(presidentialwire.com)- More than 2 million Floridians were without power just prior to Hurricane Ian making landfall along the state’s west coast as a Category 4, according to The Epoch Times. Just before midnight, the hurricane decreased to a Category 1 with top speeds at 90 miles per hour, causing storm surges, wind and flooding as it moved further into the state.
By the time the hurricane made landfall, more than 2 million residents were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Reports of outages were also reported by Duke Energy, Florida Power and Light Company, and Tampa Electric.
The power outages were reportedly a “major safety concern” as the hurricane was “only halfway across the peninsula.” Ian crossed the coastline at winds of 150 mph, causing severe flooding.
Governor Ron DeSantis made preliminary preparations to coordinate an effort should the power go out in homes. He also issued a state of emergency ahead of the hurricane and notified the areas that needed to evacuate days before the storm was expected to touch the coast of Florida. Two million residents were reportedly ordered to evacuate, and 90 nursing homes had their residents relocated. 5,000 guardsmen were also activated.
Florida has more than 42,000 linemen already staged for power restoration efforts across the state. Thank you for being prepared to power up our state.
For updates on #HurricaneIan follow @FLSERT. pic.twitter.com/7QO8UEALbE— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 28, 2022
DeSantis said that people can help Floridians u=during this time by contributing to FloridaDisasterFund.org or by texting “Disaster” to 20222. He also urged residents to stay inside.
“After Hurricane Ian passes, be careful going outside. Make sure to avoid downed power lines, avoid standing water, stay clear of trees, do not drive in standing water, and keep generators 20 feet outside of your home,” DeSantis stated on Twitter.
During a press conference, DeSantis had informed reporters that the president had not yet called him. After a brief controversy over whether the two were in coordinating together, the president called the governor.
“I’m happy to brief the president if he’s interested in hearing what we’re doing in Florida,” DeSantis said. “My view on all this is like, you’ve got people’s lives at stake, you’ve got their property at stake and we don’t have time for pettiness. We gotta work together to make sure we’re doing the best job for them, so my phone line is open.”
