Hurricane Ian: Video shows children swimming in storm surge as FL residents ignore evacuation orders
![Florida residents are ignoring evacuation orders even though Hurricane Ian has been declared a Category 3 hurricane (diamondsisland/TikTok; CityofTampa/Twitter)](http://d2a0gza273xfgz.cloudfront.net/586016/uploads/b83a1430-3eff-11ed-8af4-3b2c0449ee88_1200_630.png)
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: Despite the evacuation orders in place due to Hurricane Ian, many Florida residents are refusing to leave red zones. The catastrophic hurricane has been strengthened to a Category 3 storm. Yet, many have decided to "thug it out" in their homes. This would mean that in case of any problems, emergency services will not be able to aid them.
According to The Daily Mail, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has warned residents that there was going to be a threat to life due to the hurricane. Around 2.5 million people are being evacuated. DeSantis urged residents not to "put themselves in harm's way," as there might be Category 4 storm surges and flooding while the state will be battered by 140mph winds and 10ft to 15ft tall waves. Children were being filmed by their parents as they played in the rough waves amid power outages.
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Children were seen playing in the ocean in Key West, Florida, on Tuesday – even as flooding and rough waters already started ahead of Hurricane Ian. https://t.co/puITeSnLOT
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 27, 2022
📹 : @GabrielleArzola / @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/LFDhdVj8SZ
Two young men in a video could be seen ready with their surfboards saying, "We never get a chance to surf because the waves are usually small this Hurricane Ian has brought us some waves so we are gon go catch them. Today is a good day." Another woman from Tampa Bay was busy posting videos on TikTok. On one of the videos was the caption, "We just went under a mandatory red zone evacuation. HURRICANE IAN update from someone in Tampa Bay living in a bottom floor apartment." She went on to say, "I have no evacuation plan except for thugging it out. I'm going to post updates until I drown or survive." Disney World is also closed down due to the impending calamity.
:warning: EVACUATION ZONES :warning:
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) September 26, 2022
Save this printable evacuation zones map for a quick reference.
To look up your address and find your evacuation zone/route, visit @Hillboroughfl's website at: https://t.co/xQD6U59GMm
Please note: the website is experiencing high traffic. Please be patient. pic.twitter.com/ziPCZm6V3M
Along with the winds and lightning, another person says he was "woken up by an evacuation siren saying 'evacuate immediately you're in zone A.'" He said that one bottle of water would keep him going through the storm. "I live on an island in Tampa, I have one propel, I'm not good at swimming, I got a shark rod so I can f***ing catch fish if I need to eat and I got a couple of granola bars. Lock in boys," he said. Parts of Central Florida could see 12 to 16 inches of rain. DeSantis said Hurricane Ian was approaching Florida. "If you're in an evacuation zone, your time to evacuate is coming to an end," he said in a press conference on Tuesday, September 27.