown, watching that water rise and just flood out all the stores on the first floor, it was heartbreaking,” Anderson said.

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  • After a devastating hurricane, here’s how to get help, stay safe and protect your sanity in the weeks ahead | CNN

    After a devastating hurricane, here’s how to get help, stay safe and protect your sanity in the weeks ahead | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Hurricane victims returning to damaged houses face a torrent of challenges – if they’re lucky enough to have a home standing at all.

    Flooding. Mold damage. Insurance headaches. Deadly hidden hazards.

    The onslaught of mental anguish and post-hurricane dangers can seem overwhelming. Here’s how victims can stay safe, get help and take the first steps toward recovery:

    Just because the hurricane is over doesn’t mean it’s safe to drive.

    Residents should “return home only when local officials say it is safe to do so,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency says.

    If you see a flooded road, officials stress a life-saving but often ignored mantra: “Turn around, don’t drown.”

    Every year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm-related hazard, the National Weather Service says.

    “Don’t drive in flooded areas – cars or other vehicles won’t protect you from floodwaters,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. “They can be swept away or may stall in moving water.”

    If it’s too dangerous to go home, search for open shelters in your area on the American Red Cross or Salvation Army websites.

    You can also download the FEMA Mobile App to find open shelters, text SHELTER (or REFUGIO in Spanish), and your zip code to 4FEMA (or 43362).

    When it’s safe to go home, try to arrive during daytime hours so you don’t need any lights, the CDC says. You might not have power in the area.

    Once you get there, “Walk carefully around the outside of your home to check for loose power lines, gas leaks, and structural damage,” the National Weather Service says.

    If your home is flooded, “wait to re-enter your home until professionals tell you it is safe, with no structural, electrical or other hazards,” the CDC says.

    If the home is damaged, “leave immediately if you hear shifting or unusual noises,” the CDC says. “Strange noises could mean the building (is) about to fall.”

    If you must use lighting, carry a battery-powered flashlight – not candles or gas-powered lanterns.

    “Turn on your flashlight before entering a vacated building,” the National Weather Service says. “The battery could produce a spark that could ignite leaking gas, if present.”

    Flooded homes require additional precautions to prevent electrocution.

    “If you have standing water in your home and can turn off the main power from a dry location, then go ahead and turn off the power,” the CDC says.

    “If you must enter standing water to access the main power switch, then call an electrician to turn it off. NEVER turn power on or off yourself or use an electric tool or appliance while standing in water.”

    In general, “Do not wade in flood water, which can contain dangerous pathogens that cause illnesses, debris, chemicals, waste and wildlife,” the FEMA website Ready.gov says. “Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.”

    If it’s safe to go inside, don’t start cleaning right away.

    First, “contact your insurance company and take pictures of the home and your belongings,” the CDC says.

    Those seeking federal assistance can call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585) or apply at DisasterAssistance.gov.

    Residents who have flood insurance from FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program can start their claim at FloodSmart.gov.

    “If your home has been flooded and has been closed up for several days, assume your home has mold,” the CDC says.

    “You need to completely dry everything, clean up the mold, and make sure you don’t still have a moisture problem.”

    The CDC has a list of ways to eliminate and prevent mold growth, with or without electricity.

    Mold can be cleaned by using a mixture of 1 cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water. Don’t use the bleach solution in an enclosed space – make sure doors or windows are open, the CDC says.

    But anyone with a lung condition such as asthma or who is immunocompromised “should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled, even if they do not have an allergy to mold,” the FEMA website Ready.gov says.

    “Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.”

    Any remaining floodwater can contain sewage and other hazards that can be difficult to see.

    “Floodwater can contain dangerous bacteria from overflowing sewage and agricultural and industrial waste,” the CDC says.

    “While skin contact with floodwater doesn’t pose a serious health risk by itself, eating or drinking anything contaminated with floodwater can cause diseases.”

    With widespread power outages expected, it’s critical to not overexert yourself when there’s no air conditioning.

    “If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity,” the CDC warns. “Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.”

    With intense heat, it’s also important to drink plenty of fluids “regardless of how active you are,” the CDC says. “Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.”

    Generators can be immensely helpful for storm victims without power. They can also be deadly when used incorrectly.

    “Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms in areas dealing with power outages,” the National Weather Service says.

    “Never use a portable generator inside your home or garage,” even if the doors and windows are open.

    “Only use generators outside, more than 20 feet away from your home, doors, and windows,” the NWS says.

    Be extra cautious when using gas-powered appliances, as they can also lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s also a good idea to have a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector, as carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless.

    Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible until the power comes back. If it’s been less than four hours, food is still safe to eat. Otherwise, the food can be spoiled and cause serious illness.

    “When in doubt, throw it out,” the CDC says.

    Throw away any food that may have come into contact with floodwater or stormwater, perishable food that may have not been refrigerated properly and anything that does not look, smells or feels like it should.

    If your area is under a boil water advisory, take that guidance seriously. If it’s not possible to boil water, use bottled water.

    But never use contaminated water – either suspected or confirmed – to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice or make baby formula.

    Ideally, residents have ways to charge cell phones without the use of electricity – for example, with an external battery pack or battery-powered charger.

    Those who don’t might have to get creative – such as using your car and a car adapter to charge your phone.

    “Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster,” the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says.

    When logistical nightmares collide with overwhelming emotions, don’t try to tough it out alone. That can actually impede your recovery, the CDC says.

    “Taking care of your emotional health during an emergency will help you think clearly and react to the urgent needs to protect yourself and your family,” the CDC says.

    “Coping with these feelings and getting help when you need it will help you, your family, and your community recover from a disaster.”

    Storm victims can contact SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline by calling or texting 1-800-985-5990.

    The helpline “is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster,” SAMHSA’s website says.

    “Our staff members provide counseling and support before, during, and after disasters and refer people to local disaster-related resources for follow-up care and support.”

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  • ‘Life-changing’ Hurricane Ian batters Florida, knocking out power and trapping residents as it continues its damaging crawl through the state | CNN

    ‘Life-changing’ Hurricane Ian batters Florida, knocking out power and trapping residents as it continues its damaging crawl through the state | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    As Hurricane Ian continues to pummel Florida, trapping residents in their homes and leaving millions without power in what’s already being called a “life-changing event,” authorities are fielding rescue calls from across the state and 911 call centers are being inundated.

    Ian slammed into southwestern Florida near Cayo Costa Wednesday afternoon as one of the strongest storms to make landfall on the state’s west coast, sending rising ocean water onshore and lashing the state with catastrophic 150 mph winds as it moved deeper inland.

    The monster storm flooded roads and homes, uprooted trees, sent cars floating in the streets and left nearly 2.5 million homes and businesses without power as of early Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.

    By early Thursday morning, authorities were reporting heavy rain and flooding in the Orlando metro area, where 8 to 12 inches of rain had already fallen and up to 4 more inches of rain was expected.

    The storm has since weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and is crawling across central Florida as it heads toward the east coast, dumping heavy rains on low-lying areas.

    Here are the latest developments:

    • Sustained winds of 75 mph: The center of the storm is about 55 miles south-southeast of Orlando, packing powerful winds while it makes its way across the state. Hurricane Ian is tied with 2004’s Hurricane Charley as the strongest storm to make landfall on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula, both with 150 mph winds at landfall.
    • Record-high storm surges: The storm surge from Hurricane Ian hit up to 12 feet in some places, while multiple areas, including Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Naples, were facing record-high storm surge of 12 to 16 feet. By Wednesday night, the storm surge along the west coast of Florida was believed to have peaked and was beginning to recede, while officials in Tampa warned residents to stay on guard.
    • More than a foot of rainfall: Up to 20 inches of rain was expected in some areas, including Lehigh Acres, which received 14.42 inches of rain and Warm Mineral Springs which got 11.05 inches.
    • Hurricane warnings and tornado watches continue: The storm is moving northeast at 9 mph, prompting hurricane warnings for a stretch of Florida’s west coast north of Bonita Beach to the Anclote River, and on the east coast from Sebastian Inlet to the Flagler-Volusia County line.
    • Other states brace for Ian’s destruction: The storm is expected to exit Florida and move into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, where governors in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have already declared a state of emergency

    With Hurricane Ian continuing to cut a path of destruction through Florida, the state is planning a “three-pronged” search and rescue response, with crews ready to fan out and help residents from the air, ground and sea once it is safe to do, officials said.

    Calls for help were coming into several counties Wednesday.

    In Fort Myers – where about 96% of the city was without power – Fire Chief Tracy McMillion told residents to stay inside, and to stay hopeful. “We’re coming for you, be encouraged,” he told residents.

    The city’s downtown streets were flooded with almost four feet of water Wednesday, Mayor Kevin Anderson told CNN.

    Crews surveying damage in the city early Thursday reported debris in the roadways, flooding, electrical lines down, power poles in the roads, traffic lights out, disabled vehicles and collapsed buildings.

    Fort Myers resident Thomas Podgorny told CNN he was trapped in his two-story home with three others, watching vehicles float away outside and worrying for his neighbors who did not evacuate.

    “I’ve lost my house. I have water and gas flowing through my bottom floor,” Podgorny said. “My neighbors have very little breathing room in their one-story house.”

    A couple in Fort Myers said they were trapped in their home when the ceiling caved in, sending water inside.

    “Something is dripping on me,” Belinda Collins recalled her partner saying. “He got up, and the ceiling – the family room ceiling – caved in.’”

    The couple said they called 911 and were waiting for a call back about when it would be safe to leave.

    In Port Charlotte, the roof above an ICU at a hospital was torn off by the storm while there were about 160 patients inside, Dr. Birgit Bodine, an internal medicine specialist at the facility, told CNN.

    The staff moved patients to a safe place, but they couldn’t evacuate yet because of the conditions outside, the doctor said Wednesday night, adding, “It’s actually pretty terrible.”

    People in nearby Collier County were also without power and trapped in their homes, calling for help.

    “Some are reporting life threatening medical emergencies in deep water. We will get to them first. Some are reporting water coming into their house but not life threatening. They will have to wait. Possibly until the water recedes,” a Collier County Sheriff’s Office statement said.

    Complicating matters further, neighboring Lee County’s 911 system was down and calls were being rerouted to Collier County, Chief Stephanie Spell told CNN. “At this point the majority of our 911 calls are water rescues,” Spell added.

    Elsewhere, conditions were too severe for first responders to be out.

    Emergency crews in Charlotte County were not able to respond to 911 calls Wednesday due to dangerous storm conditions, county Emergency Management Director Patrick Fuller told CNN.

    And in Sarasota, authorities decided Wednesday to withdraw all police officers from the street due to wind speeds and hazardous conditions, Mayor Eric Arroyo told CNN.

    While other areas began rescue efforts Wednesday evening, authorities in Tampa and Orange County warned residents that the worst of Hurricane Ian had “yet to come” Wednesday night.

    Curfews were in effect for residents in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties while severe conditions continued.

    Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    NOAA/NASA

    A satellite image shows Hurricane Ian making landfall on the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday, September 28.

