- There are mandatory evacuations in the Tampa Bay area.
- About 5,000 National Guard troops have been activated.
- More than 25,000 utility line workers are ready to respond to outages.
Evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Florida and residents are being told to leave now as preparations for Hurricane Ian move into high gear.
The storm is expected to be a severe hurricane threat for Florida and parts of the northern Gulf Coast. See the full forecast here.
Here are our live updates on Hurricane Ian and Florida.
(9:24 PM ET) Tampa International Airport Closure
Tampa International Airport will suspend all operations at 5pm tomorrow, the airport tweeted a few minutes ago. An earlier announcement from the airport said it would remain open “until a closure is necessary” and would close when sustained winds reached 50 mph.
But now the airport will close earlier to allow time to protect the area and prepare for the impacts of the storm.
“Damage assessments will begin as soon as it is safe to do so,” said a news release announcing the closure at 5 p.m. “TPA will closely coordinate the reopening of the airport with its partners based on road safety, facility and staff readiness.”
Luca Leguerchois (L) and Eglantine Leguerchois tackle their Paradise candy store in preparation for Hurricane Ian on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(9:09 PM ET) Busch Gardens Closing, Disney Climbing Operations
Tampa Busch Gardens theme park will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Walt Disney World in Orlando announced it will scale back some operations, but major theme parks will remain open for now. Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and Winter Summerland Mini Golf and Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The park waives cancellation policies for add-ons such as the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Universal Studios, also in Orlando, tweeted that park officials are closely monitoring the weather.
(8:49 PM ET) MacDill Air Force Base is being evacuated
The planes took off from MacDill Air Force Base near downtown Tampa. The base’s KC-135 Stratotankers assigned to the 91st and 50th Airlift Wing squadrons took off today.
All personnel have been ordered off base tomorrow at noon.
(8:40 pm ET) Resident Waiting Time for Sandbags
Cars lined up for at least three hours to pick up free sandbags near Tampa in Hillsborough County, one resident tweeted. Counties across the state are distributing sandbags to help residents protect their homes from water.
(8:32 PM ET) Where to find shelter
Evacuees in need of shelter should closely monitor their local emergency management offices via social media and text alerts for the latest information. The state of Florida has a list of some shelters open here, and the Red Cross has a tool to find a shelter here.
(8:16 PM ET) Tampa General Hospital installs temporary flood barrier
Tampa General, one of the largest hospitals in the state, is located in a vulnerable section of the city known as Davis Islands. Up to 10 feet of storm surge is possible there from Hurricane Ian.
The facility hopes a type of flood barrier called AquaFence will help keep the water out. Also, the hospital raised its generators 35 feet several years ago to help protect them from water.
The Weather Channel’s Justin Michaels has more on the hospital here.
(6:37 pm ET) The airport in St. Pete-Clearwater will close ahead of Ian
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will close at 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release. The airport is in Evacuation Zone A, which is under a mandatory evacuation order.
Tampa International Airport is also in a mandatory evacuation zone, but is considered “critical infrastructure” and will remain open as long as conditions permit. Some airport facilities may begin closing Tuesday afternoon, and all airport operations cease when sustained winds reach 50 mph.
Danny Aller and his wife Karen cover their windows as they prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Ian in Indian Shores, Florida, 25 miles west of Tampa, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022.
(Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)
(6:30 pm ET) Pasco County evacuations were ordered
The Pasco County Office of Emergency Management issued mandatory evacuation orders effective at 6 p.m. for Zone A, as well as manufactured homes, mobile homes and recreational vehicles. The order also applies to anyone in a low-lying or flood-prone area, as well as those who have historically experienced flooding during heavy rains.
There are voluntary evacuations for areas B and C.
(5:08 PM ET) Mountain of school closings
At least two dozen counties have canceled schools for all or part of this week, according to a list tracked by the Florida Department of Education. The closures range from Monroe County in the Florida Keys, through the Tampa Bay area and into some northern Florida counties. A dozen colleges and universities, including the massive University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida, are also closed or closed.
