Tropical Storm Ian is expected to strengthen again as it passes over the Atlantic Ocean before hitting South Carolina’s coast on Friday, officials said.
“Ian is moving toward the north-northeast near 9 mph,” the update said. “A turn toward the north is expected late today, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest with an increase in forward speed Friday night. On the forecast track, Ian will approach the coast of South Carolina on Friday. The center will move farther inland across the Carolinas Friday night and Saturday.”
Tropical Storm Ian is currently located approximately 285 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, and about 25 miles north-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Ian blasted ashore at the barrier island of Cayo Costa on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. It rapidly transformed Florida’s southwestern shoreline, dotted with sandy beaches, coastal towns, and mobile home parks, into a disaster zone as it swept seawater into waterfront homes.
“The impacts of this storm are historic and the damage that was done was historic,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news briefing on Thursday. “We have never seen a flood event like this. We have never seen storm surge of this magnitude.”
President Joe Biden spoke to DeSantis on Thursday, saying his administration was committed to continuing close coordination and that Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell will be in Florida on Friday.
The damages caused by Ian will turn out to be catastrophic and FEMA is preparing for potentially thousands of people to be displaced in the long-term, Criswell told CNN.
“I don’t think that we can quantify it yet,” Criswell said when asked about damages from the storm. “But I can tell you that it is going to be catastrophic.”
Earlier this week, the governors of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia declared states of emergency due to the storm.