    A flooded street is seen in downtown Fort Myers, Florida, after Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday.

    Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Marco Bello/Reuters

    A flooded street is seen in downtown Fort Myers, Florida, after Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday.

    A woman surveys damage through a door during a power outage in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

    Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Marco Bello/Reuters

    A woman surveys damage through a door during a power outage in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

    The streets of Naples, Florida, are flooded on Wednesday. City officials asked residents to <a href=shelter in place until further notice.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1042″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Naples Police

    The streets of Naples, Florida, are flooded on Wednesday. City officials asked residents to shelter in place until further notice.

    A woman is helped out of a muddy area on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida, where <a href=water was receding due to a negative storm surge.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1264″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Ben Hendren/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    A woman is helped out of a muddy area on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida, where water was receding due to a negative storm surge.

    Strong winds hit Punta Gorda, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images

    Strong winds hit Punta Gorda, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Sailboats anchored in Roberts Bay are blown around in Venice, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS/Abaca/Reuters

    Sailboats anchored in Roberts Bay are blown around in Venice, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Melvin Phillips stands in the flooded basement of his mobile home in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Crystal Vander Weit/TCPalm/USA Today Network

    Melvin Phillips stands in the flooded basement of his mobile home in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday.

    A man walks where <a href=water was receding from Tampa Bay on Wednesday.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1125″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

    Damage is seen at the Kings Point condos in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. <a href=Officials believe it was caused by a tornado fueled by Hurricane Ian.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1332″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network

    Damage is seen at the Kings Point condos in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Officials believe it was caused by a tornado fueled by Hurricane Ian.

    A TV crew broadcasts from the beach in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Marco Bello/Reuters

    A TV crew broadcasts from the beach in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

    Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot Wednesday in The Villages, a Florida retirement community.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/AP

    Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot Wednesday in The Villages, a Florida retirement community.

    Highways in Tampa, Florida, are empty Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall. Several coastal counties in western Florida were under mandatory evacuations.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

    Highways in Tampa, Florida, are empty Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall. Several coastal counties in western Florida were under mandatory evacuations.

    An airplane is overturned in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Wilfredo Lee/AP

    An airplane is overturned in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her home in Davie, Florida, early on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

    Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her home in Davie, Florida, early on Wednesday.

    People play dominoes by flashlight during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday. Crews in Cuba have been working to restore power for millions after the storm battered the western region with high winds and dangerous storm surge, <a href=causing an islandwide blackout.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1953″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Ramon Espinosa/AP

    People play dominoes by flashlight during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday. Crews in Cuba have been working to restore power for millions after the storm battered the western region with high winds and dangerous storm surge, causing an islandwide blackout.

    People walk through a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

    People walk through a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Southwest Airlines passengers check in near a sign that shows canceled flights at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Chris O’Meara/AP

    Southwest Airlines passengers check in near a sign that shows canceled flights at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday.

    Maria Llonch retrieves belongings from her home in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Ramon Espinosa/AP

    Maria Llonch retrieves belongings from her home in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Traffic builds along Interstate 4 in Tampa on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel via AP

    Traffic builds along Interstate 4 in Tampa on Tuesday.

    A man carries his children through rain and debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

    A man carries his children through rain and debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    People drive through debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

    People drive through debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    Frederic and Mary Herodet board up their Gulf Bistro restaurant in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Frederic and Mary Herodet board up their Gulf Bistro restaurant in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

    NASA's Artemis I rocket rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday. The launch of the rocket was postponed due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ian.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

    NASA’s Artemis I rocket rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday. The launch of the rocket was postponed due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ian.

    Hurricane Ian is seen from the International Space Station on Monday, September 26.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    NASA via AP

    Hurricane Ian is seen from the International Space Station on Monday, September 26.

    Waves kick up along the shore of Batabano as <a href=Hurricane Ian reaches Cuba on Monday.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1145″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    A Cuban family transports personal belongings to a safe place in the Fanguito neighborhood of Havana on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

    A Cuban family transports personal belongings to a safe place in the Fanguito neighborhood of Havana on Monday.

    A family carries a dog to a safe place in Batabano on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

    A family carries a dog to a safe place in Batabano on Monday.

    People wait in lines to fuel their vehicles at a Costco store in Orlando on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

    People wait in lines to fuel their vehicles at a Costco store in Orlando on Monday.

    Ryan Copenhaver, manager of Siesta T's in Sarasota, Florida, installs hurricane panels over the store's windows on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Mike Lang/USA Today Network

    Ryan Copenhaver, manager of Siesta T’s in Sarasota, Florida, installs hurricane panels over the store’s windows on Monday.

    A man helps pull small boats out of Cuba's Havana Bay on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Imagaes

    A man helps pull small boats out of Cuba’s Havana Bay on Monday.

    Shelves are empty in a supermarket's water aisle in Kissimmee, Florida, on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images

    Shelves are empty in a supermarket’s water aisle in Kissimmee, Florida, on Monday.

    Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, Florida, references a map on Monday that indicates where storm surges would impact the county. During a news conference, she urged anyone living in those areas to evacuate.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire

    Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, Florida, references a map on Monday that indicates where storm surges would impact the county. During a news conference, she urged anyone living in those areas to evacuate.

    Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Saturday, September 24.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Andrew West/USA Today Network

    Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Saturday, September 24.


    Even before the hurricane made landfall, officials knew the damage would be severe, and there will be a long road to recovery.

    “Ian is going to be a life-changing event. This is a very powerful, catastrophic storm that is going to do significant damage,” President and CEO of Florida Power & Light Eric Silagy, said.

    There will be sections of infrastructure that crews won’t be able to repair and will have to be rebuilt, which can take weeks, Silagy said.

    Jennifer Dexter, a spokesperson for the town of Fort Myers Beach, told CNN backup water pumps are down.

    “When the backup water pump system goes down, that shows you how serious it is,” Dexter said.

    Lee County Utilities issued a system-wide boil water notice for all customers effective immediately due to the impacts of the hurricane, according to county officials. Residents in parts of Pasco County were also asked to boil their tap water as the water distribution system in the area lost pressure and a water main ruptured.

    Punta Gorda’s water system is empty and boil water notices are in effect, according to an update from the city overnight.

    In Manatee County, residents were asked to limit flushing, showering, doing dishes and laundry due to power outages impacting the system.

    In Cape Coral, authorities were getting reports of significant structural damage across the city, Ryan Lamb, the city’s fire chief and emergency management director, told CNN.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested President Joe Biden approve a major disaster declaration for all 67 counties in the state, his office said in a news release. DeSantis is also requesting Biden grant FEMA the authority to provide 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures for the first 60 days from Ian’s landfall.

    After walloping Cuba and making landfall in Florida, Hurricane Ian is expected to slowly move across the central portion of the state before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday afternoon, where it could strengthen again and affect another part of the US.

    The governors of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency in preparation for the storm’s potential impact.

    There is a danger of “life-threatening” storm surge on Thursday and Friday along the coasts of northeast Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane conditions are also possible in those areas.

    The storm is expected to drop up to 20 inches of rain across central and northeast Florida, with some isolated areas receiving 30 inches, the hurricane center said.

    Near the hurricane’s core, powerful wind gusts will continue to spread across central Florida and along the east-central coast overnight.

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  • Hurricane Ian makes landfall in southwest Florida, bringing destructive floods and wind

    Hurricane Ian makes landfall in southwest Florida, bringing destructive floods and wind

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    Hurricane Ian made landfall over the west coast of Florida as a category 4 storm on Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    The storm initially hit near Cayo Costa, Florida with maximum sustained winds at 150 mph, the center said on Twitter. It hit Punta Gorda, near Pirate Harbor, just a few hours later.

    Hurricane Ian greatly intensified as it neared land, reaching winds of 155 mph and nearing the most dangerous Category 5 classification Wednesday morning. Hurricane force winds were 35 miles out from the center and tropical storm force winds were 150 miles from the center, according to the National Weather Service.

    “This is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days” Gov. Ron DeSantis said early Wednesday in a press conference. Officials in Florida and nationally are closely tracking the storm’s movements.

    More than 2.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Florida, but legally, no residents can be forced to leave their homes. DeSantis said the highest-risk areas in the state range from Collier County up to Sarasota County, and it is no longer safe for residents in those counties to evacuate.

    “Do what you need to do to stay safe. If you are where that storm is approaching, you’re already in hazardous conditions. It’s going to get a lot worse very quickly. So please hunker down,” he said.

    Rainfall near the storm’s landfall site could top more than 18 inches, and storm surges could push as much as 18 feet of water over nearly 100 miles of coastline, according to the National Hurricane Center. The National Weather Service has also issued the highest-possible wind warning for several regions in Florida in anticipation of extreme wind damage from the storm. But meteorologists were most concerned about the flooding.

    “Water. We have to talk about the water,” warned National Weather Service Director Ken Graham. “90% of fatalities in these tropical systems comes from the water. It’s the storm surge, it’s the rain.”

    Much of Florida’s west coast is already experiencing significant storm surges, as whipping winds and feet of water have blanketed the streets of cities like Fort Myers. The city wrote on Twitter that it is experiencing gusts of wind up to 77 mph and asked residents to “PLEASE stay indoors.” It warned that conditions will continue to escalate throughout the day.

    Hurricane Ian approaches west coast of Florida on Sept. 28th, 2022.

    NOAA

    For residents who can still evacuate, American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern encouraged them to follow the evacuation instructions of their elected officials and bring essential medication, documents and other items like glasses with them.

    “Check on your neighbors and please don’t wait out the storm if you’re being told to evacuate — it’s dangerous,” she said in a Wednesday press briefing.

    Gov. DeSantis said the state has 42,000 linemen, 7,000 National Guard troops from Florida and elsewhere and urban search and rescue teams ready to help when the storm is over.

    A sail boat is beached at Sarasota Bay as Hurricane Ian approaches on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida.

    Sean Rayford | Getty Images

    More than 756,400 power outages have been reported across the state according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, up from 200,000 outages Wednesday morning. DeSantis said the morning’s outages were just a “drop in the bucket” compared to the widespread power outages that are anticipated across southwest Florida over the next 48 hours.

    The hurricane left all of Cuba without power after it pummeled the island on Tuesday, according to NBC News. At least two storm-related deaths were reported in Cuba as of Wednesday.

    As the storm continues to batter the Florida coast, the National Hurricane Center issued new watches and warnings for parts of North Carolina and South Carolina.

    Hurricane Ian is even visible from the International Space Station, with onboard cameras capturing footage of the storm as it looms over Florida.

    The view of Hurricane Ian from cameras on the International Space Station, as the orbiting research laboratory passed near the storm around 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 28, 2022.

    NASA TV

    Even once the storm is over, DeSantis said it may not be completely safe to go outside. He encouraged residents to be careful of fallen powerlines, standing water and fallen trees.

    President Joe Biden told Florida residents Wednesday he would support them through the storm “every step of the way.”

    “We’ll be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again,” he said.

    Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Fla., Wednesday morning, Sept. 28, 2022, in preparation for Hurricane Ian.

    Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP

    Candy Powell, an east Orlando resident, has lived in Florida since 2016 and watched the state face hurricanes like Irma, Dorian and Matthew. She said she feels like there was less time to prepare for Hurricane Ian, but she is trying to stay calm for the sake of her neighbors. 

    “I think a lot of people who just moved into Florida were really, really stressed,” she told CNBC. “I’m kind of trying to be like the calming factor. Even going to the store yesterday, I actually just kind of had to almost get just regular groceries. The shelves were empty. There was hardly any canned stuff left.” 

    Powell can tell the storm is picking up, and she said she is already noticing rushing winds and heavy rain.

    Flannery Dziedzic, who lives in Naples, said she has also noticed the winds pick up in her area. She said her power has been going in and out, and a piece of debris hit her window while she was on the phone with CNBC.

    The storm seems bigger and more intense than hurricanes she’s dealt with in the past, she said, but since she is six miles from the coast, she feels “pretty safe.”

    “I feel like Floridians are really resilient,” she said.

    This story is developing, please check back for updates.

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  • Amazon pausing operations at some facilities as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida | CNN Business

    Amazon pausing operations at some facilities as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida | CNN Business

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    CNN Business
     — 

    Amazon is temporarily pausing operations at some of its facilities as Hurricane Ian barrels towards Florida, the company confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

    The storm, just shy of Category 5 strength, is expected to make landfall in southwestern Florida on Wednesday afternoon. It is already delivering ruinous winds and rain to the region.

    “We’re closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Ian and making adjustments to our operations in order to keep our employees and those delivering for us safe,” Richard Rocha, an Amazon

    (AMZN)     spokesperson, told CNN in a statement.

    “We’re in regular contact with our employees and delivery partners to ensure everyone is aware of any site closures or unsafe conditions and will continue to make adjustments as needed,” Rocha added.

    CNBC previously reported that Amazon had closed warehouses near Tampa and Orlando. The outlet cited notices sent to employees that stated Amazon expects the facilities to remain closed until Friday.

    Amazon declined to detail specific locations.

    Employees who are scheduled to work will continue to be paid while sites are closed, according to Amazon. There are more than 8,000 full-time and part-time Amazon employees in the Tampa area.

    Some other major businesses in the Florida area have also announced adjusted operations due to the hurricane’s approach. Disney World and Universal Resort theme parks in Orlando will be temporarily closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The storm has also been linked to a slew of flight cancellations at Florida airports.

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  • Hurricane Ian nears landfall in southwest Florida, bringing high winds, heavy rain and historic storm surge | CNN

    Hurricane Ian nears landfall in southwest Florida, bringing high winds, heavy rain and historic storm surge | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Affected by the storm? Use CNN’s lite site for low bandwidth. You also can text or WhatsApp your Ian stories to CNN +1 332-261-0775.



    CNN
     — 

    Hurricane Ian is poised to make landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday and is already bringing a catastrophic trifecta of high winds, heavy rain and historic storm surge to the state.

    Ian is a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 mph, and its center was located about 35 miles west-southwest of Fort Myers as of 1 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is moving at about 9 mph and is expected to make landfall, perhaps north of Fort Myers near the Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda areas, this afternoon, the center said.

    Much of west-central Florida and places inland face disaster: “Historic” storm surge up to 18 feet is possible and could swallow coastal homes; rain could cause flooding across much of the state; and crushing winds could flatten homes and stop electricity service for days or weeks.

    “This is a wind storm and a surge storm and a flood storm, all in one,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. “And this is going to spread itself out across the entire state. Everybody is going to see something from this.”

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    NOAA/AP

    A satellite image shows the eye of Hurricane Ian approaching the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday, September 28.

    Sailboats anchored in Roberts Bay are blown around in Venice, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS/Abaca/Reuters

    Sailboats anchored in Roberts Bay are blown around in Venice, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Melvin Phillips stands in the flooded basement of his mobile home in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Crystal Vander Weit/TCPalm/USA Today Network

    Melvin Phillips stands in the flooded basement of his mobile home in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday.

    A man walks where <a href=water was receding from Tampa Bay due to a negative storm surge on Wednesday.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1125″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

    A man walks where water was receding from Tampa Bay due to a negative storm surge on Wednesday.

    Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot Wednesday in The Villages, a Florida retirement community.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/AP

    Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot Wednesday in The Villages, a Florida retirement community.

    Traffic lights are blown by strong gusts of wind in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Marco Bello/Reuters

    Traffic lights are blown by strong gusts of wind in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Damage is seen at the Kings Point condos in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. <a href=Officials believe it was caused by a tornado fueled by Hurricane Ian.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1265″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network

    Damage is seen at the Kings Point condos in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Officials believe it was caused by a tornado fueled by Hurricane Ian.

    A TV crew broadcasts from the beach in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Marco Bello/Reuters

    A TV crew broadcasts from the beach in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

    Highways in Tampa, Florida, are empty Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall. Several coastal counties in western Florida were under mandatory evacuations.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

    Highways in Tampa, Florida, are empty Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall. Several coastal counties in western Florida were under mandatory evacuations.

    An airplane is overturned in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Wilfredo Lee/AP

    An airplane is overturned in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday.

    Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her home in Davie, Florida, early on Wednesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

    Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her home in Davie, Florida, early on Wednesday.

    People play dominoes by flashlight during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday. Crews in Cuba have been working to restore power for millions after the storm battered the western region with high winds and dangerous storm surge, <a href=causing an islandwide blackout.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1953″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Ramon Espinosa/AP

    People play dominoes by flashlight during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday. Crews in Cuba have been working to restore power for millions after the storm battered the western region with high winds and dangerous storm surge, causing an islandwide blackout.

    Workers board up windows on the University of Tampa campus on Tuesday, September 27.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Chris O’Meara/AP

    Workers board up windows on the University of Tampa campus on Tuesday, September 27.

    People walk through a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

    People walk through a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Southwest Airlines passengers check in near a sign that shows canceled flights at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Chris O’Meara/AP

    Southwest Airlines passengers check in near a sign that shows canceled flights at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday.

    Maria Llonch retrieves belongings from her home in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Ramon Espinosa/AP

    Maria Llonch retrieves belongings from her home in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Tuesday.

    Traffic builds along Interstate 4 in Tampa on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel via AP

    Traffic builds along Interstate 4 in Tampa on Tuesday.

    A man carries his children through rain and debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

    A man carries his children through rain and debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    People drive through debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

    People drive through debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday.

    Frederic and Mary Herodet board up their Gulf Bistro restaurant in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Frederic and Mary Herodet board up their Gulf Bistro restaurant in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

    People stand outside a flooded warehouse in Batabano on Tuesday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

    People stand outside a flooded warehouse in Batabano on Tuesday.

    NASA's Artemis I rocket rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday. The launch of the rocket was postponed due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ian.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

    NASA’s Artemis I rocket rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday. The launch of the rocket was postponed due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ian.

    Hurricane Ian is seen from the International Space Station on Monday, September 26.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    NASA via AP

    Hurricane Ian is seen from the International Space Station on Monday, September 26.

    Waves kick up along the shore of Batabano as <a href=Hurricane Ian reaches Cuba on Monday.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1145″/>

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    A Cuban family transports personal belongings to a safe place in the Fanguito neighborhood of Havana on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

    A Cuban family transports personal belongings to a safe place in the Fanguito neighborhood of Havana on Monday.

    Local residents fill sandbags in Tampa on Monday to help protect their homes from flooding.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

    Local residents fill sandbags in Tampa on Monday to help protect their homes from flooding.

    A family carries a dog to a safe place in Batabano on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

    A family carries a dog to a safe place in Batabano on Monday.

    People wait in lines to fuel their vehicles at a Costco store in Orlando on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

    People wait in lines to fuel their vehicles at a Costco store in Orlando on Monday.

    Ryan Copenhaver, manager of Siesta T's in Sarasota, Florida, installs hurricane panels over the store's windows on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Mike Lang/USA Today Network

    Ryan Copenhaver, manager of Siesta T’s in Sarasota, Florida, installs hurricane panels over the store’s windows on Monday.

    A woman takes photos while waves crash against a seawall in George Town, Grand Cayman, on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Kevin Morales/AP

    A woman takes photos while waves crash against a seawall in George Town, Grand Cayman, on Monday.

    A man helps pull small boats out of Cuba's Havana Bay on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Imagaes

    A man helps pull small boats out of Cuba’s Havana Bay on Monday.

    Shelves are empty in a supermarket's water aisle in Kissimmee, Florida, on Monday.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images

    Shelves are empty in a supermarket’s water aisle in Kissimmee, Florida, on Monday.

    Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, Florida, references a map on Monday that indicates where storm surges would impact the county. During a news conference, she urged anyone living in those areas to evacuate.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire

    Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, Florida, references a map on Monday that indicates where storm surges would impact the county. During a news conference, she urged anyone living in those areas to evacuate.

    This satellite image, taken Monday at 1 p.m. ET, shows Hurricane Ian near Cuba.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    NOAA/NASA

    This satellite image, taken Monday at 1 p.m. ET, shows Hurricane Ian near Cuba.

    Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Saturday, September 24.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Andrew West/USA Today Network

    Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Saturday, September 24.

    Besnik Bushati fills gas containers at a gas station in Naples, Florida, on Saturday. The station had only premium gas that morning.

    Photos&colon; Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida

    Andrew West/USA Today Network

    Besnik Bushati fills gas containers at a gas station in Naples, Florida, on Saturday. The station had only premium gas that morning.


    Fort Myers Beach was already feeling the brunt of the storm’s powerful eyewall just after noon Wednesday. Frank Loni, an architect from California staying in the community, posted video from a building’s balcony of some of the flooding on the streets below.

    “The storm surge is very significant. We’re seeing cars and boats float down the street. We’re seeing trees nearly bent in half,” Loni said. “There’s quite a bit of chaos on the streets.”

    FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

    Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for flood-prone areas on the coast, and the National Weather Service warned those who stayed behind to move to upper floors in case of rising water levels.

    “This is a powerful storm that should be treated like you would treat” a tornado approaching your home, Gov. Ron DeSantis said around 8 a.m.

    Images showed extensive flooding in coastal neighborhoods in Naples, where officials asked residents to shelter in place until further notice.

    In some areas, such as Charlotte County, Florida, 911 response teams have stopped emergency service due to the high winds and dangerous conditions. Sarasota Mayor Eric Arroyo said on CNN’s “At This Hour” that police officers were being taken off the streets due to the wind speeds and hazardous conditions.

    “It is too late to evacuate at this point,” Arroyo said.

    About 480,000 Florida utility customers already were without power as of 2 p.m., according to PowerOutage.us.

    Ian poses several major dangers:

    • Storm surge: Some 12 to 18 feet of seawater pushed onto land is forecast Wednesday for the coastal Fort Myers area, from Englewood to Bonita Beach, forecasters said. Only slightly less is forecast for a stretch from Bonita Beach down to near the Everglades (8 to 12 feet), and from near Bradenton to Englewood (6 to 10 feet), forecasters said.

