have been very strong and dire. this will be catastrophic for the state of florida. we will be with you all day long. we have great resources in order to keep you updated on what's happening. >> bill: okay. so for dana and me, we'll check out for now. harris is going to take over and take you throughout the day. >> dana: here is harris. >> harris: fox news weather hurricane alert now. hurricane ian is holding together and that is a problem especially for the southern gulf coast of florida. right now the update, as you just learned, 2 to 4:00 p.m. eastern for landfall is now predicted with a direct hit ranging between cape corral to the south and sarasota to the north. when it does hit, wherever exactly that is, the united states national hurricane center could put hurricane ian in the rare form of a category 5.

it is just shy of that now. we won't get ahead of the news on this. we are expecting an official storm update at any moment. i'm harris faulkner and you are in "the faulkner focus." hurricane ian is now carrying sustained kinds of 155 miles per hour. if they gain to 157 it's a category 5. the biggest threats facing floridians are massive storm surge, raging winds, inland flooding, tornadoes, experts already using words like catastrophic to describe hurricane ian's potential. 21/2 million people are under evacuation orders. for those people in the storm's path directly, that swath that i just told you to the south, cape coral and to the north sarasota. it's too late to evacuate if you're still there according to the governor.

governor desantis also saying it is time just to hunker down for you. he spoke last hour. >> this amount of storm surge. it will have very ferocious winds and it will be life threatening. people are taking a risk with their health, safety and lives by being in the eye of that storm. nevertheless, you do have search and rescue that are going to be poised to go to respond to people that are in difficult circumstances once the storm breaks through. >> harris: with a plan, with preparation they are ready. now we wait together. team fox hurricane coverage across the florida peninsula. fox news and fox weather reporting on the massive storm. let's go to senior correspondent steve harrigan. you are in charlotte county, they are bracing for landfall and now we're told the window is shortened and coming between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.enter >> certainly some dire news for

the people in charlotte county. that major storm is heading just this way. and with wind gusts now 40 miles per hour or greater, we have just been alerted first responders won't be going out at this point to rescue people. they ordinarily stop during the height of the storm. and then help people afterwards. so right now if you are here in charlotte county, you are largely on your own. keep in mind this storm is still 3 or 4 hours off the coast heading this way. we've heard a lot about category 4 or category 5. it doesn't matter whether it's 155 miles per hour or 157 miles per hour, the word used for both of those categories is catastrophe. catastrophic damage. damage enough to knock down houses, not just interior walls, but entire houses. we could see a storm surge of up to 12 feet. we could see 18 inches of rain in some areas. they have done a very aggressive job of evacuating people.

a lot of people have not left. we still have power here and internet here but the gusts already beginning to pick up a little bit to knock you on your side. 200,000 people right now without electric power in florida. they've got 30,000 power workers ready to respond but they won't be able to respond until after the storm passes through. harris, back to you. >> harris: quickly and i'm hoping that you can hear everything i'm saying. i will repeat it if i need to. all along we've been told as this thing has gained intensity it was very slow. this seems to be moving a little bit quicker. when do the conditions start that you have right now? they are already pretty fierce. >> this certainly has strengthened dramatically. it caught a lot of people by surprise. people were thinking a 3 or 2 and now it's a four bordering on a five. those differences are significant. we're still seeing some lights on here. some people even driving through this parking lot.

right now the word is stay put. it is too late to evacuate. first responders not going out. we've seen everything shut down and the most worrisome shutdowns are gas stations and bridges at 40 miles per hour will still be shut down as well. getting out of here they don't recommend it and you will be likely unable to get over some of those bridges. back to you. >> harris: we have just gotten the official 11:00 a.m. eastern advisory from the national hurricane center. stay safe. steve there telling everybody if you haven't left, hunker down. our reporters are in the middle of that, too. they are storm chaser and they will remain safe. we send them prayers any way. okay. so let's take a look at this 11:00 a.m. advisory. two things that stand out to me, a storm surge warning has been issued for the mouth of the st. mary's river to the mouth of the

st. san teachings river in south carolina and sebastian inlet. a hurricane watch has been issued from that same area, fall ouja county line to seamount san teachings, river. a storm warning is to little river inlet south carolina. what this means as we look at the map and pull it out if we want to. this thing will cook inland, too. that's where you get the warnings for tornadoes and things that can twist off and emerge from the wind conditions that are around the eye of the storm as it moves into florida. now, something else sticks out to me, too. a storm surge warning in effect. tampa bay is on that list. it is second on the list. we knew about the lower florida keys. tampa bay remaining on that list. why is that important?

