The nation’s top emergency management official had a clear message to Floridians on Tuesday as they anticipate a battering from Hurricane Ian when it approaches the Gulf Coast: “Get ready.”

“Do not underestimate the potential that this storm can bring,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at the White House.

What You Need To Know

  • The nation’s top emergency management official had a clear message to Floridians on Tuesday as they anticipate Hurricane Ian: “Get ready"

  • President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he spoke with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, telling them the federal government is there to help with "whatever they need"

  • The FEMA administrator warned that Ian is projected to slow down to five miles per hour once it makes landfall on Florida’s west coast, meaning people in the state will “experience the impacts from this storm for a very long time"

  • Officials’ primary concern is storm surge, Criswell added, and she said it could be life-threatening for those on the coast

“Know where you are going to get your information. Listen to your local officials and heed their advice. They're trying to keep you safe,” she said, urging people under evacuation orders to leave and seek shelter inland. 

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he spoke with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater — leaders in the vulnerable Tampa Bay area on the western coast of Florida, where the storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday.

Officials said Ian strengthened to a category 3 storm as it made its way over Cuba Tuesday.

 

“For now the experts say this could be a very severe hurricane, life-threatening with a devastating impact,” Biden told a crowd gathered in the White House Rose Garden.

He said his administration was “on alert and in action” to aid Florida, including 700 FEMA personnel, 3.5 million liters of water and 3.7 million meals, plus hundreds of generators.

Biden said he told each of the mayors in Tampa Bay separately: “Whatever they need — I mean this sincerely — whatever they need, contact me directly.”

“We're here to support them in every way we can,” he added, telling Floridians: “Your safety is more important than anything. I know our hearts are with everyone who will feel the effects of this storm and will be with you every step of the way. We're not going away.”

Biden did not say he’d spoken with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, though Criswell said she had last week.

The FEMA administrator warned that Ian is projected to slow down to five miles per hour once it makes landfall on Florida’s west coast, meaning people in the state will “experience the impacts from this storm for a very long time.”

“If people are told to evacuate by their local officials, please listen to them. The decision you choose to make may mean the difference between life and death,” she said, pointing to five deaths from Hurricane Michael when it hit the panhandle in 2018.

Officials’ primary concern is storm surge, Criswell added, even as far as the east coast near Daytona and Jacksonville. Some parts of the state could see 25 inches of rain, she added.

The Red Cross has opened 29 shelters so far and is prepared to open 60 more. An extra 200 FEMA-contracted ambulances and four federal medical teams are on the ground.

Criswell said she was concerned about “complacency,” since the Tampa Bay area especially has not experienced a major storm in about a century.

“We're talking about impacts and a part of Florida that hasn't seen a major direct impact in nearly 100 years,” she said. “There's also parts of Florida where there's a lot of new residents that have never experienced this type of threat. So my message to them is, still: Take this very seriously.” 

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted Tuesday that anyone who needs assistance after the storm can film a claim on disasterassistance.gov.

He also encouraged people to prepare for up to a week without power.