this historically is going to be way over the top. >> try to hunker down and prepare for the storm. >> here now is kate know and aaron gilchrist. good afternoon. we're coming on the air with this breaking news. >> we're getting a look at the devastating damage hurricane ian is bringing to southwest florida. you can see some of the images

here. the storm surge, the flooding is astonishing. in downtown naples, florida, the mayor is calling it the worst she's ever seen. >> the winds are picking up as well while the category 4 hurricane still technically has not made landfall because the eye has not crossed on to l■>an yet. the wind gusts are so powerful. more than 90 miles per hour recorded just recently in punta gorda. >> kerry sanders is in punta gorda, florida for us now. the winds hitting pretty hard. talk to us about what you're dealing with right now. >> well, we're definitely past 90 miles per hour right now. the wind has picked up. i think you can get the demonstration of how strong the winds are here. i will move in a moment. i'm waiting for a gust to quit just for a moment. we're still a bit away from the eyewall. the winds will be up around 150 miles per hour, my guest is that was 110 or 115 miles per hour.

now i'm protected by a building. i'm in a place where the wind will not get me. i want to step out of the way and show you what we're looking at here. so, what we're looking at here down the street is only two blocks away from charlotte harbor. the power of the wind blowing the rain is remarkable. i stepped out of the way. but when those raindrops are hitting your face, it hurts. we're definitely moving into the highest winds, which is why i'm staying back here in the area that's a little bit better protected. i want to just point out here, see that stop sign that bent there? that stop sign that bent there, that's just from the wind. it took the whole metal and brought it down. maybe in the background, you can see a few tree limbs blowing. the bottom line is we're seeing stronger and stronger winds and there's more to come. guys? >> kerry, for those just joining

us on the network right now, set the scene for us. you're near port charlotte, you're near the bay. what's happening with the storm surge and the water? >> you know, that's been the big question. i went over to charlotte harbor and the peace river which meet there. and it was actually remarkable because the -- there goes the tree limbs and stuff like that we're trying to stay away from. the counterclockwise nature of the hurricane pulled all the water out of the harbor. so the boats that are moored there are sitting on the bottom of the seabed or the gulf of mexico or the riverbed. the sailboats are on their keels. all the water was sucked out. as the storm comes in, that will potentially change, meaning that the srm surge will come. i'm 5'5". the storm surge is anticipated to be somewhere from 12 feet to

17 feet. so, it's possible on the backside of the storm we'll see some flooding here. if you're wondering where we will go, we'll retreat to a concrete parking garage. and in that concrete parking garage, we can get up and get some protection there. in fact, a lot of people who live here in punta gorda decided to stay put and then when they started hearing about the storm surge -- the storm surge threat, they chose to actually get in their cars before the storm turned into what it is now, make their way into the parking garage and basically with tir cats, dogs, cars, and ride it out. hurricane refugees. >> kerry, that's what i was wondering about. there were so many places along the coast there were evacuation orders were put in place. people had to get out. i'm wondering what you know about how many people are still