in the first days of trying to watch storm forecasters were telling us tampa bay would be more of a direct hit. the storm shifted in the last 12 to 15 hours south along florida's gulf coast. but as you can see from the this latest 11:00 a.m. advisory. they think the thing will come ashore 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.enter we're not far away from that and tampa bay is part of that storm surge warning. i'll go down the list here. tropical storm warnings for farther inland. as you get away from the coast the storm starts to lose its intensity moving across land. but as it does that the storm is held together but the storm winds. you heard steve harrigan talk about this. a cat four now at 155 miles per hour. a cat five at 157, not a whole lot of difference there.

what it does mean is the higher of category of storm the longer it may take across land to lose some of that intensity of powers. one of my teachers is with me now. janice dean is live from the weather center. janice. >> we've covered a lot of storms together and this one is going to be for the record books. this is going to devastate southwest florida. you were talking about categories 4 and 5 and we're on the cusp of a five. it doesn't matter any more. the damage will be the storm surge and some of these vulnerable coastlines upwards of 18 feet and it will come during high tide. it will add an additional 1 to 2 feet and the waves on top of that. prayers are needed in southwest florida because we are -- landfall is imminent in the next couple hours and the high wall is now making landfall across portions of southwest florida.

we'll feel the hurricane-force winds getting gusts in venice of over 60 miles per hour. it will be a long duration event. you mentioned the slowing down. that will be dangerous because you will have all of this water. this is like a bulldozer of water now from a very strong hurricane that is three times the size of charley. when we look at the history of hurricanes that have hit this area charlie came ashore in 2004. it was a category 4. this is three times the size of charley. folks that live in fort myers and punta gorda remember charlie. this one will be worse than that. we've covered a lot of hurricanes together. this will be one of the worst that i have ever covered in my career. we're expecting a landfall probably around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m.enter slows down, 24 hours across the state of florida crawling. orlando under hurricane warning. you mentioned the tornado

threat. dozens of tornadoes out of land falling hurricanes and we've seen tornado warnings not only today but yesterday and it will be on going. the peak storm surge. what kills most people in the path of a hurricane. this warning is 12 to 18 feet vulnerable coastline here. that will overtop homes. that will move well inland. and that's the biggest concern. looking at some of the rivers that are going to crest here at historic levels over the next 12 to 24 hours. 13-foot storm surge here and again that's falling on high tide it will be further than that. it will be upwards of in some cases maybe close to 20-foot storm surge because of the high tide. the tropical related death surge is the highest and this is what is going to inundate fort myers up to sarasota, florida in the next couple of hours.

>> harris: quickly a couple of reasks on you. a storm surge warning in effect now. i made a point to tell the audience that while tampa is no longer on the short list of direct hit cities. in the beginning it was and now it has shifted. it is second on the list for -- this is not alphabetical. second on the list for storm surge damage. talk to me about the distance, if you will, from where the storm is projected to hit directly and you say that those hurricane winds are already moving on shore right now. they are getting a flavor of how bitter this will be. how far away is that from cities like tampa and orlando? we mentioned orlando for possible twisters. >> the whole state of florida is in a state of emergency. we think the core of the strongest winds will come ashore around the fort myers area. it's just south of tampa bay. we thought tampa would take the brunt of the storm.

