Helping Las Vegas Understand The Scope Of Hurricane Ian
Seeing natural disasters occur on your television or on your phone does not tell the whole story. There is bound to be a disconnect when staring at a screen. Of course you know Hurricane Ian caused damage, but how bad was it?
From the southern tip of Anthem to the northern tip of Centennial Hills is almost 31 miles. Just the eye of Hurricane Ian, sporting 155 mile per hour sustained winds was 34 miles wide. An eye-wall with speeds that match the top speed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It’s all about perspective. While we cannot imagine a storm like that hitting Las Vegas, parts of the country are living the unimaginable today. At least dozens are dead, thousands are displaced, and entire neighborhoods have been wiped off the map. Flood waters totally engulfing homes. Many homeowners were unable to pay the burdensomely high flood insurance rates that come along with it lost everything.
Those who lost everything are thankful they didn’t lose their lives. It is for those people that the country is sending support to organizations that seek to help those most affected by this natural disaster.
Talking to those who lived through Ian
Today on Aimee+Shawn, we spoke to many that were right in the crosshairs of Hurricane Ian. Gina Birch is born in Florida and has lived there for 30 years, and hosts mornings at Sunny 106.3 in Fort Myers. She has never seen a storm like this in her lifetime. Marija and Budman also joined us from our sister station B103.9 in Fort Myers, and spoke of complete and total devastation and entire communities leveled. Radio personality Ralphie Marino is still holed up in a hotel. His apartment complex suffered some flooding, but nothing in comparison to those he knows who have lost far more.
We also spoke with two news reporters familiar with Las Vegas. Former Fox 5 anchor and reporter Kyla Galer works for NBC 2 in Fort Myers now. She gave us a peak into the scope of the destruction there, and the need today. Lydia Vazquez is a Bonanza High grad, Las Vegas born and raised, now a reporter for ABC Action News in Tampa. The Bay was in the sights of the storm and narrowly missed the wreckage that befell the Fort Myers area. She spoke to the weather phenomena that took place and the meteorological perspective of what we saw.
The need in Florida and up the east coast is immense. Please help 102.7 VGS raise much needed funds for the American Red Cross. They have boots on the ground as we speak and will be there in the weeks and months to come. Consider a donation of any amount today and help your fellow American get through this brutal aftermath.
