Hurricane Ian devastates Florida, impacts Carolinas - 0 views
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asianhospitality on 03 Oct 22HURRICANE IAN PLOWED across Cuba and strengthened into a Category 4 storm Wednesday with its sites on central Florida, where it would kill more than 70 people before moving on to the Carolinas. Part of what made Ian so deadly was its unpredictability, as south Florida hotelier Jan Gautam witnessed. Gautam, president and CEO of IHRMC Hotels & Resorts in Orlando, said Ian hit with Category 1 force wind in the Kissimmee and Orlando area, damaging seven of his properties. That came as a surprise to many of his guests who had fled the Tampa area where Ian had been expected to hit. "This particular hurricane was supposed to hit Tampa Bay and we were not expecting it to come towards us in Orlando," Gautam said. "Suddenly, at the last moment the route was changed and most of the people from the Tampa area were staying in Orlando, so hotels in Orlando were completely full. These were the people who came from central Florida and we were actually beaten up badly."