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Dramatic footage has shown residents of the small island city of Key West, 150 miles south of Miami, Florida, scrambling through waist-high water with their dog to find shelter. Ignoring calls to stay inside, the two men posted a video online of them carrying their frightened pet through the streets of Key West after their house was flooded with more than a foot of water in less than an hour by the swelling hurricane. In the video, the man behind the camera can be heard saying “this is absolutely nuts” as they navigate choppy waters and a fierce wind with only torchlights to illuminate the way. Tens of thousands of Florida residents have already lost power as officials struggle to battle the extreme conditions.
Key West resident Dylon Estevez, who posted the video on his Twitter, told the Weather Channel that they had travelled “a mile”, the equivalent of a “few blocks” in the treacherous conditions.
He said the pair had travelled to “somewhat dry land” where his roommate’s boss was able to pick them up and take them to his house, which was miraculously dry.
As they navigated the waters, the dog can be seen squirming in her owner’s arms, visibly frightened by the ordeal.
Mr Estevez screams over the wind multiple times that the water is “gushing”, describing the scene as “absolutely nuts”.
At 7 am eastern time, Hurricane Ian was around 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Punta Gorda, Florida, carrying maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour), the US National Hurricane Center said.
It upgraded Ian to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, though it said the storm was expected to weaken somewhat after reaching land.
”The storm is here,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said at a news conference. “Stay indoors. Stay away from windows.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that people in four Gulf Coast counties were no longer safe to evacuate and urged residents to get off the roads and stay inside.
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