More than 2.5 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Ian, which hit southwestern Florida in late September. The winds were a few miles per hour slower of becoming a category five. Florida governor, Ron DeSantis had said Hurricane Ian is one of the five worst in the state’s history.

As the hurricane tore across the state, its powerful winds, and heavy rains were straining emergency services in the states southwest. The Florida storm “Ian” put Fort Myers directly in its path as it strayed eastward. As The hurricane passed through the town, it caused extensive flooding and damage. The storm left roads impassable. Lee County opened shelters and issued evacuation orders for evacuation zones on Monday. Thursday, officials are urging residents to stay at home and shelter in place, saying the roads are unsafe to travel. In Port Charlotte, the storm flooded a lower level emergency room and ripped away part of the roof of the ICU. The water gushed down into the ICU, forcing staff to evacuate patients, event the sickest patients including people on ventilators. The hospital spans for floors, however the storm forced all the patients onto only two.

A student from Florida schools named Christian Garippa posted on his snapchat story and said,”Brooooooo, there is no power and there is a big hurricane. I can’t even play video games because of the power loss and we aren’t even able to go to school.”

Many colleges in Florida due to this Hurricane, have canceled classes and evacuated residence halls. All students and teachers at the University of Florida, Florida A&M University and the College of Central Florida rushed to prepare for this disaster. This natural occurrence is even causing Florida State University to delay its homecoming until next year. Florida A&M now plans to close the dining halls and Tampa Bay University has bused students off of campus as well as boarded up the windows. Students that are unable to evacuate are seeking to find alternative shelters. Unlike other schools, the University of Central Florida canceled activities but kept their house open so students can weather the storm. 

Linda Tedesco, who lives in Florida said, “I had to evacuate and come back to my family here in New Jersey because they had told us we were going to get flooded and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.”

Universities canceled classes and shut down campuses ahead of the storm, showing the importance of disaster in a world transformed by climate change.

Hurricane Ian lost some of its speed as it moves across land over Florida, but its slower progress could add to another danger the state will be facing for days to come. Meteorologists warned that the slower speed means the hurricane is dumping larger amounts of rain along its path, causing what is expected to be record flooding in western and southwestern parts of the state. 1 million people lost power to this hurricane. With 150 mph (241 kph)  winds, telephone poles and houses got wrecked. In hospitals, emergency rooms flooded, roofs got wrecked and patients were fighting for survival.