Hurricane Ian was a category 4 hurricane that hit Florida on September 28, 2022. This was the first category 4 to hit since 2004’s Hurricane Charley.  Hurrican Ian, affected counties 25-30 miles of where the hurricane first came ashore. At least 100 casualties have been credited to this deadly cyclone and at least $60 billion worth of damage was left in its wake.

Hurricane Ian first hit American soil by Cayo Costa, Florida. Originally formed on September 23 as a light tropical storm  in the Caribbean, it ran through Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cuba before strengthening into one of the worst hurricanes seen in recent times and finding its way over to the US.

Even though crossing the Florida Peninsula had managed to weaken the natural disaster, Hurricane Ian found strength when it devastated Georgetown, South Carolina with a 155 mph wind speed, at least 12 inches of precipitation, and a 12 foot flooding depth. Its highest winds held the 155 mph wind speed for a minute straight. Meanwhile, the storm’s lowest pressure was 936 millibar pressure units. Other affected areas include Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Hurricane Ian finally dispersed on October 2, 2022.

The hurricane required almost 2,500 rescues by the state’s search-and-rescue team as one of the worst storms to impact Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. However, even with the team hard at work, many Fort Myers residents and visitors are missing as rubble following the storm continues to pile up. As of November 14 2022,  at least 40,600 people have been displaced and 147 deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Ian and its aftermath.