    Lower – but still life-threatening – surge is possible elsewhere, including north of Tampa and along Florida’s northeast coast near Jacksonville.

    • Winds: Southwest Florida is facing “catastrophic wind damage.” Winds near the core of Hurricane Ian could exceed 150 mph, with gusts up to 190 mph, the hurricane center said. Multiple locations, including Sanibel Island, already have recorded wind gusts above 100 mph.

    Ian is expected to retain hurricane strength for some time as it crosses the peninsula, with hurricane warnings issued for not only southwest Florida but also much of central Florida from coast to coast.

    • Flooding rain: Because the storm is expected to slow down, 12 to 24 inches of rain could fall in central and northeastern Florida – including Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville. That makes for a top-of-scale risk for flooding rainfall across this area.

    Prior to nearing Florida, Hurricane Ian pummeled Cuba on Tuesday, leaving at least two dead and an islandwide blackout.

    Since then, residents of Florida’s vulnerable Gulf Coast have been boarding up and leaving in droves on congested highways. More than 2.5 million people were advised to flee, including 1.75 million under mandatory evacuation orders – no small ask in a state with a large elderly population, some of whom have to be moved from long-term care centers.

    Storm surge already was rising late Wednesday morning – more than 4.5 feet above normal highest tides was recorded before noon in Naples, already higher than the previous record there of 4.02 feet from Hurricane Irma in 2017.

    After making landfall in southwest Florida, Ian’s center is expected to move over central Florida through Thursday morning. Heavy rain and flooding also is possible in southern Florida, Georgia and coastal South Carolina.

    Ian is slowing as it approaches land, and that will cause the worst conditions to remain over some areas for eight or more hours.

    “Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic flash, urban, and river flooding is expected” across central and southern Florida, the hurricane center said.

    By late Thursday, Ian is due to emerge over the Atlantic Ocean, where it could strengthen again and affect another part of the US.

    Parts of far southern Florida by early Wednesday morning had begun feeling the storm’s effects, with tropical storm-force winds and at least two possible tornadoes reported in Broward County, including at North Perry Airport, where planes and hangers were damaged. Major flooding was being reported in Key West due to storm surge, along with power outages.

    Schools, supermarkets, theme parks, hospitals and airports had announced closures. The Navy moved its ships, and the Coast Guard has shut down ports. As winds pick up, gas stations may temporarily run out of fuel, DeSantis said.

    Sarasota County Sheriff Deputies block the access to a downtown bridge over to the barrier islands as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida's Gulf Coast on September 28.

    In Tampa, police went door to door Tuesday in a mandatory evacuation zone, making sure residents were ready to flee. Earlier projections had Ian on track to slam Tampa Bay, and even as the hurricane’s path shifted south, mandatory evacuations and preparations continued, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.

    Law enforcement officials around the state warned that people who stayed behind in evacuation areas cannot expect rescuers to respond to calls for help during the storm when winds are high.

    “If you call for help, once we pull (officers) off the road … we’re not coming. … We’re not putting people in peril when (others) didn’t heed the mandatory evacuation order,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Wednesday.

    Not everyone moved. Chelsye Napier, of Fort Myers, stayed home with her fiance and cats despite being in an evacuation zone, she told CNN Wednesday. They waited “because we don’t know anyone down here,” and ultimately decided to stay put, she said.

    Ian’s winds could be catastrophic

    Category 4: 130-156 mph

  • • Most of the area is uninhabitable for weeks or months.
  • • Power outages last weeks to months.
  • • Fallen trees and power poles isolate residential areas.
  • + Well-built framed homes sustain severe damage.

    • Category 5: 157+ mph

  • + A high percentage of framed homes are destroyed.
  • Source: National Hurricane Center

“If anything happens, we have everything that we need here. We’ve got food, we got water. We have everything that we need here,” she said. “So it’s all OK for right now. We’ll see, though, later on.”

Preparations across Florida have been underway for days as residents braced for Ian’s wrath. People lined up to pick up sandbags and flocked to stores to stock up on supplies like water and batteries.

And as the hurricane marched closer, the closures began.

Across Florida, 58 school districts have announced closures due to storm as campuses turned into shelters for evacuees. Disney World is set to close Wednesday and Thursday, as is Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor Complex. And hundreds of Publix grocery stores shut their doors Tuesday evening, expected to remain closed through Thursday.

As millions were told evacuate, 176 shelters opened statewide and hotels and Airbnbs opened to people leaving evacuation zones, DeSantis said.

Local governments and state agencies also prepared those living in nursing homes and other senior care facilities to evacuate.

Heather Danenhower, with Duke Energy, walks around utility trucks that are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County on Wednesday.

Florida has around 6 million residents over the age of 60, according to the state’s Department of Elder Affairs – nearly 30% of its total population. As of Tuesday, all adult day cares, senior community cafes and transportation services in evacuation zones are closed, according to the department.

Authorities also readied services to fan out and respond to calls for rescue and then, in the aftermath of the hurricane, for recovery and repair efforts.

Nearly 400 ambulances, buses and support vehicles were responding to areas where the hurricane was expected to make landfall, according to the governor’s office.

DeSantis activated 5,000 Florida National Guard members for Ian’s response operations, and 2,000 more guardsmen from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina were being activated to assist.

Florida urban search and rescue teams also were prepping.

“We have five state teams that are activated with additional five FEMA teams that are in play,” Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said at a news conference Tuesday night. “We have over 600 resources to bear in addition to these out-of-town teams.”

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  • Biden tells Floridians to heed warnings over Hurricane Ian: ‘The danger is real’ | CNN Politics

    Biden tells Floridians to heed warnings over Hurricane Ian: ‘The danger is real’ | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned Florida residents to heed precautions and listen to officials as the “incredibly dangerous” Hurricane Ian barrels toward the Sunshine State.

    “This storm is incredibly dangerous, to state the obvious. It’s life-threatening. You should obey all warnings and directions from emergency officials. Don’t take anything for granted. Use their judgment, not yours. Evacuate when ordered. Be prepared. Storm warnings are real, the evacuation notices are real, the danger is real,” Biden said as he began remarks at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

    He added, “And when the storm passes, the federal government is going to be there to help you recover. We’ll be there to help you clean up and rebuild and get Florida moving again. And we’ll be there at every step of the way. That’s my absolute commitment to the people of the state of Florida.”

    The Category 4 – near-Category 5 – storm is projected to reach the state’s southwestern coast in the morning and move onshore later Wednesday with catastrophic flooding, sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and life-threatening storm surge, officials have warned. Biden continues to closely monitor the storm and receive regular updates.

    He said Wednesday that he spoke with state and local officials, including a trio of mayors of cities affected by the storm and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has previously clashed with the President and his administration.

    Biden said his team has been in “constant contact” with DeSantis.

    “My message has been absolutely clear: It’s that we are on alert and in action through every request Florida has made for temporary assistance, emergency assistance, long term assistance that I received,” Biden said of his conversations with those officials.

    He said he’s discussed preparations for the storm with officials, including hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel, thousands of National Guard members and the development and deployment of search and rescue teams. FEMA, he said, has pre-positioned water, meals, and generators, as well as shelters.

    Biden also offered an emphatic warning to oil and gas executives. He warned that if any gas companies do try to use the storm to raise prices at the pump he will ask officials to look into price gouging.

    “This small temporary storm impact on oil production provides no excuse – no excuse – for price increases at the pump. None,” Biden said,

    The President noted that experts have informed him that about 190,000 barrels of oil a day have been affected by the storm thus far, which is less than 2% of the United States’ daily production.

    “America is watching. The industry should do the right thing. As a matter of fact, they should move more quickly now to bring down the price at the pump because gasoline is down a great deal. There’s too much of a delay,” Biden said.

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  • Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Noru makes landfall in Vietnam’s Da Nang | CNN

    Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Noru makes landfall in Vietnam’s Da Nang | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Typhoon Noru made landfall near Vietnam’s popular beach resort city of Da Nang on Wednesday morning, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain as hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated.

    Noru hit Vietnam at 5 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to CNN Weather, less than 36 hours hours after it left a trail of destruction in the Philippines – where it was known as Karding.

    The typhoon weakened a little prior to making landfall, but was still equivalent to a high-end Category 2 hurricane with winds near 175 kph, or about 109 mph.

    Winds eased and the storm weakened to the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane just before noon, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. But the province of Quang Nam, home to the historic city of Hoi An and beach resort hotspot of Da Nang suffered from floods.

    More than 100,000 households with 400,000 people have been evacuated as of Tuesday, according to Viet Nam News, the English newspaper run by state-run Vietnam News Agency. About 11,000 foreign tourists and 7,000 domestic visitors are staying in the city.

    The government also said local authorities had instructed nearly 58,000 boats with 300,000 laborers to move to safe shelters.

    Pham Nguyen Duc Anh, 24, an English teacher at Teach For Viet Nam based in the Que Son district of Quang Nam province, along with his flat mate decided to stay at their neighbor’s house on Tuesday night because they feared the home would be vulnerable under the strong winds.

    When they returned to their home late Wednesday morning when the storm began to subside, they found that their roof had been partially destroyed and that water had leaked into their house, but things were not as bad as they had initially feared.

    “It was my first time here, living in the area [that is] very vulnerable to climate disasters,” he said.

    Before Noru’s arrival, Vietnamese authorities had banned vessels from the sea and asked students to stay at home.

    It will continue to bring strong winds and surges along the coast near Da Nang and is expected to weaken as it pushes inland over Southeast Asia. Central Vietnam, southern Laos, and northern Thailand face a risk of floods over the next 48 hours.

    Local authorities were asked on Tuesday to cancel unnecessary meetings to concentrate on storm prevention and control, according to Viet Nam News.

    People push a motorbike in a flooded street in Hoi An city, Quang Nam province on September 28, 2022.

    Thua Thien Hue province, home to more than 2,000 fishing ships and around 11,000 fishermen, also banned vessels from going out to sea on Sunday amid warnings the storm will bring strong winds, high waves and flooding, Viet Nam News reported.

    Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an urgent meeting with officials on Tuesday from at least eight provinces expected to be affected by the storm to discuss response efforts, Vietnam News Agency reported.

    “Ministries, branches and localities, especially the heads of such units, must further enhance their responsibilities to ensure the safety, life and property of the people and the state in the context of the weather. Climate change is becoming increasingly extreme and unusual, causing very serious consequences,” the prime minister said, according to Viet Nam News.

    Typhoon Noru left the Philippines around 8 p.m. on Monday, according to a bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), after barreling through with high winds and heavy rains that flooded Luzon – the country’s largest and most populated island.

    Eight people died in typhoon-related incidents, including five rescue workers, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Tuesday.

