Twenty-three people are reportedly missing after a boat carrying Cuban migrants sank off the coast of Florida as the US state braces for a near Category 5 hurricane. At 11 a.m. local time this morning (4 p.m. BST), Hurricane Ian was at 80. miles off the Gulf Coast with wind speeds of 255 mph.
According to US news channel BNO, officials said four people were able to swim to shore after the boat sank of the 27 on board.
Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar, of the US Border Patrol’s Miami station, reportedly said four Cuban migrants swam to shore on Stock Island.
He added that their ship sank during bad weather related to Hurricane Ian.
The US Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue operation as the storm moves closer to landfall, with flooding in Fort Myers around 6:00 p.m. BST.
The hurricane was expected to crash into Florida around 2 p.m. local time (7 p.m. BST) in Charlotte County, about 100 miles south of Tampa and just north of Fort Myers.
The region is home to miles of sandy beaches, numerous resort hotels and countless mobile home parks.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said earlier today that the storm was just short of Category 5 — the most severe classification with sustained winds of at least 157 mph.
However, it said Hurricane Ian was expected to weaken after hitting land.
Forecasters say it will unleash wind-driven high surf, torrential rains that can cause coastal flooding of up to 3.7 meters, along with intense thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes.
Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service, commented, “I wish this wasn’t a forecast about to come true.
“This is a storm that we will talk about for many years to come, a historic event.”
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, “This is going to be a rough day or two. This is going to be a rough time.”
Earlier this week, authorities in the region told more than 2.5 million residents to evacuate due to security concerns.
For those who stayed, as of Wednesday morning, more than 169,000 Florida homes and businesses were without power.
Scientists believe that climate change is making hurricanes more intense with more wind and more water — and Hurricane Ian may be an example of that.
There’s also some evidence that the change in Earth’s average temperature also means storms travel more slowly, meaning they can dump more water into one specific location, with potentially devastating consequences.
Kait Parker, a meteorologist and climate scientist with IBM’s weather arm, said: “The rapid intensification of Hurricane Ian could be another example of how a warming planet is changing hurricanes.
“Research shows that we see this much more often than in decades past.”
Joe Biden vowed that the federal government would help Florida once the storm passed.
The US president said at an event in Washington: “We are alert and in action; we have approved every request Florida has made.”
More to follow…