Indiana groups head to Florida in Ian aftermath

Indiana’s Red Cross is mobilizing to help out in Florida after Hurricane Ian moved ashore yesterday. According to the agency, Indiana has deployed 27 volunteers to hurricane related operations. The state has also sent two Emergency Response Vehicles from Merrillville and Fort Wayne, which left on Tuesday. There is also an ERV driver on standby, if needed.

The storm made landfall in Lee County at around 3 yesterday afternoon at Cayo Costa State Park as a Category Four storm with sustained winds of 150 miles an hour. This morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that Ian’s maximum sustained winds have dropped to 65 miles an hour and downgraded Ian to a tropical storm.

However, the full extent of the damages will not be known for days. There are reports that downtown St. Augustine — about 40 miles south of Jacksonville — is under at least three feet of water.

You can find a link to donate to the local Red Cross efforts at the top of our website.

Indiana’s Task Force 1 is in Florida, ready to help out. After leaving Tuesday, the team is approaching the state to help respond to Hurricane Ian. They will be setting up in Lake City for the time being.

Task Force Leader, Gerald George, said the best-case scenario would be that they aren’t needed because the damage is lighter than expected. However, he said the task force is ready to jump into action to help search for missing people, check on residents, connect people with necessary resources, and more.