Florida, with nearly four dozen reported dead, was hit hardest by the Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest to make landfall in the United States. Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet.
Florida
About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before the storm hit the coast with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. It was heading inland, where it was expected to weaken, at about 9 mph, but residents in central Florida could still experience hurricane-force winds.
Ian was forecast to hit the western tip of Cuba as a major hurricane and then become an even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before striking Florida. As of Monday, Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.
Diana Nyad, 64, became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the assistance of a shark cage. The Lake Forest native completed the journey in about 53 hours. Watch a 1978 interview with Nyad from WTTW's archives.
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing by a neighborhood crime watch volunteer in Florida, we examine the "talk" African-American parents give to their kids to keep them safe.
The race for the Republican presidential nomination moves ahead as Mitt Romney takes the important Florida primary. What fueled Romney's comeback and what's next in this election season?
The race for the republican presidential nomination moves to Florida after Newt Gingrich's huge weekend victory in South Carolina. We talk with Illinois representatives of the various campaigns.