(4:53 pm ET) Ready to carry food, water
The state is ready to deliver food and water to Pinellas County by helicopter if needed after Ian passes, Gov. Ron DeSantis says. The county is located on a peninsula bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay.
DeSantis said at an afternoon press conference that 25,000 utility line workers are ready to respond to power outages.
He reiterated the message that the entire state could feel the impacts of Ian.
“There may not be direct impacts in all 67 counties, but there may be indirect impacts not only from the storm, but from people evacuating from other parts of the state,” DeSantis said.
(4:41 p.m. ET) Evacuees don’t have to go “hundreds of miles”
“You don’t have to evacuate hundreds of miles, you can evacuate tens of miles. But we know there are going to be people who would want to drive further somewhere in the state,” Pinellas County Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said this afternoon, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “If you’re going to do this, do it now … what’s normally an hour’s drive, could take four, five, 10 hours to get there.”
Men board windows as they prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Ian in Indian Shores, Florida, 25 miles west of Tampa, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022.
(RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)
(3:35 pm ET) Pasco County will issue the evacuation later today
The Pasco County Board of Commissioners issued a state of emergency for Pasco County, Florida. In a tweet, the Pasco County Office of Emergency Management said residents could expect evacuation orders later today.
(2:55 pm ET) Charlotte County issues some evacuation orders
Charlotte County Emergency Management Director Patrick Fuller announced that the county is calling for a mandatory evacuation of Charlotte County’s “red zone” areas, to include barrier islands, low-lying areas prone to floods and prefabricated or mobile homes. County shelters will open tomorrow.
“Residents should take Ian seriously and start preparing for any impact,” Fuller said.
(2:35 pm ET) Mandatory evacuations for Pinellas County begin tonight
Pinellas County officials announced that a mandatory evacuation order will go into effect at 6pm tonight for Evacuation Zone A and all mobile home residents. The evacuation order for areas B and C will go into effect tomorrow morning.
“If you live in zones B and C, be prepared to leave your home. Take tonight to secure your home and be ready to go,” said Cathie Perkins, Pinellas County Director of Emergency Management.
The county will begin opening shelters tonight at 6 p.m. A list of Pinellas County shelters can be found online.
(1:00 pm ET) Hernando County issues voluntary evacuation
Hernando County officials announced voluntary evacuations for parts of the county, including evacuation zones A, B and C. The recommended evacuations apply to areas west of Highway 19.
Countywide, anyone living in a manufactured home or in a low-lying coastal area was also urged.
(12:25 pm ET) FEMA officials explain preparations
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell held a news conference outlining the agency’s efforts to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Ian.
Supplies and personnel have been placed in both Florida and Alabama. Millions of meals and liters of water are ready for distribution. The agency also has pre-positioned teams that are ready to respond to emergency incidents.
(12:20 pm ET) Manatee County will issue evacuation orders Tuesday
Manatee County Public Information Officer James Nicholson said the county will issue two evacuation orders that will take effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The first, a mandatory evacuation order, will apply to evacuation zone A. The second, a voluntary evacuation order, will apply to evacuation zone B.
“We expect sustained tropical or hurricane-force winds across our barrier islands and coastal communities for up to 48 hours, with the earliest arrival expected by 8 p.m. Tuesday,” Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes wrote. in an official statement. “This is a worst-case scenario with a very strong, slow-moving storm to the west of us.”
(11:30 a.m. ET) Sarasota County officials ‘expect’ to issue evacuation alert Tuesday
Sarasota County officials said an evacuation order would likely be announced Tuesday morning. The county issued a state of emergency and announced public schools would be closed starting Tuesday.
(11:00 a.m. ET) State officials expect evacuation congestion, school closings, port closures
The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, said in a press conference that it is likely that the congestion of the roads due to the evacuations before the hurricane Ian.
“When you have millions of people in a metropolitan area, whatever [evacuations are] done, you will have traffic,” he said.
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