After hitting Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, Hurricane Ian has been downgraded to a tropical storm.
According to an 8 a.m. update by the National Hurricane Center, the storm is about 40 miles east of Orlando and about 10 miles west of Cape Canaveral, with maximum sustained winds of 65 MPH (100 KM/H).
The center added that Ian will likely reach Georgia and both Carolina coasts by Friday.
According to AccuWeather, at least one person, a 72-year-old man, has been confirmed to have died in the hurricane after reportedly drowning Thursday night.
“Deputies responded to a home on Poinciana Lane near Lake Bethel around 1 a.m. after the victim’s wife reported he disappeared after heading outside. While searching for him, deputies found his flashlight, then spotted the victim unresponsive in a canal behind the home,” officials said in a statement.
“The initial investigation indicates the victim was using a hose to drain the pool down a hill and into a 30-foot-wide canal, where a steep decline into the water was extremely soft and slippery due to the heavy rain.”
The storm also left more than 2.6 million residents across the Sunshine State without power.
“Portable towers are on the way for cell service,” the Collier County sheriff’s office said.
“Chances are your loved ones do not have [the] ability to contact you.”
So far, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, requested the Biden administration to approve a disaster declaration for all 67 counties in the state and asked the federal government for 100 percent reimbursement for up to 60 days in providing recovery efforts.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden approved the disaster declaration for Florida, granting the state access to federal aid.
Additionally, Thomas J. McCool was named Federal Coordinating Officer “for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.”
Samaritan's Purse is preparing to aid with relief efforts in hard-hit Floridian communities. Donate to help the victims of Hurricane Ian here: https://samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/hurricane-ian
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Joe Raedle/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
