DeSantis: Hurricane Ian near Category 5, could cause "catastrophic" damage to Florida

Hurricane Ian is now approaching the west coast of Florida as a powerful storm nearing Category 5 force, where it is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon between Sarasota and Ft. Myers, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The agency's 12:00 p.m. bulletin said the storm maintained maximum winds of 155 mph and was located 45 miles northwest of Naples, and making landfall near Sanibel Island about 45 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda, which would cause catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding.

The eye of the hurricane is forecast to make landfall Wednesday and then move over central Florida tonight through Thursday morning. It would exit the east coast of Florida into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday afternoon.

Although South Florida is outside of the path cone that continues to include portions of west, central and north Florida, Ian's effects are being felt across most of the state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Wednesday morning that Hurricane Ian is getting stronger and could hit the state with a Category 5 storm.

President Joe Biden indicated that the federal government is prepared to help Florida in the face of Hurricane Ian.

Biden held a phone call with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Crearwater, which could be the most impacted by the storm system.

"The president has promised them the full assistance of the federal government," said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell, who was in the Oval Office at the time of the phone conversation, at a press conference.

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the entire state Saturday, asking residents to take action while remaining calm.

"This is a really, really big hurricane at this point," DeSantis said Monday. "The storm surge is likely to be significant given how big the storm is."

"There's no need to buy for fear of coming up short," DeSantis added. "If you don't normally drink a lot of water, you may not need to go out and buy 20 gallons of water right now.... Just do what you need to do to be prepared."