Hurricane Ian was a destructive and large category four hurricane that impacted Florida the most. Hurricane Ian was the deadliest hurricane to strike Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane killing at least 137 people. 

The hurricane started forming on September 23, 2022, in the North Atlantic Ocean making its first landfall in Cuba. The hurricane caused huge rainfall and a nationwide power outage and rapidly picked back up, making its way to the state of Florida. 

Ian became a high-end Category 4 hurricane early on September 28, 2022, as it progressed towards the west of Florida, and made landfall at almost peak intensity in southwest Florida, tying with several other storms as the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous United States. After hitting Florida, Ian quickly picked back up and regained strength back into a hurricane and made its way towards South Carolina in where it made the final landfall. Hurricane Ian killed five people in Cuba, 126 in Florida, five in North Carolina, and one in Virginia as of October 6th, according to each state’s local officials. 

Hurricane Ian has caused many tragic impacts including the loss of family members and dogs, and the loss of a home, specifically mobile homes. According to NPR “mobile home parks blown to smithereens.” Older mobile homes are built in a certain way to not sustain huge wind gusts, but most older families choose to live in these types of homes due to the cost of living in Florida. 

Hospitals were also impacted greatly by Ian. Many hospitals saw an increase in patients after the storm blew over and now even more are rolling in. “The number one injury we’re seeing are orthopedic injuries from cleaning debris, whether it’s to clean up your yard, or using a ladder to get on the roof,” said Selph, who oversees medical services for county hospitals. 

Hurricane Ian has greatly impacted the state of Florida and other parts of the world as well. Many organizations have websites and links set up to donate to help rebuild what was lost in the traffic storm of Ian. For more information please check out the American Red Cross