they'll still see storm surge totals of six feet. the worst of the damage will be south of tampa. fort myers is one of the most vulnerable coastlines. naples, sarasota. something they've never seen in their lifetime in this region. so rain totals, yes, certainly we could see over a foot of rainfall. it is the storm surge, 12 to 18 feet and again coming at high tide and the waves on top of that, harris. if you know the region. it is low-lying beach areas and the water will come on top of homes. that's why you can hide from the winds, you have to run from the water. and as you mentioned, the time has run out and why i'm so scared and the prayers need to be said for this portion of southwest florida. >> harris: a couple of things, correction from me. it is flagler, i struggled with that. i apologize. 270,000 people in florida now without electrical power. even as the winds, the outer

bands are moving in from hurricane ian, it is coming in with a fury. last quick question. you said not much difference between a cat four and cat five. does it matter in terms of how long it takes the intensity of those winds to die down? >> we are going to see the storm weaken in the next 12 to 24 hours but still be intact because we have a hurricane warning in orlando. we are still expecting hurricane-force winds well inland and to the atlantic side of florida up toward the georgia area. we still have hurricane watches and advisories in those areas. we expect the storm to hold together in the next 12 to 24 hours. the catastrophic damage we're expecting is going to be along the coast. >> harris: water. >> absolutely. >> harris: we can hide from the wind but you have to run from the water. we'll check back. we keep getting updates and

we'll come back when we need to with you. thank you, janice. >> absolutely. >> the storm is incredibly dangerous to state the obvious. it is life threatening. you should obey all warnings and directions from emergency officials. don't take anything for granted. the danger is real and the storm passes the federal government will be there to help you recover. the clean up and rebuild and help florida get moving again and we'll be there at every step of the way. that's my absolute commitment to the people in the state of florida. >> harris: just moments ago president biden on hurricane ian. leaders on both federal and state levels now preparing for landfall and the after math. ft. myers on the southern gulf coast of florida. as now looking for a direct hit between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. eastern. janice dean said closer to 3:00

eastern. fort myers mayor is here with us. all thoughts and blessing to you. >> thank you. >> harris: as you brace for this you have done everything you can do. so your constituents now are doing what? >> some have evacuated the area. others have gone into shelters. but still we have some who are hunkering down and riding the storm out. >> harris: they've been through this many times and so for people who would question why not leave, some folks don't have very many places or options. but there are shelters around you and i understand those were filling up. >> yes, we have had several thousand people have gone for the shelters. >> harris: that's a lot. talk to me about the conditions right now. i can't tell where you are exactly but it is very quiet where you are. i think you have gotten to a storm-safe situation and not near any windows because it's so quiet.

>> i'm just outside and there are some wind gusts and the rain and because of the noise from the wind i stepped back inside. we're experiencing the wind and the rain, as i said. i see a lot of palm fronds down and lost a lot of trees as well. >> harris: when you go through a hurricane, one as big as this beast, and if it reaches a category 5. there have been only four of those to hit the united states. 38 in total since the 1800s. you are entering your way to historic ground. when these things move in you brace. what is the after math in terms of your planning look like? >> it will be a significant event for us. we have -- we're always in the planning stages when it comes to hurricanes. our emergency response teams are activated and on standby.

as soon as it's safe they'll be on the roads so emergency vehicles can get by. we'll work closely with the power company fpl does a fabulous job of pooling resources from around the country to get the quickest restoration of power as possible. you know, until it happens, we don't know what we're faced with. but we know the water, wind damage and loss of electricity. >> harris: when do decisions start to get made. i have flown into your airport. such a beautiful location where you are on the gulf side of florida. and i'm wondering when were decisions made about travel in terms of airport closures, that sort of thing? >> you know, it's a very delicate balance. you don't want to close down too soon and affect people's ability to travel and you don't want to affect commerce any more than you have to.

there comes a point where it's clear, this is a safety issue and we must act accordingly and do what's right for the public. >> harris: are you doing text messages, what type of communication can you make with the people you lead, mayor? >> we're doing all kinds of social media, facebook, text, we have the city website has information posted. we're doing everything we can to communicate with the public. >> harris: okay. what we'll do, i will ask my team to collect some of that information from you and we'll put those up in our social, too, so people can -- sometimes they will have access to those sorts of things if you have battery power left in your car as the storm moves on but you don't have electricity, you might be able to drain a couple of things before you have to give up on being able to communicate for a few hours. so we want to get that information out there. also to the supply chain has been so tight. i saw people collecting things.

