The News in New Media

Hurricane Ian Poised To Make Landfall in Florida

Posted on by kayleij

This year’s violent hurricane season continues with Hurricane Ian beginning to make landfall in Florida today after plowing through Cuba. Ian is poised to be even stronger than Hurricane Fiona, which peaked at Category 4 and led to more than 16 deaths from the Caribbean up through the maritime provinces in Canada.

The Weather Channel’s coverage relates that possibly record-setting storm surges will hit across coastal regions, with the third-highest storm surge in Key West in the last 100 years and an “Extreme Wind Warning” issued to Sanibel Island and surrounding areas. Much of Fort Myers is already flooded and underwater, and high population meccas like Tampa prepare for the worst:

Meanwhile, waters are receding in parts of Florida before the storm surge hits. Local weather reporters and residents are providing an invaluable source of footage and on-the-ground context as Ian approaches.

https://twitter.com/mikebettes/status/1575180210219139080?s=20&t=kmMbPpffdvdfXdWbDRDcug

Just as the storm has grown over the last few days, so has the conversation around it. The hashtag #Ian has nearly 360.5K mentions over the last seven days, with a major spike beginning on Sept. 25 as people started to realize how severe this hurricane will truly be. More than 2.5 million people were placed under mandatory evacuation orders, although unfortunately as in any dire scenario, many are not able to take the steps toward evacuation – whether it’s because they are disabled or elderly, lack the necessary resources to pack up and leave, care for pets or dependents, are first responders, or a variety of other reasons. Manatee County, FL, is now on mandatory lockdown as authorities stated it was no longer safe to travel.

Though Twitter has the most dialogue surrounding Ian, the most valuable web domains with significant traffic are news or travel sites such as Google News, Yahoo, MSN, and even TripAdvisor. Southern residents, both those who have evacuated and those who are sheltering in place, are seeking news about the danger level and destruction that has already occurred.

However, Florida is not Ian’s only target – it already decimated Cuba on Tuesday and knocked the entire country’s power grid offline. Winds up to 125 mph were reported in the island nation, as well as two deaths so far, and much of the online dialogue around Ian and Cuba focuses on preparations and alerts as Cubans struggle through the aftermath.

Hurricane Ian has wreaked havoc in Cuba
This photo from AP shows some of the destruction Hurricane Ian wreaked in Cuba

Even over the course of writing this article, Ian’s eyewall has since made landfall in Florida. The storm and its damage will continue to develop and grow, as many news sources are providing live updates on the catastrophe. Keep an eye on posts that circulate over the next few days sharing organizations and resources that help those displaced or injured, such as chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen:

Hopefully, the residents of Florida and Cuba will face a return to normalcy soon with a reprieve from such storms and their repercussions.

Author: Kayleigh Jackson 

Posted in Tracking News via Social Media Analytics

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