1. Hurricane Ian was one of the strongest hurricanes EVER to make landfall in Florida.
#BREAKING: Hurricane #Ian on the cusp of Category 5 status with winds of 155MPH. #TropicalUpdate #flwx 🌀
2. Nick Underwood is an aerospace engineer who has been flying in and out of hurricanes for six years. He said his flight to Ian was the worst he's ever been on. "I've never seen so much lightning in an eye."
I have flown storms for the last six years. This flight to Hurricane #Ian on Kermit (#NOAA42) was the worst I’ve ever been on. I’ve never seen so much lightning in an eye. This was the eye. You can see the curvature. Understand this is at NIGHT. The light is from LIGHTNING.
3. Hurricane specialist Michael Lowry could barely grasp what Hurricane Ian did last night. "Just wow."
I'm not sure how many truly grasp what just happened tonight with Hurricane #Ian. It went through a full eyewall replacement cycle, hardly blinked, grew by 50% (as measured by its RMW), and delivered the 3rd highest storm surge since 1913 to Key West in the process. Just wow.
4. Even before the hurricane made landfall, the storm was doing wild things to Tampa Bay. The water literally receded there.
ＤＯＷＮ ＢＹ ＴＨＥ ＢＡＹ 🌊: Check out this 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 view of #BayshoreBlvd taken by one our TampaPD Lieutenants! The water has receded, a clear sign that #hurricaneian is drawing near. 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥: Evacuations are still in effect for Zones A and B #YourTampaPD
5. And pictures of the approaching storm were equally ominous.
A picture my mom caught in south florida of Hurricane Ian’s rain bands already. Be safe florida #HurricaneIan #ian
6. Now, as daylight is upon us, pictures of the catastrophic damage are coming to light.
Taken roughly 24 hours apart near Ft. Myers #HurricaneIan @CBSNews
7. It's devastating.
Really afraid of what we are going to see when the storm finally passes. #Ian #FtMyers
8. The storm surge was next level.
You're looking at major flooding over at Diamondhead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach @nbc2 #HurricaneIan absolutely devastating
9. This time lapse shows how truly wild it was.
I've been capturing video from this webcam in Fort Myers all day and I've put it into a Timelapse. Check out the storm surge rushing in! Crazy. #Ian #flwx
10. A person trying to flee the hurricane, very stupidly, via boat.
This psycho is trying to outrun the #HurricaneIan in a 56 foot Hatteras motor yacht. Seen departing Sanibel today. Absolutely insane. Godspeed "Captain".
11. Water up to roofs of houses.
Storm surge outside of my moms house on Fort Myers Beach. I’m so sick.
12. And hotels looking like the inside of the Titanic.
Water creeping up to the first floor our our hotel. Looks like the inside of the Titanic. Cars are fully underwater #Ian
13. This is what another hotel in Fort Myers looked like.
My friend’s mom is at a hotel in Ft. Myers for Hurricane Ian. This is how it looks: #HurricaneIan
14. The scariest of all is this video inside someone's house.
Got this from a friend in #Naples - just so sad. @ActionNewsJax #Ian
15. Weather Channel icon Mike Seidel said that he hadn't experienced anything like this in over 30 years.
We were in the eye wall of Cat. 4 #Hurricane #Ian for over 5 hours and the back side was the worst. I haven't experienced anything close to this in over 30 years @weatherchannel
16. The footage he was posting was otherworldly.
In the eye wall of #Hurricane #Ian in Fort Myers. We're live on @weatherchannel along with @StephanieAbrams and @JimCantore #HurricanIan
17. Jim Cantore, who is another Weather Channel legend, was hit by a branch in the street.
Jim Cantore literally hit by a flying tree branch during a live report. Please get this man off the street.