did you have everything you need? what is something that immediately after this you think you'll need? >> most likely drinking water and food. i've already been in touch with the salvation army. they are ready to deploy their units to provide food. we'll work with the state and the federal government for those other resources. >> harris: just so people know we see this on the east coast and floridians are familiar. they'll bring in the clean drinking water on an 18-wheeler with spigots. >> as we look at the pictures now we're seeing some live. as you move north winds not so bad. south where we have our

correspondents it's the surge they're so concerned about because it is already windy down there. talk to me a little bit about the vulnerability of the coastline where you are, mayor? >> i'm very concerned about the storm surge. when you talk 12 to 18 feet, that will have a catastrophic effect on our city both in the residential areas as well as our downtown area which sits directly on the river. >> harris: how much of your population is there? >> that's hard to determine. we can measure who is in the shelters. it is hard to measure when has fled and who has stayed behind. >> harris: mayor kevin anderson of beautiful fort myers, florida, we pray for you and look forward to talking with you when the beast has moved. thank you for joining us on "focus."enter >> thank you very much. harris. >> harris: ashley webster is on the ground in st. petersburg, florida where we are seeing the

eyewall moving onto shore. janice dean told us a few moments ago before we talked to the mayor of fort myers that it has begun. it is happening in full. the eyewall is moving onshore. many think it's the worst of the storm. that's the quiet part. >> that's the actual eye. that's where it is calmment don't be deceived. the eyewall is 100 miles south from here to give you an idea how big the storm is. we are getting these tremendous bands of strong winds and rain flying into this area. expect up to a foot of rain if not more. this is going to continue through the rest of the day and into the evening. i want to point out something interesting. we're on the north shore looking south towards tampa bay. and originally three days ago we were concerned about a storm surge of may 10 to 12 feet. because the storm moved in

further south, the winds are actually pushing all of this water out of the bay. it is happening up and down from here all the way down to fort myers. strength of the storm is pulling the water out of the bays. in some places dry. now authorities are say don't be deceived. right now the storm is moving onshore. once it moves onshore all the water will rush into the bay area. it is very low behind me. this will start to grow and we are in an evacuation area here. we could still see a storm surge. we're only just getting going and again as i say, harris, 100 miles north of the storm. i think the biggest problem will be the rainfall, trees coming down with winds up to 80 miles per hour later today and it will lead to power outages. we're seeing more than 200,000 in florida. governor earlier this morning said he is expecting millions of

customers to lose power over the next 12 to 24 hours. >> harris: ashley, it's happening moment by moment. a few minutes ago it was 260 plus. i reported 270, now 278. the power outages are creeping up quickly as the winds move in. it is fascinating what you said and lifesaving what you said. >> i'm losing my audio but go ahead. >> harris: i was just going to say it is critically lifesaving the information that you gave about the water in the base and the water along the coastline getting pushed and picked up by the storm. people sometimes will follow that water. >> i have to throw it back to you. >> harris: ashley, thank you. please stay safe. i want to complete that thought, though. he touched on something so important. what officials are saying is please don't walk out where the water is receding. it is amazing, by the way. you see the sand exposed that you've never seen before.

you are drawn to that. it's human nature. we're curious. don't follow it out. when the water comes back it is a lot and deeper than you think it s. he was getting to that. he is watching that scooping process. most of the time you don't get to see that. where he is is 100 miles north of tampa bay and he can see the waters that far north having the scooping sensation. janice dean called it the bulldozer of water that hurricane ian will bring with the storm is the greatest danger. we're starting to see that with those bands away from the eyewall still pretty good distance away but they're starting to move in. when the eyewall moves across florida, that is that quiet, calm point and then you have to brace for the winds on the other side which will be carrying so much more water. so we're all over this. much more on hurricane ian. stay close to "the faulkner focus."

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>> harris: hurricane ian maintaining the top power of a category 4 hurricane. the national weather center just reporting winds are sustained at 155 miles per hour just two miles per hour short of a category 5. as you heard meteorologist janice dean say, once you get into that territory there is no difference between the two, really. here is sarasota mayor on fox.

