Miles south of where Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday, first responders in the city of Naples were having a difficult time getting to calls as historic storm surge engulfed entire blocks.
Ian made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Cayo Costa, according to the National Hurricane Center, and continued to batter the peninsula, bringing catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding.
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It didn’t take a direct hit for Naples to feel the wrath of Ian. Longtime residents said it's unlike any storm they've witnessed before.
"Just wild and crazy right now," said resident Robert Snyder. "I didn’t expect it to be this bad right here."
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HURRICANE IAN
The mayor of Naples said in her 33 years of living in the city, this was the worst hurricane to hit home when it comes to the storm surge.
"It was concerning, and then it went to devastating," said Mayor Teresa Heitmann.
At least eight people who were sightseeing and even kayaking the flooded streets had to be rescued, Heitmann said.
At one point, first responders were blocked from responding to 157 calls. The record-breaking storm surge made it impossible to get to them.
Officials implemented a mandatory curfew Wednesday night.
"We put the curfew in place because people want to be a part of this and find out what’s going on, which is absolutely the worst thing you can do," Heitmann said. "As soon as that water recedes, we have to identify what we’re up against so that we can clear the roads and let the residents come back in when it’s safe."
As Ian treks north Wednesday night, it's still unclear what this Category 4 storm left behind.
"After the storm goes through, it’s all the water, the powerlines, obstructions in the road, getting out, getting emergency care," said resident Brett Fisher.
At one point, at least 40% of Collier County was without power. County officials have started to clear main roads to hospitals and emergency shelters.