18. This first-person view is petrifying.
*RARE* first person view of storm surge. This camera is 6 feet off the ground on Estero Blvd in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Not sure how much longer it keeps working. You’ll see it live only on @weatherchannel #Ian
19. This is what that view typically looks like.
Here is what this view typically looks like
20. Bridges have "fallen" into the ocean.
#BreakingNews: An approximately 50-65 foot section of the Sanibel Causeway Bridge has fallen into the Gulf of Mexico. @NBC2
21. Just straight-up washed away.
Aerial footage showing some of the destruction in Ft Myers… bridges are washed away and streets flooded. #HurricaneIan https://t.co/CnF5RTxceo
22. The pavement on this highway was scoured.
From NBC2 livestream: Pavement scoured at the Sanibel Causeway in Florida as a result of #Ian. #flwx #HurricaneIan
23. The time lapses showing the storm surge are stunning.
Here is a time-lapse of the #StormSurge coming in on Sanibel Island, #Florida caught on a live traffic cam. This was only 30mins condensed down, it deteriorated quickly. 😬 #HurricaneIan #Hurricane #Ian
24. Boats piled on top of each other.
Follow up on the boats docked in the Caloosahatcheee River that runs through Fort Myers….
25. Police trailers floating down the street.
Lee County Sheriff's mobile trailer floating by from the storm surge. #HurricaneIan
26. Restaurants washed away.
Oh man! A look at the South Beach Grill on southern tip of Boca Grande. This part of the Lee County barrier island appears to have been leveled by #HurricaneIan. I attached a photo of what it looked it before. We’ve had meals here. 😢 📷 : South Beach Grill’s FB page
27. Fire departments flooded.
Video from Facebook Live of a flooded Naples Fire Station. Thinking of all the first responders working through #HurricaneIan to keep their communities safe. @CBSMiami
28. This flooded newsroom.
A look inside the @winknews studios. Still flooded out. 😳
29. The Tampa PD posted this terrifying video of a traffic light randomly crashing into the street.
𝑾𝒆 𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉: Stay Off The Roads ❌ Stay Indoors✅. TampaPD Officers saw a traffic light 🚦 come crashing down in front of their car in #YborCity. There are live wires down. This is 𝙉𝙊𝙏 the time to venture out. #YourTampaPD #hurricaneian
30. The footage coming out of Fort Myers and Naples is especially eye-opening.
📍Pink Shell Resort on Fort Myers Beach Absolutely devastating to look at.
31. The Naples PD posted this pic during the storm:
The City of Naples has issued an emergency citywide curfew to protect and safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of City of Naples residents, visitors, and first responders. The curfew is effective immediately until further notice.
32. And this is the Naples Pier. The ladder is about 10 feet tall.
This was one of the last images before the Naples Pier Cam went out. Those steps are nearly 10ft. tall and they’re almost completely submerged! @weatherchannel #hurricaineIan
33. Here's another before and after of Fort Myers Beach:
My whole heart is broken, downtown Fort Myers Beach is completely under water. #fortmyersbeach #HurricaneIan #FortMyers
34. The videos from Fort Myers show the sheer force of the water and wind.
PLEASE SHARE: This is Fort Myers from my friend Rob who lives there! Yikes! 🌀@wkrn @megtomwx @MaryJMays @DavisNolan @Marcus_WX @GMA @Ginger_Zee
35. "The storm surge and wind are incredible."
Here’s another video from Fort Myers from my friend Rob! The storm surge and wind are incredible.
36. South Florida is basically underwater.
Naples, FL. #hurricaneIan
37. Millions are without power.
Terrifying. This is the view from Englewood Beach in Port Charlotte courtesy of @EarthCam
38. And people are just "trying to find a way to get out."
There are no words to describe the devastation we’re seeing here in North Naples. The bottom floor of several of the buildings are completely destroyed, wiped out. I’ve been speaking with people this morning who told me they’re just trying to find a way to get out. @winknews
39. So now the Coast Guard is actively responding to areas cut off by the storm.
#HurricaneOps 🌀 #CoastGuard air crews are actively responding to areas that have been impacted by #HurricaneIan as it moves across the state searching for people in distress and assessing storm damages. 🚁 #searchandrescue #semperparatus
40. Fire departments are saving people from their houses.
Water rescues continue throughout @OrangeCoFL.
41. And help is on the way.
This morning my family as well as thousands of Floridians are going to wake up to all the devastation #HurricaneIan left behind. More than 42,000 lineman are on standby ready to go to #Florida to help. Thank you so much for all the helpers out there!👮🏻♂️👩🏻🚒👩⚕️