>> we are in as good a shape as we can be. we'll get through it together. the scary thing about this hurricane it will en tense file. we're praying for everyone. know the community is here. we want to hunker down. >> harris: it's that intensifying people are watching simply for the storm surge. that will be the biggest difference if it reaches a cat five. hopefully enough people have gotten out of the way that the rest of the power of a cat five they won't realize as much rain and so on and so forth. we pray for them and their mobility ahead of the storm. the national hurricane center estimates a total of 38 top call cyclones peaked as cat five storms so far. we're in the middle of this season. so far four of those have hit the united states. we don't know if that will change today. in clear water, florida, businesses have been boarded up

with windows, all anticipating the powerful winds expected their way. people in high-risk flood zones have been urged to evacuate to higher ground. we hope that has happened before now. it is too late. the mayor and governor have told us it's time to hunker down now. the mayor of clear water joins me now. i'm so glad that we are able to still talk to each other. a lot of people in your state don't have the utility of electrical power right now. how are things going where you are? >> we're starting to see things intensify somewhat with more rain and wind. as has been reported already, we're seeing historically low tides right now with the storm actually pushing water out from clear water bay, which is right outside my window. i think the message to everyone is don't allow complacency to creep in. >> harris: mayor hibbard, i say

this to floridians and people in the carolinas, so on and so forth. when you are used to this sort of thing you can get a little complacent. as we've interviewed people in the last few days there hasn't been an idea we'll sit it out this time as much as normal. >> we have had a much better response. i think this storm really concerned people and they've been very compliant. i'm always worried more about our long-term residents where we have had near misses and they say well, it will be another near miss. our newer residents who have come from elsewhere have been very attentive and i think have made all the right decisions. we obviously have dodged a bullet compared to our neighbors to the south. >> harris: yes, you are talking about the storm surge and the water being pushed out of clear water bay and the ability to watch that is chilling.

so yes, you have missed the center of the storm but we still are concerned about all that water. our top meteorologist said it will be a bulldozer of water for everybody along the gulf coast. what are you able to do now in preparation that you have learned from other storms? >> well, we're really preparing for the recovery. we have had our eocs spun up since monday, intensifying that yesterday. we have urban forestry and sanitation for them to be back on the roads as soon as its safe. people need to know once winds hit 45 miles per hour we do not send out first responders at that point. so you really are on your own. you want to take all the pre cautions necessary. >> harris: that normally would be pretty late in a storm.

we don't see them almost at category 5 and potential category 5 storms often making a direct hit on the united states. so 45 miles per hour is a distance from 155 miles per hour where we are now. >> we know even at 45 miles per hour those are unsafe conditions. with the ground getting saturated with the rain that we're having, you will start to see trees topple with the type of wind that we have. bringing down power lines and creating very unsafe conditions. a lot of the deaths in these storms occur after the storm and people are unaware of downed lines. they get in water and it is tragic end. >> harris: that is a great reminder for people. to our correspondent ashley webster just moments ago, we were talking about what happens when that water gets scooped up out of the bay like where you are. people get so curious and they want to be there when it happens

and they cannot be standing there. when the receded waters come back, they come back with a fury and far above your head usually. you know, just in terms of what the weather was before this, what is it like right now for people who are losing their electricity? has it cooled down much where you are? is it hot? what are the conditions? >> no, it's cooled down significantly. we are in the 70s right now. it's 100% humidity. but because of the cloud cover people will be more comfortable, at least for the next day or so, if they lose power and lose air. fortunately we have 25 shelters in our county so people can avail themselves of that. but even the shelters on occasion lose power and don't have generators. >> harris: wow. mayor hibbard, it sounds like you have done everything with what you have.

the people are fortunate for your leadership. we wish you the best where you are in clear water and we can see. we have live video on right now. we have cameras every where down there and able to see without putting our own people in harm's way as the eye moves in towards sarasota and cape corral. thank you. >> thank you. >> harris: take care. phil keating is live for us in tampa with fox weather, your hurricane headquarters. phil, dodged a bullet tampa, orlando, but from what we're seeing and i just talked to the mayor of clear water the storm is having a nasty habit of picking up bay water and pulling it out into the storm. it's becoming much more powerful in its ability to do that, which puts everybody in storm surge peril. >> yes, all due to the big counter clockwise circular motion of a hurricane.

