Hurricane Ian Likely to Achieve Category 5 Status

The East Coast still runs the risk of storm-related threats like flooding, power outages and cutoff neighborhoods caused by fallen trees and utility poles. The West Coast frantically prepares for the rare direct hit that seldom occurs on the West Coast. The hurricane history shows that out of 160 hurricanes documented in Florida, only 17 made landfall on the West Coast of the state

No recorded data exists of a hurricane that tracked exclusively up the West Coast, but Ian might become the exception. Elsa landed west of Tampa in 2021, and Hurricane Eta made landfall North of Tampa in 2020. Neither storm ranked as high as a Category 3 storm, so damages are difficult to estimate with any degree of accuracy.

Florida’s Theme Parks

The economic damages of the storm include the costs of a considerable reduction in tourism dollars for entry fees, hotels and motels and restaurant revenue. Theme park closures can reduce tourism dollars by an incredible amount over time, which depends on how damaged the environment appears to tourists after the storm dissipates. Theme park closures include:

• Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort planned to close some features Wednesday and Thursday, but they have now decided to close both parks on Wednesday and Thursday
• Busch Gardens plans to close Wednesday and Thursday, but it’s difficult to predict what will happen if any parks sustain severe damages.
• Citizens should find their evacuation zones and area shelters in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.
• The Barrier Islands have been ordered to evacuate.
• Legoland Florida Resort closes on Wednesday and Thursday
• Aquatica Orlando plans to close Wednesday and Thursday.
• The Brevard Zoo plans to close Wednesday and Thursday and reopen on Friday.
• Seaworld Orlando plans to close its popular resort Wednesday and Thursday.
• the Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor Complex plans to open during regular hours of 9 to 5 on Wednesday but plans to close Thursday.

Florida Cancellations Due to Hurricane Ian

Florida also faces massive school closures of public and private schools, colleges and universities and adult education venues. Expect any community college in the area to be closed.

The ultimate financial costs of Hurricane Ian include the following:

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection
  The DEP, which regulates and monitors solid waste including storm debris, has geared up to expedite waste removal by removing permit requirements required to repair, replace and restore structures, equipment and transport systems.
  
  Hazardous-response teams are also preparing to act quickly to finish their pre-storm surveys of beach areas to facilitate essential repairs to some of Florida’s top tourist attractions.
  
• State Park Closures
  Florida State Park closures generate significant financial costs of losing reservations for campers, cabin reservations and the costs of park closures. Campers already active must be notified whether they can stay or whether their reservations are canceled as a safety measure.
  
• Office of Insurance Regulation
  The OIR regulates dangerous activities based on the risks of damage from a hurricane. The OIR also makes sure that insurance companies have the resources to assist policyholders with hurricane preparedness and responses to the storm’s threats to life and property.
  
• Florida Department of Revenue
  The Florida Department of Revenue manages the issuance of temporary licenses during disaster scenarios when supplying emergency aid trumps getting a background check or secure bonding. Fees are waived for licenses that provide the ability to conduct disaster relief.
  
• Florida Department of Management Services
  The DMS works to provide secure communications for first responders and organizations that provide disaster relief. Many state offices closed on Tuesday, and others will certainly close Wednesday. Communications can become a major problem during a hurricane, and the telecommunications division of the Florida DMS works to bridge any communication gaps during the crisis.
  
• Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
  The Florida Department of Economic Activity oversees many programs like ensuring deliveries of essential goods and supplies are made to superstores like Walmart and Publix.
  
• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
  The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation helps to ensure supplies of medications for emergency distribution.
  
• Visit Florida
  Visit Florida has activated its Emergency Accommodations program through Expedia to provide lodging for displaced persons.

The economic costs that Florida faces include the lost income, damages and funds needed to operate these various emergency services and resources.

Facing the Aftermath of a Category 4 Storm

It now appears almost a certainty that Ian will escalate into a Category 4 Hurricane that wreaks havoc across Florida’s western coast and central areas of the state. Major damages could put all plans on hold, and severe flooding is likely. It might take weeks or months to recover or repair a severely damaged electrical grid. Florida faces the possibility of uninhabitable areas where highly prized real estate formerly inspired envy.

Stay tuned-in to your weather app for updates on flash floods, closures, severe damages of businesses and industry and tips for surviving the aftermath of a Category 4 hurricane.