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  • Best rain jackets of 2022 | CNN Underscored

    Best rain jackets of 2022 | CNN Underscored

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    Whether you’re camping, commuting or just running errands around town, a trusty rain jacket can keep you protected from even the worst downpours. We tested 14 top-rated jackets from popular brands like The North Face, Patagonia and Arc’teryx for their waterproofness, breathability, durability and so much more to find the best option out there. And after more than three months of testing, there was one rain jacket that stood out above the rest.

    Best rain jacket overall

    The Patagonia Torrentshell outperformed all the other jackets we tested in key areas. It’s ridiculously waterproof and will keep you bone-dry in the worst rain, not to mention it’s extremely breathable, durable and comes with Patagonia’s lifetime Ironclad Guarantee.

    Whether you’re an avid hiker or just need protection from the rain during your commute, the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L is the one rain jacket you should buy.

    Since we couldn’t rely on frequent heavy rainstorms to test the waterproofness of our jackets, we hopped in the shower for 10 minutes with each jacket to see if we would stay dry. It turns out showers, which on average dump 2.1 gallons per minute, are surprisingly good at simulating some pretty extreme rainfall.

    During our indoor monsoon, the Patagonia kept us completely dry, with only a tiny bit of water trickling in from the gap at the neck when we’d look up, and from the cuffs when we’d raise our arms (which was typical of all the jackets we tested, although some were worse and let tons of water in through the neck — more on that below). The Torrentshell’s three-layer H2No Performance Standard shell is what we have to thank for keeping us dry, and it held up just as well as GORE-TEX, probably the most well-known and trusted waterproof material in the outdoor industry.

    The Patagonia’s durable water repellent (DWR) coating worked perfectly, causing any water that hit the shell to bead and run right off, preventing water from soaking into the jacket and pooling (which happened with a few of the other jackets we tested). Plus, since the water runs right off, we were able to easily shake the Torrentshell dry after our test, meaning you’ll never have to walk into work with a drenched jacket again.

    All of the Torrentshell’s zippers are protected by a flap that didn’t allow a drop of water through, even when we pointed the shower’s stream directly onto them. So unlike most of the jackets we tested — which didn’t have fully waterproofed zippers, allowing water to slowly (and sometimes not so slowly) leak through both the main zipper and the pockets — the Torrentshell protects your phone and other items from getting waterlogged.

    CNN Underscored_best rain jackets-6

    Kai Burkhardt/CNN

    The only aspect of the waterproofness test where the Patagonia fell a bit short was its hood. While many of the other jackets had super-sturdy storm hoods, the Torrentshell’s wasn’t as large or stiff. The heavy stream from the shower caused the hood to bend a little bit, so the water would sometimes run down our face. To compare, the Arc’teryx Beta LT had our favorite hood, which maintained its shape in the shower and kept the water far from our face.

    The Patagonia Torrentshell is super packable (though not as packable as the teeny tiny Outdoor Research Helium — more on that below) and stuffs into its own pocket. It was also one of the more breathable jackets we tested. So whether you’re hiking through the backcountry or running late for work, you won’t feel as hot and muggy as with other jackets. Plus, its pit vents mean there’s an easy way to dump heat if you’re starting to build up a sweat.

    CNN Underscored_best rain jackets-1

    Kai Burkhardt/CNN

    While some of the other jackets we tested felt sticky, clammy or even itchy against our bare skin, the Torrentshell had one of the most comfortable interior materials, behind only The North Face’s Dryzzle and the Arc’teryx Beta LT. It also proved quite durable, and only got a couple light marks when we rubbed it against our brick building. However, if you do some rough adventuring and your jacket does get damaged, it’s backed by Patagonia’s Ironclad Guarantee, which means you can send it in and get it repaired (in most cases for free) at any time.

    Outdoor gear isn’t always the most eye-pleasing, which is why we love the Torrentshell’s many color options. There are 11 available at Backcountry and 12 at Patagonia in men’s, and nine colors at Backcountry and 13 at Patagonia available in women’s. Plus, it comes in six sizes from XS to XXL in men’s and seven sizes from XXS to XXL in women’s.

    CNN Underscored_best rain jackets-2

    Kai Burkhardt/CNN

    Rain jackets are a surprisingly complicated subject, so it’s good to know a little bit about what you’re getting into when buying one. The first thing to know is what these jackets are made out of. For years brands have been innovating waterproof materials that are also breathable and soft so they’re comfortable to wear. If all you want is protection from the rain, you can easily use a plastic poncho, but if you want to move around and not immediately start sweating, you’ll want to opt for a breathable rain jacket.

    The most famous of these materials is GORE-TEX, which you’ve probably seen used in tons of brands and products, including coats, shoes and even gloves. But other brands, such as Patagonia and The North Face, have created their own versions of waterproof fabrics that work in the same basic way. These fabrics are waterproof and breathable at the same time because they have tiny little pores that are so small that water droplets can’t get through, but big enough so the air and vapor from your body can escape.

    This porous membrane is key to this waterproofness, and also part of the layering system that you’ll see in the names and descriptions of rain jackets. There are two-layer, 2.5-layer and three-layer jackets, which tell you about the build of the jacket. A two-layer jacket basically just has the outer material with the waterproof membrane on the inside, a 2.5 has the same construction but with a sprayed or printed material on the inside to protect the membrane. Finally, a three-layer jacket has its outer material, the waterproof membrane and a whole other layer on the inside. There are differences in terms of the weight and feel between all three, but if you’re looking at waterproofness and durability, nothing beats a three-layer jacket because that extra material completely protects the internal membrane so dirt and oils from your skin can’t clog the pores and make it less breathable. All jackets we tested were either 2.5 or three layers.

    The other key to waterproofness is a jacket’s durable water repellent, or DWR. This is a coating that is applied to the outside of a rain jacket so the water will bead up and run right off. DWR coatings stop working after a while, which will lead to the outer layer of your jacket soaking up water. The internal membrane will still keep you dry, but since that outer layer is filled with water it will be harder for your sweat vapor to escape, making your jacket less breathable. However, you can easily reapply your DWR coating with products such as Nikwax.

    You’ll often see ratings for waterproofness with the measurement of millimeters, which can be a little confusing. Waterproofness is denoted this way because it’s rated using the static-column test, which puts the material at the bottom of a 1-inch-diameter tube, which is then filled with water until the material leaks. The millimeter measurement is how tall this water column can get before the materials fail and water gets through; the higher the number, the more waterproof it is.

    Other than waterproofness and breathability, you’ll want to look for different features depending on what you plan on doing. Lots of pockets help with a commute, a storm hood is great if you get caught in a storm on a hike, weight and packability are essential for backpackers and if you’re a climber or biker, you’ll want a helmet-compatible hood.

    To find the best rain jacket, we tested everything from waterproofness and breathability to fit, feel and packability. We broke up our tests into three categories: performance, durability and versatility so we could compare the different features of each jacket against the others directly. Here’s a full breakdown of all the tests we ran.

    Performance

    • Waterproofness: We wore each jacket in the shower for 10 minutes, with all zippers closed and the hood up. We spun around and focused the shower stream on different parts of the jackets, such as the zippers, shoulders and hood. After 10 minutes we took off the jacket and took note of how wet our shirt underneath got and where. We also put tissues in all the pockets of the jacket and saw if they got wet at all during the shower.
    • Breathability: We wore each jacket and rode a Peloton bike for 10 minutes, keeping a consistent, light output. We judged how hot or sweaty we got and how soon into our ride we felt muggy.
    • Fit, feel and stretch: We tried on each jacket multiple times and stretched to see if there were any restrictive areas. We wore the jacket and judged its length as well as how roomy it was in both the torso and arms. We also wore each jacket on our bare arms and judged how comfortable each felt against our skin.
    • Weight: We weighed each jacket on a kitchen scale.

    Durability

    • Rub test: We rubbed the shoulder and arm of each jacket against a brick building five times. We took note of any scuffs, scratches or wear and tear to the material.
    • Zip test: We zipped the main zipper up and down 50 times and took note of how many times it snagged or if it broke. We also paid attention to any deterioration throughout our testing process.
    • Washability: We followed the wash instructions for each jacket and judged if it shrank or deteriorated in any way.
    • Warranty: We researched the warranty for each jacket.

    Versatility

    • Pockets and extra attributes: We counted any extra features, such as pit vents, helmet compatibility, pockets and more.
    • Packability: We packed each jacket (into its own pocket if possible) and compared to see which ones got the smallest.
    • Sizing and colors: We counted how many sizes and colors were available for each jacket in both men’s and women’s versions.

    Arc’teryx Beta LT ($399; arcteryx.com)

    This jacket was fantastic, but it fell just a bit short in a few tests. The fact that it didn’t blow the other jackets out of the water paired with the highest price tag in our testing pool, this jacket is a tough purchase to justify. Like we said earlier, it had our favorite hood we tested, plus its waterproofness and breathability performance was stellar. Its zippers, however, are only water-resistant, not waterproof, and both our shirt and the tissues in our pockets got a bit wet. You can save a lot of money and get a slightly better jacket with the Patagonia Torrentshell.

    Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket ($159; outdoorresearch.com)

    This jacket was another one of our favorites, and while it didn’t score extremely high, it was solidly waterproof and breathable. The interior of the jacket is a bit sticky and felt clammy against our skin, but if you’re an avid hiker or backpacker, the Helium’s extreme packability just might be enough to sell you. It was the lightest jacket we weighed, coming in at only 6.26 ounces. For reference, the next lightest was about 7.5 ounces and the next after that was nearly 10 ounces. On top of that, the Helium stuffs down into its sole chest pocket into a tiny package that’s about the size of our hand. So if you’re searching for the lightest jacket that you can throw in your backpack for a thru-hike and don’t care as much about comfort or durability, the Helium is a great choice.

    The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight Jacket ($230; thenorthface.com)

    The North Face’s Dryzzle jacket features the brand’s latest waterproof technology, Futurelight. This membrane is just like GORE-TEX and Patagonia’s H2No, promising extreme waterproofing while maintaining breathability. We were quite impressed with The North Face’s jacket, especially the feel of the jacket both inside and out. However, it didn’t quite separate itself from other great jackets we tested. Our biggest gripe with the Dryzzle was the quality of the DWR coating on the jacket. When water hit this jacket it didn’t immediately bead up and shed like many other jackets we tested. In some places we could see visible spots where the water was soaking into the outer layer. It was one of our highest-scoring jackets, but with a lackluster DWR coating and a higher price tag than our winner we just can’t recommend it.

    REI Co-op Rainier Rain Jacket ($89.95; rei.com)

    This jacket is one of the cheapest we tested but surprised us with its solid scores throughout our testing process. It was solidly waterproof, decently breathable and an overall fantastic jacket. It didn’t score quite as high as the Torrentshell, mostly due to its sticky interior, but if you’re looking for a cheap jacket, the Rainier is a fantastic option.

    Arc’teryx Zeta SL ($299; arcteryx.com)

    The Zeta SL from Arc’teryx was another high-scoring jacket, coming in right around the top. It’s super waterproof and breathable, and its interior feels relatively comfortable. However, like the other Arc’teryx jacket we tested, its zippers aren’t fully waterproof, only water-resistant. It also doesn’t have as many extra features as the Torrentshell, which was a little disappointing for a $300 jacket.