that's why that happens this morning. we have cool pictures of that in a second. we're just now receiving our latest band of gusty winds and rain. but really for the tampa bay region the worst is yet to come probably hours away with the most water and wind happening then. as for landfall of cat four hurricane ian, it could be happening within the next two hours, likely in charlotte county, that is north of fort myers toward charlotte and punta gorda. this is exactly where in 2004 the destructive hurricane charley went ashore. those people remember those that were there then and still there now the damage that the flying debris could certainly cause. it was more of a wind damage event. as this hurricane moves north and east the rain and winds move up the state. this is going to be an all day or two affair for the sunshine

state. a very long peninsula. a while ago the skyway bridge that spans tampa bay to st. petersburg closed. winds are recorded at 70 miles per hour on the bridge making driving very unsafe. tampa bay giving these images of the bay the water is blown out but this also means that water does come back in and as you mentioned a few minutes ago, harris, that could bring in even steeper and deeper storm surge on the backside. last night in broward county ian produced at least two tornadoes. south florida receiving the first of the impact of the hurricane. a couple of private planes were flipped up side down in an airport among the damage in the area. up to 20 inches of rain is forecast by the mayor of tampa to happen before this is all

said and done. storm surge, flash flooding, the area around tampa is already heavily saturated from recent rains so 20 inches of rain will cause a whole lot of problems, a whole lot of standing water. really with all of the power outages that have already begun it will move up the state through orlando and up towards jacksonville just as the storm itself does. and cell phone service will undoubtedly go down and everybody is giving the advice, plan, stock up your house, food, water, ride the storm out. because at this point it is really not smart to get out and drive around on the roads. >> harris: can you hear me still? >> i can. >> harris: you said a couple things i want to go over. 70 miles an hour winds already on one of those main bridges in tampa that's closed now. that is almost half of the power of the storm already moving in with outer bands not quite where

the storm is due to hit directly. so that's a lot of power already where you are standing. that bridge not too far away. you said the mayor of tampa forecast 20 inches of rain and that it's already saturated. are they in trouble just in terms of where people didn't get out? did enough people leave when they saw the shift of this storm away from tampa and a more direct hit south of there? >> the evidence was that of the roughly 3 million people up and down the west coast that were in a mandatory evacuation zone, it did appear that a lot of them did heed the advice and get out, get to higher ground and get to a safer place than right there on the coast where the sea level, your altitude is only a matter of feet. traffic flows were very heavy going east and north. so you are always going to have people that refuse to leave and

at this point like in charlotte county all emergency services have ceased. it is too hazardous for their first responders to get out on the roads. those are the impacts of if you don't go and the worst gets even worse. >> harris: phil keating. one of the mayors told me that they do that at 45 miles per hour and we've come some distance from that. there are not emergency services if many places by now that are out but they'll immediately out as the storm passes and that's a blessing. phil keating. thank you very much. more on hurricane ian after this. (vo) what can a nationwide 5g network from t-mobile for business do for your business? unlock new insights and efficiency-right now. allow monitoring of productivity at remote job sites, with next-generation bandwidth. enable ai cameras that spot factory issues in real time, using next-generation speed. and deliver ultra-capacity 5g coverage that's years ahead of the competition.

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>> harris: we just talked with the mayor of fort myers. he is warning everyone would

lives there their city could see a direct hit from hurricane ian. fox weather's robert ray is on the ground there. robert. >> yeah, harris, deteriorating as i speak. right now live on fox news you can see here this is downtown fort myers. one of the harbors here you see the trees unraveling. if my photographer could zoom in down there and look at some of these boats starting to come apart. anything that is on there is really in danger because these winds keep picking up tremendously. this is some of the strongest gusts i have felt all day and i spent the day starting out actually on the gulf of mexico. we had to get off that barrier island where fort myers beach is because of the storm surge. now here we are 12, 13 miles inland and the bands are coming in with the heavy winds.

