Indiana Task Force 1 prepared as Hurricane Ian strengthens to category 4

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)- Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center forecasted Hurricane Ian to be a Category 5, calling it an extremely dangerous hurricane.

As Ian approached Florida’s west coast, the storm slowed over the Gulf, allowing it to grow wider and stronger. Tropical-storm-force winds also reached the coast overnight, and major flooding was reported in Key West due to storm surge.

Officials in Broward County reported at least two possible tornadoes. Millions of residents are under an evacuation warning, and emergency management crews are preparing for potentially catastrophic flooding.

FEMA is sending additional support, a unit of 45 Indiana Task Force 1 team members, and six support members left Indianapolis Tuesday for Florida. The team last tweeted Wednesday morning that it’s in southern Alabama, waiting on direction.

News 8 spoke with the task force leader who explained how team members will begin staging until Hurricane Ian hits.

“We’ll get the whole task force together to talk about what they need to be prepared,” Gerald George said.

Task Force 1 specializes in search-and-rescue operations. The crew is prepared to stay in Florida for up to two weeks.