    REI Co-op Drypoint GTX ($173.93, originally $249; rei.com)

    This jacket from REI Co-op was another high scorer but just didn’t do well enough to edge out the competition. It’s also a discontinued item, so it’s only available in one color and stock will eventually run out. Even at a massively discounted price it’s more expensive than our winner, so while it’s a solid jacket, there are better options out there.

    Black Diamond Stormline ($149; rei.com)

    The Stormline was the stretchiest jacket we tested and had quite a high score. It’s nice and light, and felt nice both on the outside and inside. It was mostly waterproof, with just a tiny bit of water getting into the pockets. If you need an extremely stretchy and malleable jacket, the Stormline would be a great pick for you, but overall it couldn’t beat out the other coats we tested.

    Marmot Minimalist ($189; marmot.com)

    This jacket was one of the more breathable jackets we tested, but its pockets — like many others — weren’t waterproof. A bit of water got into the two side pockets, and the tissue inside the chest pocket got completely soaked. It didn’t stand out for any particular reason, but it’s still a solid rain jacket. Just don’t put your phone in its pockets.

    Outdoor Research Microgravity (starting at $149.40; outdoorresearch.com)

    The Microgravity from Outdoor Research fell out of contention after a poor waterproofness test. Again, the pockets were its downfall, and in the Microgravity’s case, so much water came through all of its pockets that our shirt got wet underneath. The interior material also felt quite itchy, so we just can’t justify spending $250 on this jacket.

    L.L.Bean H2Off ($189; llbean.com)

    The L.L.Bean was the heaviest jacket we tested, but it does have tons of pockets to carry everything you need when you go out. However, those pockets are nowhere close to being waterproof. Every tissue we put in its pockets came out drenched.

    Columbia OutDry Ex Nanolite Shell ($300; columbia.com)

    This jacket did not score very well, mainly due to a poor waterproofness test. Its hood channeled the water down our face and right into the jacket itself. We had to look directly at the ground to keep the water out, and couldn’t move our head like we could with other jackets. At the end of our test our shirt was completely soaked. It is incredibly light, but if you’re looking for a packable jacket, go for the $159 Outdoor Research Helium instead.

    Columbia OutDry Ex Reign ($150; columbia.com)

    This jacket had the same hood issue as the other Columbia coat, and water ran right down into the neck of the jacket. It’s heavy, not portable, doesn’t feel comfortable on the inside and isn’t very breathable either.

    Helly-Hansen Moss Hooded Raincoat (starting at $65; amazon.com)

    This jacket didn’t impress us much, as it wasn’t very breathable, didn’t hold up well in our rub test and is the only jacket we tested that you can’t throw in the dryer. It was decently waterproof, but its hood is a little flimsy and its pockets don’t zip close, although the tissues we put in there didn’t get as wet as some other jackets.

    Read more from CNN Underscored’s hands-on testing:

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  • Vulnerable Tampa Bay braces for storm not seen in a century

    Vulnerable Tampa Bay braces for storm not seen in a century

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — It’s been more than a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay area, which blossomed from a few hundred thousand people in 1921 to more than 3 million today.

    Many of these people live in low-lying neighborhoods that are highly susceptible to storm surge and flooding they have rarely before experienced, which some experts say could be worsened by the effects of climate change.

    The problem confronting the region is that storms approaching from the south, as Hurricane Ian is on track to do, bulldoze huge volumes of water up into shallow Tampa Bay and are likely to inundate homes and businesses. The adjacent Gulf of Mexico is also shallow.

    “Strong persistent winds will push a lot of water into the bay and there’s nowhere for it to go, so it just builds up,” said Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. “Tampa Bay is very surge-prone because of its orientation.”

    The National Hurricane Center is predicting storm surge in Tampa Bay and surrounding waters of between 5 and 10 feet (1.5 and 3 meters) above normal tide conditions and rainfall of between 10 and 15 inches (12 and 25 centimeters) because of Hurricane Ian.

    “That’s a lot of rain. That’s not going to drain out quickly,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg and Clearwater are located. “This is no joke. This is life-threatening storm surge.”

    Officials in the area began issuing evacuation orders Monday for a wide swath of Tampa, with the St. Petersburg area soon to follow. The evacuations could affect 300,000 people or more in Hillsborough County alone.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis took note of the region’s vulnerability in a Monday afternoon news conference in Largo, Florida.

    “Clearly, when you look at the Tampa Bay area, one of the reasons why we fear storms is because of the sensitivity of this area and the fragility of this area,” DeSantis said.

    The last time Tampa Bay was hit by a major storm was Oct. 25, 1921. The hurricane had no official name but is known locally as the Tarpon Springs storm, for the seaside town famed for its sponge-diving docks and Greek heritage where it came ashore.

    The storm surge from that hurricane, estimated at Category 3 with winds of up to 129 mph ( 207 km/h) was pegged at 11 feet (3.3 meters). At least eight people died and damage was estimated at $5 million at the time.

    Now, the tourist-friendly region known for its sugar-sand beaches has grown by leaps and bounds, with homes and businesses along the water the ideal locations — most of the time. Hurricane Ian could threaten all of that development.

    Just as an example, the city of Tampa had about 51,000 residents in 1920. Today, that number is almost 395,000. Many of the other cities in the region have experienced similar explosive growth.

    A report from the Boston-based catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark and Co. concluded in 2015 that Tampa Bay is the most vulnerable place in the U.S. to storm surge flooding from a hurricane and stands to lose $175 billion in damage. A World Bank study a few years before that placed Tampa as the seventh-most vulnerable city to major storms on the entire globe.

    Yet for years storms seemed to bypass the region somewhat inexplicably. Phil Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, noted that only one of five hurricanes at Category 3 strength or higher has struck Tampa Bay since 1851.

    “In general, cyclones moving over the Gulf of Mexico had a tendency of passing well north of Tampa,” the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said in report on the 1921 storm.

    Also lurking in the waves and wind are the impacts of climate change and the higher sea levels scientists say it is causing.

    “Due to global warming, global climate models predict hurricanes will likely cause more intense rainfall and have an increased coastal flood risk due to higher storm surge caused by rising seas,” Angela Colbert, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wrote in a June report.

    McNoldy, the University of Miami researcher, noted that Hurricane Andrew’s storm surge today would be 7 inches (17 centimeters) higher than it was when that storm pounded South Florida 30 years ago.

    “As sea level rises, the same storm surge will be able to flood more areas because the baseline upon which it’s happening is higher,” McNoldy said.

    Amid all the science, a local legend has it that blessings from Native Americans who once called the region home have largely protected it from major storms for centuries. Part of that legend is the many mounds built by the Tocobagan tribe in what is now Pinellas County that some believe are meant as guardians against invaders, including hurricanes.

    Rui Farias, executive director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History, told the Tampa Bay Times after Hurricane Irma’s near miss in 2017 that many people still believe it.

    “It’s almost like when a myth becomes history,” Farias said. “As time goes on, it comes true.”

    It appears Hurricane Ian will give that legend a test in the coming days.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee contributed to this story.

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  • Hurricane Ian nears Cuba on path to strike Florida as Cat 4

    Hurricane Ian nears Cuba on path to strike Florida as Cat 4

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    HAVANA (AP) — Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it barreled toward Cuba on a track to hit Florida’s west coast as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday.

    Ian was forecast to hit the western tip of Cuba as a major hurricane and then become an even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before striking Florida.

    As of Monday, Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be the among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.

    “Please treat this storm seriously. It’s the real deal. This is not a drill,” Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director Timothy Dudley said at a news conference on storm preparations in Tampa.

    Authorities in Cuba were evacuating 50,000 people in Pinar del Rio province, sent in medical and emergency personnel, and took steps to protect food and other crops in warehouses, according to state media.

    “Cuba is expecting extreme hurricane-force winds, also life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall,” U.S. National Hurricane Center senior specialist Daniel Brown told The Associated Press.

    The hurricane center predicted areas of Cuba’s western coast could see as much as 14 feet (4.3 meters) of storm surge Monday night or early Tuesday.

    In Havana, fishermen were taking their boats out of the water along the famous Malecon, the seaside boardwalk, and city workers were unclogging storm drains ahead of the expected rain.

    Havana resident Adyz Ladron, 35, said the potential for rising water from the storm worries him.

    “I am very scared because my house gets completely flooded, with water up to here,” he said, pointing to his chest.

    In Havana’s El Fanguito, a poor neighborhood near the Almendares River, residents were packing up what they could to leave their homes, many of which show damage from previous storms.

    “I hope we escape this one because it would be the end of us. We already have so little,” health worker Abel Rodrigues, 54, said.

    On Monday night, Ian was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 km/h), about 105 miles (169 kilometers) southeast of the western tip of Cuba, with top sustained winds increasing to 105 mph (169 km/h).

    The center of the hurricane passed to the west of the Cayman Islands, but no major damage was reported there Monday, and residents were going back into the streets as the winds died down.

    “We seem to have dodged the bullet” Grand Cayman resident Gary Hollins said. “I am a happy camper.”

    Ian won’t linger over Cuba but will slow down over the Gulf of Mexico, growing wider and stronger, “which will have the potential to produce significant wind and storm surge impacts along the west coast of Florida,” the hurricane center said.

    A surge of up to 10 feet (3 meters) of ocean water and 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain was predicted across the Tampa Bay area, with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) inches in isolated areas. That’s enough water to inundate coastal communities.

    As many as 300,000 people may be evacuated from low-lying areas in Hillsborough County alone, county administrator Bonnie Wise said. Some of those evacuations were beginning Monday afternoon in the most vulnerable areas, with schools and other locations opening as shelters.

    “We must do everything we can to protect our residents. Time is of the essence,” Wise said.

    Floridians lined up for hours in Tampa to collect bags of sand and cleared store shelves of bottled water. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a statewide emergency and warned that Ian could lash large areas of the state, knocking out power and interrupting fuel supplies as it swirls northward off the state’s Gulf Coast.

    “You have a significant storm that may end up being a Category 4 hurricane,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “That’s going to cause a huge amount of storm surge. You’re going to have flood events. You’re going to have a lot of different impacts.”

    DeSantis said the state has suspended tolls around the Tampa Bay area and mobilized 5,000 Florida state national guard troops, with another 2,000 on standby in neighboring states.

    President Joe Biden also declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. The president postponed a scheduled Tuesday trip to Florida because of the storm.

    Playing it safe, NASA planned to slowly roll its moon rocket from the launch pad to its Kennedy Space Center hangar, adding weeks of delay to the test flight.

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Monday night that the football team was relocating football operations to the Miami area in preparation for next weekend’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Buccaneers said the team will leave Tampa on Tuesday.

    Flash flooding was predicted for much of the Florida peninsula, and heavy rainfall was possible for the southeast United States later this week. With tropical storm force winds extending 115 miles (185 kilometers) from Ian’s center, watches covered the Florida Keys to Lake Okeechobee.