another one right now. it's not that there is a tremendous amount of rain at this point. it is the wind kicking things around. you can hear in the distance, harris, when things are popping and you hear slight booms and you just know that things are unraveling. we've seen garbage cans fly around and just the sounds of the whooshing through the buildings here on this harbor as the boats go back and forth. just tremendous. we're just getting going unfortunately as hurricane ian is coming ashore and packing this incredible wind field and energy we've been facing all morning and florida has been preparing for all week. it is earlier in the week to think there was discussion because of the unpredictability of this storm that it could be up in the panhandle and here we are in southwestern florida about to take it on the chin. let's just hope everybody is in

the places they need to be hunkering down right now as ian makes its way in. harris. >> harris: robert ray, thank you very much for the reporting out there and we aren't seeing the usual people stroll by. a lot of people and mayors are telling us this hour they aren't that curious to be out there this time. they know their safety is on the line and people are really staying put. this storm has shifted a couple of times but it has had florida in its sight for several days now. we can tell you with the updates and from our own meteorologist janice dean 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. eastern is a critical time for orc -- hurricane ian moving in. we are looking at marco island. we have cameras down there trying to keep our own people out of harm's way but showing you the storm. we know those winds are whipping. fox news and fox weather has been covering even the inside of the storm. one of our fox news multimedia

reporters flew into the eye of hurricane ian with noarr hurricane hunter. she reports the turbulence wasn't that bad and then it was horrible. the pilot actually turned a plane around because it was so intense. those winds are moving on shore and they have been the better part of the hour. where we started. now the coverage continues. i want to bring in someone who knows this area so well because he is a leader there. congressman byron donald represents the people of fort myers, marco island, cape corral. the congressman is praying for them but he is at fema headquarters doing something they really need. a member of the house oversight and reform committee right now at fema. congressman, first of all they will me what you are concentrated on in making sure is prepared along the coast where your constituents live.

>> first of all, harris, good to be with you. the number one thing that is of concern right now obviously is the storm begins the make landfall is what are some of the estimates looking like for storm surge and any issues with standing water that may remain. southwest florida is actually very saturated. it has been very wet for the last couple of weeks, so as the storm was approaching our concern obviously is the wind that the storm brings but it is going to be the flooding that can occur afterwards. so what we've been discussing is the preparedness for energy, for the energy linemen to come back in and restore power. the ability for water to be moved out of the area as quickly as possible. and for the various measures that may be necessary whether it's water and ice, food, even housing. the key thing we want to make sure that hopefully people got out when there was still time.

we definitely do not want anybody on the roads right now. so if you are listening to this broadcast and in southwest florida, please stay in place. do not leave. stay in place. also stay in place for several hours because you need this entire storm to move through the area. so you can get an understanding of what the real toll and damage is. last thing i will say is this storm will make landfall between 3:00 and 4:00 like you are reporting, it is going to be nightfall and pitch black because power will be out in the area. while the storm passes, so we really want to make sure nobody is venturing out at night when you aren't going to be able to see debris, power lines, water levels, etc. >> harris: that's particularly important. the later the forecast has gotten today, that is a concern because people will want to go out. it won't lessen right away but it is human nature to see has it

passed. it will be dark out not just because of the loss of utilities but also just the lateness of the hour. you brought something into the conversation we haven't been talking about. those are the recent storms you have already had and how much standing water you have and how inundated your area already is. with just a few seconds left, tell me about that. >> we went through hurricane ir ma a few years ago. it was dry in southwest florida at that time. the back side of hurricane ir ma. broke down. this continues backside strength. that's what's important. the backside strength is what brings the storm surge and our concern is there right now. we want to make sure the water gets out of the areas as quickly as possible and people please stay safe. >> harris: blessing to you and the people of all of florida. thanks for being with me this hour. our coverage continues after the our coverage continues after the

♪ ♪ >> kayleigh: coming to you with a fox news hurricane alert, hurricane ian's extremely dangerous eye wall is now living on shore in florida. it's forecasted to make landfall just hours from now, and conditions are deteriorating quickly. governor ron desantis is warning the more than 2 million people in the evacuation zone that if you did not get out,