OHIO — AEP Ohio crews plan to head south on Wednesday to help with Hurricane Ian restoration efforts.
AEP said nearly 340 line workers, contractors, forestry teams and damage assessors will assist other crews as they prepare for the hurricane to make landfall.
Ian became the ninth named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season on the evening of Sept. 23. It made landfall as a major hurricane just southwest of La Coloma, a town in the Pinar del Rio Province of Cuba on Tuesday around 4:30 a.m.
It’s now heading for the Florida coast, expected to hit close to or directly impact Tampa as of Tuesday afternoon. Tampa Electric said it could shut down power to the southern tip of the downtown Tampa area early Wednesday. TECO said it would reduce restoration time.
A Storm Surge Warning has been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast extending from Tampa Bay to the Anclote River southward to Flamingo. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, the Aucilla River to Anclote River, Saint Johns River and Altamaha Sound to the Flagler/Volusia County line.
Earlier Tuesday, the nation’s top emergency management official gave a clear message to those in the line of the storm: “Get ready,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.
The FEMA administrator warned that Ian is projected to slow down to five miles per hour once it makes landfall on Florida’s west coast, meaning people in the state will “experience the impacts from this storm for a very long time.”
The Spectrum News weather team contributed to this article.