    Bob Gualtieri, sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida, which includes St. Petersburg, said in a briefing that although no one will be forced to leave, mandatory evacuation orders are expected to begin Tuesday.

    “What it means is, we’re not going to come help you. If you don’t do it, you’re on your own,” Gualtieri said.

    Zones to be evacuated include all along Tampa Bay and the rivers that feed it. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch urged residents not to ignore any evacuation orders.

    “This is a very real threat that this storm poses to our community,” Welch said.

    The hurricane center has advised Floridians to have survival plans in place and monitor updates of the storm’s evolving path.

    ___

    Associated Press contributors include Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida; Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; and Julie Walker in New York.

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | URGENT HEAT HELP – Friday Update

    Austin Pets Alive! | URGENT HEAT HELP – Friday Update

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    Jun 10, 2022

    The weather is forecasted to be brutally hot this weekend, starting at 100 degrees today and going up to 104 tomorrow. Even though the heat is bad enough, we know that this could get much worse if there are any power outages. The more we do TODAY, the more likely we are to stay on top of any catastrophic changes that may arise without warning. You can help us get the resources we need to stay ahead of the danger by giving NOW.

    By making a gift today, you immediately help us keep animals safe. But there are several more ways you can help. Just like with Winter Storm Uri, we know we have to tackle this emergency with a three-prong approach.

    1. The pets in our care: The most important thing we need today is to move as many dogs as possible to foster homes where they can get out of the deadly heat. Despite the work that has gone into improving our facilities with more shade and misters, this weather is still extremely dangerous for our most vulnerable dogs.

    We need fosters and adopters to show up from 12-6 p.m. and help by taking home a dog while we get through this triple-digit heat wave.

    2. The pets in our community: Triple-digit heat waves like this can kill pets much faster than people. You can save animals NOW by posting on NextDoor asking neighbors to put water out for wildlife and community cats. If you can, offer to help a neighbor who has an outdoor dog with shade, ice, lots of water and even fans, and ask folks to keep pets indoors from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. each day to avoid accidental heatstroke. Our Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (P.A.S.S.) Program ([email protected]) is also standing by to connect people to hot weather supplies and advice.

    We have put up signs along the trails around Town Lake warning of heat stroke in dogs and we have sent press releases to the media almost every day this week. We need your help continuing to spread the word that this 100+ degree weather will kill.

    3. The pets in Texas: Austin is very fortunate to have so much love for pets in need, as many communities do not have the same resources. Our American Pets Alive! team regularly helps shelters in these communities treat illnesses and get more pets adopted instead of euthanized. Right now, those communities have asked for support in keeping pets cool. We are preparing large transports of supplies to these shelters tomorrow and through the weekend to include fans, misters, and kongs that can be frozen.

    You can help us support these communities in Texas with the supplies they need to keep shelter pets safe by making a gift NOW.

    Thank you for supporting pets during this weather emergency. We know how important the lives of companion animals are to you and we are so grateful for your teamwork to make sure pets are safe.

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | URGENT HEAT HELP – Act Now

    Austin Pets Alive! | URGENT HEAT HELP – Act Now

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    Jun 10, 2022

    The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Austin area, with temperatures expected to reach dangerous and deadly levels. 

    With forecasted highs above 105 degrees Saturday and Sunday, we are activating emergency measures to keep our animals safe in the extreme weather conditions. At this time we are also urgently asking for your help!

    As important members of the APA! community, we are committed to keeping you aware of our preparedness plans, top priorities, and what we need most to continue our lifesaving work:

    Adopt or Foster Today!

    With the strain the extreme heat puts on our animals, staff, facilities, and the power grid, we are urgently asking for your help now to get our animals out of the shelter before temperatures reach the highest levels expected. We are calling on you to help us get 70 of our most vulnerable animals into homes before Sunday! We have both adoption and fostering options available and to help expedite our efforts to get animals into homes we’re waiving adoption fees* until June 16th for ALL our pets. This offer includes the nearly 40 adorable puppies onsite at TLAC. Visit our Town Lake location between noon and 6 p.m. Friday or Saturday to help get a pet in a home. No appointment is required!

    Donate to Support Our Lifesaving Work Through this Emergency and Beyond!

    We are calling on everyone to protect the animals who need them most during this extreme heat. The average temperature in Austin in June is 93 degrees with a jump to 98 degrees in August. With thermometers soaring more than 10 degrees higher in early June, some weather experts are anticipating that the summer of 2022 is on track to break records.

    The brutally hot temperatures bring a plethora of problems for our shelter: rising electricity costs, overtime for staff, and an increase in supply needs that go beyond the cooling equipment generously donated in the past. Since the heat wave is not limited to Central Texas, we are also providing support to partner shelters across the state.

    As you receive this email, our teams are using mister fans and swamp coolers generously donated by friends like you to bring some relief to our dogs in kennels. We’re also using swamp coolers and baby pools in our play yards and making room inside of our buildings for animals struggling in their kennels. We are also placing mister fans and additional sunshades near the cat barns. Ice packs and ice water are being put out for barn and truckport cats, and regular rounds are taking place 24/7 to monitor all animals.

    With your support, we can provide our animals with the best possible care during this hazardous Texas heat right now and throughout what could be an extremely hot summer. Will you donate to help us today?

    Lastly, check out our blog post with our hot weather recommendations to ensure that the pets in your home and neighborhood are staying safe.

    To stay up to date on our extreme weather response efforts, check our blog and social media for the latest news. Thank you for everything you do for our most vulnerable pets. Stay safe and cool Austin!

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  • Not only is Lake Powell’s water level plummeting because of drought, its total capacity is shrinking, too | CNN

    Not only is Lake Powell’s water level plummeting because of drought, its total capacity is shrinking, too | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Lake Powell, the second-largest human-made reservoir in the US, has lost nearly 7% of its potential storage capacity since 1963, when Glen Canyon Dam was built, a new report shows.

    In addition to water loss due to an intense multiyear drought, the US Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation report found, Lake Powell faced an average annual loss in storage capacity of about 33,270 acre-feet, or 11 billion gallons, per year between 1963 and 2018.

    That’s enough water to fill the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall about 1,600 times.

    The capacity of the reservoir is shrinking because of sediments flowing in from the Colorado and San Juan rivers, according to the report. Those sediments settle at the bottom of the reservoir and decrease the total amount of water the reservoir can hold.

    As of Monday, Lake Powell was around 25% full, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation.

    It’s bad news for a region already facing water shortages and extreme wildfires due to the drought. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration drought experts said last week these conditions are expected to at least continue – if not worsen – in the coming months.

    Lake Powell is an important reservoir in the Colorado River Basin. Both Lake Powell and nearby Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, have drained at an alarming rate. In August, the federal government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time after Lake Mead’s water level plunged to unprecedented lows, triggering mandatory water consumption cuts for states in the Southwest that began in January.

    And last week, Lake Powell dipped below the critical threshold of 3,525 feet above sea level, sparking additional concerns about water supply and hydropower generation millions of people in the West rely on for electricity.

    The significance of the dwindling water supply along the Colorado cannot be overstated.

    The system supplies water for more than 40 million people living across seven Western states and Mexico. Lakes Powell and Mead provide a critical supply of drinking water and irrigation for many across the region, including rural farms, ranches and native communities.

    “It is vitally important we have the best-available scientific information like this report to provide a clear understanding of water availability in Lake Powell as we plan for the future,” Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science with the US Department of Interior, said in a statement. “The Colorado River system faces multiple challenges, including the effects of a 22-year-long drought and the increased impacts of climate change.”

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | Cold Weather Prep for Pets: How to Help or Get…

    Austin Pets Alive! | Cold Weather Prep for Pets: How to Help or Get…

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  • Bring pets inside. The best thing you can do for your pet is to bring them inside with you. While some breeds of dogs are more tolerant of cold weather than others, no pet should be left outside for long periods of time when it is below freezing (32ºF). You know your pet best, so be vigilant about watching for signs of their cold tolerance and limit outdoor activities accordingly.

  • Check your car for cats. Our feline friends like to hide from this weather in car engines and/or wheel wells, so thump the hood of your car a few times and check your wheels for stowaways before you start the engine and take off.

  • Provide a makeshift enclosure for outdoor animals. If you’ve noticed outdoor cats or other animals in your community suffering from the cold (shaking, curled up, etc.) and you are worried about them, create a makeshift shelter for them to stay warm in. A closed box or Rubbermaid bin with a cut out in the side, with towels or blankets, will help keep them safe in the frigid temperatures. Click here for example directions for cat shelters from Alley Cat Advocates and click here for more on what to do for dogs in the cold from Best Friends.

  • Or consider opening your garage slightly (and leaving a heating pad or heat lamp on) to let cats in from the cold.

  • Put a sweater on your pup. If you have a dog with a short coat, you can keep them a bit more insulated by putting a sweater or dog coat on them. Be sure the sweater and coat are completely dry for each outing, though, as damp or wet outerwear could actually make them chillier.

  • Check paws. After outdoor activity, check your pet’s paws for any signs of cracking on the paw pads, redness between toes, or bleeding. Wipe them down after each outing, too, to remove any salt, ice, or chemicals.

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  • Twitter shifts course, allowing governments to post automated weather alerts and transit updates ‘for free’ | CNN Business

    Twitter shifts course, allowing governments to post automated weather alerts and transit updates ‘for free’ | CNN Business

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    CNN
     — 

    Twitter said Tuesday it will permit public institutions such as transit agencies and the National Weather Service to post large volumes of automated tweets for free, provided that the accounts doing so are “verified gov or publicly owned services.”

    The announcement marks another sudden pivot in Twitter’s attempts to charge institutional users for access to its platform — reflecting an apparent concession to those who warned that Twitter’s paywall plan would disrupt consumers’ ability to receive timely updates from first responders, weather agencies and other vital services for which Twitter has become an essential distribution channel.

    Last week, New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority announced it would stop posting real-time transit alerts on Twitter, citing reliability issues with Twitter’s platform and saying it does not pay tech platforms for the ability to provide the updates. In recent weeks, multiple regional accounts run by the National Weather Service have also warned followers to expect fewer weather updates in connection with Twitter’s platform changes.

    Tuesday’s shift comes amid a widespread backlash to Twitter’s paid plans, which cost as much as $2.5 million per year for top-level access privileges allowing organizations to download and post large volumes of tweets in an automated fashion.

    The changes, which took effect in March, restricted third parties from easily accessing Twitter’s application programming interface, or the technology that allows outside software to plug into Twitter’s platform. The changes provoked especially strong opposition from third-party app developers whose projects depend on uninterrupted Twitter access, as well as from academic researchers that study platform manipulation and misinformation, who said even the most expensive new plans provided just a fraction of the data Twitter once offered at no or low cost.

    On Tuesday, Twitter’s official account for developers acknowledged the impact the company’s paywall could have on civil society.

