Belizean Student in Jacksonville, Florida Brace for Hurricane Ian Impact

Hurricane Ian picked up strength overnight off the coast of West Florida. It made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida this morning as a category four hurricane with maximum sustained winds of one hundred and five miles per hour. A number of communities south west of the coast, including Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral, and Naples have been inundated with up to six feet of flood water.  Footage from the Weather Channel shows heavy rainfall, roadways completely submerged, and strong winds in Fort Myers Beach, one of the areas affected by the eye of Hurricane Ian. This evening Hurricane Ian was moving north- north east as it heads towards Jacksonville on the east coast. We spoke briefly via Zoom with a Belizean student who is currently in Jacksonville.

Kaelen Ingram

Kaelen Ingram, Edward Waters University
“We are following the news right now and we heard that it actually a category five hurricane. And from Belize and past stories we have heard, that is actually hurricane Haiti. So, that is what we are trying to be prepared at the moment. We were notified that it is suppose to impact around tomorrow. So, we are just trying to get the last bit of things to prepare for the hurricane that is going to hit tomorrow. You know as Belizeans we have to do what we are thought in school, get those batteries ready, flashlights, you know, radio and everything. And the extra little thing that will make us feel at home you know, flour and rice, for the little rice and beans we want to cook, just stuff like that we are trying to get everything together. Florida has a lot of huge bodies of water. So, as you can see right behind me there is actually a huge river that is comes through Jacksonville. The best advice we have been told is to get on high ground. So, that is what we are doing at the moment.”