Philadelphia Eagles fan rides out Hurricane Ian in Cape Coral, Florida
The storm made landfall near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of heavily populated Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL, Florida (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Eagles fan and New Jersey native Gabe Ferraro rode out Hurricane Ian in Cape Coral, Florida.
The storm made landfall near Cayo Costa, a barrier island just west of heavily populated Fort Myers. It's one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S.
Video captured the storm's strength as Ferraro took his Eagles flag into the wind Wednesday afternoon.
But he says all fun aside, the day has been dreadful.
"I've lost my entire fence. All my shingles in my house are gone. We've got trees down everywhere. people have lost power," said Ferraro who is a native of Pennsauken.
He hopes he never has to go through something like this again.
"It's one of the scariest things I've ever seen in my life," he says.
Justin and Katie Bellace, newlyweds from Exton, Pa., are on their honeymoon in Disneyworld as the hurricane batters Florida.
"Right now, we're on hotel lockdown. Everybody's under the idea that we're all in this together now," Katie Bellace said.
The Category 4 storm slammed the coast with 150 mph winds and pushed a wall of storm surge accumulated during its slow march over the Gulf. More than 1.8 million Florida homes and businesses were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. Nearly every home and business in three counties was without power.
The storm previously tore into Cuba, killing two people and bringing down the country's electrical grid.
About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before Ian hit, but by law no one could be forced to flee.
Forty-five members of PA Task Force 1 have packed up and are headed south to help the victims of Hurricane Ian.
A convoy of buses, trucks and equipment deployed to a staging area in Columbus, South Carolina on Wednesday.
The group includes specialists trained in search and rescue and hazardous materials.
Ahead of the storm, the American Red Cross sent 14 volunteers from southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Orlando, Florida, and more are standing by.