    “One of the most important use cases for the Twitter API has always been public utility,” it said. “Verified gov or publicly owned services who tweet weather alerts, transport updates and emergency notifications may use the API, for these critical purposes, for free.”

    But while Twitter appeared to be backing off from an attempt to charge vital services substantial fees for API access, the announcement left it ambiguous regarding how Twitter planned to ensure that critical public safety and transit accounts would be “verified.”

    Requiring that the accounts be verified under Twitter’s paid subscription program, Twitter Blue, could still involve forcing institutions to pay to access Twitter’s API.

    Twitter’s developer account didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s questions seeking clarification on the matter.

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  • Arizona senator leans on astronaut past to call for climate crisis action amid blistering heat wave | CNN Politics

    Arizona senator leans on astronaut past to call for climate crisis action amid blistering heat wave | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly on Sunday leaned into his experience as an astronaut to call for climate crisis action amid a blistering heatwave across the United States, including his home state of Arizona.

    “When I went into space four times, I mean, I could see how thin the atmosphere is over this planet. It’s as thin as a contact lens on an eyeball, and we have got to do a better job taking care of it,” Kelly told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

    “I have not seen in my time in the Senate many folks that deny that the climate is changing. That was a thing of the past. Now is: What do we do about it? We passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is a big down payment on reducing the amount of carbon we put up into the atmosphere. That will make a difference over time. We obviously have to do more,” he added.

    As the climate crisis ratchets temperatures higher and higher, scientists have warned there’s a growing likelihood that 2023 could be the Earth’s hottest year on record. Heat kills more Americans than any other form of severe weather, including flooding, hurricanes or extreme cold, according to National Weather Service data.

    These climate crisis warnings have been especially potent in recent days as more than 85 million people remain under heat alerts while the weekslong heat wave continues and intensifies in the Southwest. Dangerously high temperatures have continued to plague the western parts of the US throughout the weekend, with temperatures expected to grow hotter in the South in the coming days.

    More than 100 temperature records could be set through Monday across the West and South.

    “My view hasn’t really changed. We are suffering a heat wave here in Arizona. It is typically very hot in the summer. This is obviously dangerous to seniors and folks who are living on the streets,” Kelly said Sunday.

    While scientists say the heat records are alarming, most are unsurprised – though frustrated that their warnings have been largely ignored for decades.

    The world is “walking into an uncharted territory,” Carlo Buontempo, director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, told CNN earlier this month. “We have never seen anything like this in our life.”

    Kelly also said Sunday he was “concerned” about the impact the group “No Labels” – which is pushing for a third-party unity ticket in 2024 – could have on President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.

    “I don’t think ‘No Labels’ is a political party. I mean, this is a few individuals putting dark money behind an organization, and that’s not what our democracy should be about; it should not be about a few rich people,” he told Tapper. “So I’m obviously concerned about what’s going on here in Arizona and across the country.”

    Arizona Democrats have sued over the recognition of No Labels as a political party with the ability to place candidates on the state’s ballot – and potentially play a spoiler role in 2024, when Arizona, which Biden won by less than half a point in 2020, is poised to be a critical swing state.

    No Labels is set to host an event Monday in New Hampshire, with centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia as a keynote speaker. Kelly said he had spoken to Manchin about the issue but did not offer any details.

    “I’m not going to go into details of conversations I have with my fellow senators. That’s sort of a policy of mine,” he said.

    This story has been updated with additional details.

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  • Apple’s Weather app briefly went down and rained on everyone’s morning | CNN Business

    Apple’s Weather app briefly went down and rained on everyone’s morning | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    Anyone using their iPhone to check the weather on Tuesday may have had better luck just looking out the window.

    Apple’s default Weather app briefly went down for many users on Tuesday morning, showing blank screens with no data. The result: many users felt clueless about what was happening outside.

    “The Apple Weather app has been down all morning and I never imagined how much disruption that would cause,” wrote one Twitter user. Another tweeted an apparent “Top Gun” reference: “Biggest storm of the season is about to hit Fargo and the Apple weather app is down. I’m flying blind, Goose.”

    There are numerous other sources one could use to determine the weather, including various apps, websites, local news reports and, of course, one’s own eyes. But the apparent disruption from the outage highlights how reliant some have grown on certain popular applications.

    Apple confirmed the outage in a Twitter reply to a frustrated user, noting that some app users may be experiencing a “temporary outage.” The company’s

    System Status page     also flagged the Weather app as facing an ongoing issue.

    Apple did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

    One CNN reporter saw only a handful of cities on the Weather app home screen load with full data, while most cities remained completely blank. The app usually displays information including hourly forecast, 10-day forecast, air quality index, precipitation, UV index and more.

    The app was revamped as part of the iOS 16 release in September after Apple bought popular weather service Dark Sky in 2020 and fully integrated its features into the newest operating system.

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  • Why Republicans can’t get out of their climate bind, even as extreme heat overwhelms the US | CNN Politics

    Why Republicans can’t get out of their climate bind, even as extreme heat overwhelms the US | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Deadly heatwaves are baking the US. Scientists just reported that July will be the hottest month on record. And now, after years of skepticism and denial in the GOP ranks, a small number of Republicans are urging their party to get proactive on the climate crisis.

    But the GOP is stuck in a climate bind – and likely will be for the next four years, in large part because they’re still living in the shadow of former president and 2024 Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

    Even as more Republican politicians are joining the consensus that climate change is real and caused by humans, Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric has driven the party to the right on climate and extreme weather. Trump has called the extremely settled science of climate change a “hoax” and more recently suggested that the impacts of it “may affect us in 300 years.”

    Scientists this week reported that this summer’s unrelenting heat wave would have been “virtually impossible” were it not for the planet-warming pollution from burning fossil fuels. They also confirmed that July will go down as the hottest month on record – and almost certainly that the planet’s temperature is hotter now than it has been in around 120,000 years.

    Yet for being one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, climate is rarely mentioned on the 2024 campaign trail.

    “As Donald Trump is the near presumptive nominee of our party in 2024, it’s going to be very hard for a party to adopt a climate-sensitive policy,” Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, told CNN. “But Donald Trump’s not going to be around forever.”

    When Republicans do weigh in on climate change – and what we should do about it – they tend to support the idea of capturing planet-warming pollution rather than cutting fossil fuels. But many are reticent to talk about how to solve the problem, and worry Trump is having a chilling effect on policies to combat climate within the party.

    “We need to be talking about this,” Rep. John Curtis, a Republican from Utah and chair of the House’s Conservative Climate Caucus, told CNN. “And part of it for Republicans is when you don’t talk about it, you have no ideas at the table; all you’re doing is saying what you don’t like. We need to be saying what we like.”

    With a few exceptions, Republicans largely are no longer the party of full-on climate change denial. But even as temperatures rise to deadly highs, the GOP is also not actively addressing it. There is still no “robust discussion about how to solve it” within the party, said former South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis, who now runs the conservative climate group RepublicEn, save for criticism of Democrats’ clean-energy initiatives.

    “The good news is Republicans are stopping arguing with thermometers,” Inglis told CNN. Still, he said, “when the experience is multiplied over and over of multiple days of three-digit temperatures in Arizona and record ocean temperatures, people start to say, ‘this is sort of goofy we’re not doing something about this.’”

    Meanwhile, the impacts of a dramatically warming atmosphere are becoming more and more apparent each year. Romney and Curtis, two of the loudest climate voices in the party, both represent Utah – a state that’s no stranger to extreme heat and drought, which scientists say is being fueled by rising global temperatures.

    “There are a number of states, like mine, that are concerned about wildfires and water,” Romney said, adding he believes Republican governors of impacted states have been vocal about these issues.

    Utah and other Western states are looking for ways to cut water use to save the West’s shrinking two largest reservoirs, Lakes Powell and Mead. And even closer to home, Utah’s Great Salt Lake has already disappeared by two-thirds, and scientists are sounding alarms about a rapid continued decline that could kill delicate ecosystems and expose one of fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation to toxic dust.

    “I think the evidence so far is that the West is getting drier and hotter,” Romney told CNN. “That means that we’re going to have more difficulty with our crops, we’re going to have a harder time keeping the rivers full of water. The Great Salt Lake is probably going to continue to shrink. And unfortunately, we’re going to see more catastrophic fires. If the trends continue, we need to act.”

    While Republicans blast Democrats’ clean energy policies ahead of the 2024 elections, it’s less clear what the GOP itself would prefer to do about the climate crisis.

    As Curtis tells it, there’s a lot that Republicans and Democrats in Congress agree on. They both want to further reform the permitting process for major energy projects, and they largely agree on the need for more renewable and nuclear energy.

    As the head of the largest GOP climate caucus on the Hill, Curtis’ Utah home is “full solar,” he told CNN, and is heated using geothermal energy.

    While at a recent event at a natural gas drilling site in Ohio, as smoke from Canada’s devastating wildfire season hung thick in the air, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was asked how he would solve the climate crisis. He suggested planting a trillion trees to help offset the pollution created by burning fossil fuels – a bill House Republicans introduced in 2020. The measure has not yet passed the House and has an uncertain future in the Senate.

    Rep. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, said his home is decked out in solar panels and geothermal energy.

    But the biggest and most enduring difference between the two parties is that Republicans want fossil fuels – which are fueling climate change with their heat-trapping pollution – to be in the energy mix for years to come.

    Democrats, meanwhile, have passed legislation to dramatically speed up the clean energy transition and prioritize the development of wind, solar and electrical transmission to get renewables sending electricity into homes faster.

    On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Democrats want to pass more climate legislation if they take back a full majority in Congress. He later told CNN the GOP is “way behind” on climate and there’s been “too little” progress on the party’s stances.

    “I think we’d get a lot more done with a Democratic House, a Democratic president and continuing to have a Democratic Senate,” Schumer told CNN. “Unfortunately, if you look at some of the Republican House and Senate Super PACs, huge amounts of money come from gas, oil and coal.”

    Even though Curtis and Romney are aligned on the party needing to talk about climate change, they differ on how to fix it. While Curtis primarily supports carbon capture and increased research and development into new technologies, Romney is one of the few Republicans speaking in favor of a carbon tax – taxing companies for their pollution.

    “It’s very unlikely that a price on carbon would be acceptable in the House of Representatives,” Romney said. “I think you might find a few Republican senators that would be supportive, but that’s not enough.”

    The idea certainly doesn’t have the support of Trump, or other 2024 candidates for president, and experts predict climate policy will get little to no airtime during the upcoming presidential race.

    “Regrettably, the issue of climate change is currently being held hostage to the culture wars in America,” Edward Maibach, a professor of climate communication at George Mason University and a co-founder of a nationwide climate polling project conducted with Yale University, told CNN in an email. “Donald Trump’s climate denial stance will have a chilling effect on the climate positions of his rivals on the right — even those who know better.”

    Even if climate-conscious Republicans say Trump won’t be in the party forever, Inglis said even a few more years may not be enough time to counteract the rapid changes already happening.

    “That’s still a long way away,” Inglis said. “The scientists are saying we can’t wait, get moving, get moving.”

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