Hurricane Ian: Florida resident carries dog for 3 blocks to escape waist-high floods

Hurricane Ian began lashing Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday with powerful winds and drenching rain, prompting authorities to warn residents to hunker down as the eye of the Category 4 storm made its way from offshore.

16:04, Wed, Sep 28, 2022 | UPDATED: 16:05, Wed, Sep 28, 2022

Hurricane Ian: Dylon Estevez carries dog through waist-deep water

Dramatic footage has shown residents of the small island city of Key West, 150 miles south of Miami, Florida, scrambling through waist-high water with their dog to find shelter. Ignoring calls to stay inside, the two men posted a video online of them carrying their frightened pet through the streets of Key West after their house was flooded with more than a foot of water in less than an hour by the swelling hurricane. In the video, the man behind the camera can be heard saying “this is absolutely nuts” as they navigate choppy waters and a fierce wind with only torchlights to illuminate the way. Tens of thousands of Florida residents have already lost power as officials struggle to battle the extreme conditions.

Key West resident Dylon Estevez, who posted the video on his Twitter, told the Weather Channel that they had travelled “a mile”, the equivalent of a “few blocks” in the treacherous conditions.

He said the pair had travelled to “somewhat dry land” where his roommate's boss was able to pick them up and take them to his house, which was miraculously dry.

As they navigated the waters, the dog can be seen squirming in her owner's arms, visibly frightened by the ordeal.

Mr Estevez screams over the wind multiple times that the water is “gushing”, describing the scene as “absolutely nuts”.

Florida local carries dog through Hurricane Ian

A Florida local carries his dog through waist-high waters from Hurricane Ian (Image: TWITTER )

Key West residents use torchlights

Key West residents use torchlights to find their way through the darkness (Image: TWITTER )

At 7 am eastern time, Hurricane Ian was around 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Punta Gorda, Florida, carrying maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour), the US National Hurricane Center said.

It upgraded Ian to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, though it said the storm was expected to weaken somewhat after reaching land.

”The storm is here,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said at a news conference. “Stay indoors. Stay away from windows.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that people in four Gulf Coast counties were no longer safe to evacuate and urged residents to get off the roads and stay inside.

NASA images show Hurricane Ian

NASA images show Hurricane Ian entering the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday night (Image: GETTY )

Hurricane Ian rain bands

Hurricane Ian’s rain bands drift over Florida on Wednesday morning (Image: Twitter: @JaniyaaPryorr)

Mr DeSantis said: “It's time to hunker down and prepare for this storm. This is a powerful storm that should be treated like a tornado approaching your home.

“This is going to be a nasty, nasty day or two days. This is going to be a rough stretch.”

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center warned that Ian would unleash wind-driven high surf, torrential rains that may cause coastal flooding of up to 12 feet along with intense thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.

The storm's outer bands were already bringing heavy winds and rains to much of the Gulf Coast on Wednesday morning.

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Cuba left devastated by Hurricane Ian

Cuba was left devastated after Hurricane Ian ripped through its streets (Image: GETTY )

The Florida coastal zone at highest risk is home to miles of sandy beaches, scores of resort hotels, and numerous mobile home parks, a favourite with retirees and vacationers alike.

Some 78,000 homes and businesses in Florida were without power early on Wednesday, and tens of thousands more could go dark before the storm passes.

Yesterday, Ian hammered Cuba, leaving the entire Caribbean island nation without power.

It was expected to crash ashore into Florida on Wednesday afternoon at about 2 pm in Charlotte County, about 100 miles south of Tampa and just north of Fort Myers.