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The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday the federal government is ready to respond after Hurricane Ian hits Florida but called on residents who did not evacuate to take precautions to stay safe.

“Hurricane Ian is and will continue to be a very dangerous and life-threatening storm,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said during a news briefing. “And this is going to be for the days ahead. Floridians up and down the coast are already feeling the storm’s painful impacts, and we have yet to experience landfall.”

Among the steps FEMA has taken, Criswell said, are search-and-rescue teams being staged in Miami, a variety of generators being positioned to restore power to critical infrastructure and medical facilities, 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water waiting nearby in Alabama, and 300 ambulances, as well as medical teams, being provided.

“I can confidently say that we have the right teams and we have the right resources in place and are ready to meet the needs of those that we are charged to serve,” Criswell said.

Gail McGovern, CEO of the American Red Cross, said at the briefing that her organization has staged nearly 500 volunteers and shelter supplies to accommodate 60,000 people.

Criswell urged Floridians to heed the warnings of their local officials before, during and after the storm. She also issued a few other warnings.

• Never drive through standing or moving water.

• If sheltering in an area experiencing rising water, quickly seek higher ground.

• Never operate a generator indoors because it could cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service, provided an update on Ian, saying, “I wish this wasn’t a forecast that’s about to come true.

“This is going to be a storm we talk about for many years. It’s a historic event.”

Graham laid out all the different ways the hurricane, which was nearing Category 5 intensity on Wednesday morning, will likely impact Florida. The storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday.

The hurricane will be felt along the southwest coast as well as inland, Graham said. He said Ian is a large storm, spreading 35 miles out from the eye. Tropical storm-force winds will be felt 150 miles away from the storm’s center, Graham added. 

The hurricane also is moving slowly and will take about 24 hours to travel across the peninsula. 

“That’s 24 hours of rainfall, 24 hour winds pushing the water,” Graham said. “That’s 24 hours that you’ll see some impacts associated with this.”

Storm surges are expected to reach as high as 12 to 18 feet from Englewood to Bonita Beach, along the southwest coast. And there’s also the potential of Ian spawning tornadoes, Graham said.

Asked what her biggest concern is, Criswell said the water.

“We are talking about a significant amount of storm surge and a significant amount of rainfall,” she said. “One of the reports I even heard earlier today, in some parts of the state, up to 5 inches per hour of rainfall. 

“So for those people who didn’t evacuate and are now being asked to stay in place, they need to make sure that they’re getting to high ground.”