A hurricane is a rotating storm that has a low-pressure center and several thunderstorms within. A hurricane must be a tropical storm before it forms into a severe storm.

There are 5 ways to categorize hurricanes. A category 1 hurricane has wind speeds from 74 to 95 miles per hour. That speed of winds would damage houses and power lines in the area that it hits. A category 2 hurricane can include winds ranging from 96 to 110 miles per hour. A category 2 can cause worse damage to houses and even uproot trees. Category 3 hurricanes have winds from 111 to 129 miles per hour. This caliber hurricane can cause water shortages as well as terrible damage to houses. Category 4 is a catastrophic hurricane, with wind speeds from 130 to 156 miles per hour. The worst of the worst is a category 5. 157+ miles per hour winds would destroy homes, down power lines, and lay waste to the surrounding area.

Only 4 category 5 hurricanes have touched down in the U.S.. The closest one we’ve had in awhile is currently raging through the East Coast of the United States. Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday the 28, as a category 4 hurricane. Florida’s coastal cities were hit hard.

A Fort Myers council member said that “…90% of the island is pretty much gone. Unless you have a highrise condo or a newer concrete home that is built on the same standards today, your house is pretty much gone.” He also stated that pretty much every home on the beach is gone and some houses on the side streets have been destroyed as well. “There’s nothing left but a hole with water,” he told CNN.

Fort Myers is located on Estero Island in the Gulf of Mexico and has a population of 5,600 people. Southwest and Central Florida have been hit the hardest with 15 deaths reported in that area which brings the total to 17 Ian related deaths.